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Planning Your Best Summer Outing Ever and Staying on Budget
By admin | January 29, 2010
Planning Your Best Summer Outing Ever and Staying on Budget
As the winter weather takes hold of the Chicagoland area, many companies are already busy working to select and plan their 2010 summer outing – typically the largest event of the year and the one requiring the most planning. Even though many companies were unable to hold a summer outing in 2009, most of them are planning for a return to their summer outing in 2010. Through my experiences with summer outings and client feedback, I have identified key components of the decision-making process that planners should consider to ensure their summer outing matches the mission and objectives of the event while maximizing value, participation and fun. Most importantly as the economy continues to rebound, don’t wait! Many companies are already booking their summer outings to guarantee the location and date of their choice.
Mission & Objectives
The first step in the decision-making process is defining the summer outing’s key mission and objectives. Without determining these elements, it is virtually impossible to plan and select an event that maximizes participation, fun and value for employees and guests of all ages. Some of the questions to consider in this step include:
• What is the budget for the event?
• Is a focus of the event to build camaraderie and goodwill amongst employees and/or employees and their families?
• Is the event focused on enhancing relationships amongst employees?
• Is the event strictly to reward employees?
• Is the priority on younger employees (generally without families) or those employees with families or both?
• If the priority is on both, how will the needs of the different groups be addressed?
Once the objectives are determined, the planning and selection process for the ideal summer outing begins.
Weekday vs. Weekend Events
The next step in the decision-making process is determining if the event is to occur on a weekday or weekend. With benefits to either option, the company’s mission and objectives drive this decision. For instance, a company looking to provide a highly engaging and entertaining event for employees and their families would prefer to host a weekend event to ensure family members are able to attend. However, clients who want to guarantee a high employee attendance rate and want to focus on building relationships amongst employees are likely to choose a weekday event. In addition, weekday events are typically less expensive since family members do not attend.
Day vs. Evening Events
After selecting the day of the week, planners must choose the best time of day to hold the event. Traditionally, summer picnics are held in the afternoon taking advantage of the warm weather, time off work during the week and the optimum time for family members of all ages to attend, just to name a few. However, a recent trend towards evening picnics held from 5:00-9:00 PM has proved popular with many companies. Evening picnics are a good choice for a variety of reasons such as cooler weather, lower costs, larger range of available dates and more!
Whether selecting a traditional afternoon picnic or opting for the newer evening picnic trend, planners must make sure to match the advantages of each to fit their needs.
Exclusive Company Event vs. General Admission Event
With the day of the week and time selected, the next step is choosing the type of event: an exclusive interactive event or a general admission event. Exclusive company events are private events strictly for the company, such as private summer picnics or BBQs, company softball tournaments and interactive receptions. These events provide a great environment for internal networking and enhance relationships between the company, the employees and their families. General admission events take place in public environments such as amusement parks and zoos. These events are designed to be a reward or “thank you” to employees and their families. While they may provide a short lunch for anyone interested, the intent of the event is for guests to enjoy the venue with their families independent of the company. Both event types are intended to reward the employees along with enhance employee morale. Exclusive company events are also designed to build goodwill and camaraderie along with enhancing relationships between the company, employees and their families since the group is together (or in the same area) throughout the entire event. Your event objectives will determine which event type meets your specific goals.
Book Early
Now that you’ve selected the details of your event, it is imperative to start the process of booking your event early. Certainly one of the key ingredients to a great event is booking the location and date of your choice. In order to accomplish this, you should start planning no later than February of each year and preferably sooner. Make sure your employees have something to look forward to this year and book your 2010 summer outing now. The sooner you book, the more value you receive on your investment throughout the year.
Now that you are ready to book your outing, here are some key factors when selecting the company to best execute your next summer event…
Award-Winning Experience: Selecting a company with the experience to handle every aspect of planning the event, selecting trusted quality vendors and making your event run seamlessly with no hassle for you is a key element to a successful event.
Activities for All Ages: Find a vendor who provides activities for all age groups attending the event. Regardless of each attendee’s interests, select a company that provides an array of activities capable of entertaining everyone. Do not forget those guests without children. The group that is always the most challenging in terms of motivating to attend on a weekend are those 20-30 somethings without kids. If they comprise a reasonable percentage of the company be aware of the following realities:
- They will not travel far. If you are a downtown company, do not book a summer event in the suburbs. Despite their best intentions, they will not attend.
- Make sure there are activities specifically for them and clearly promote these activities in your correspondences. If kids are involved, you do not want the 20-30 somethings to assume the event is only focused on families.
- This group also prefers Saturday late afternoon events to weekend midday events.
Premier Venues: Location! Location! Location! Location is the key to an event and an element that requires a planner with access to the right venues.
Hassle-Free Planning: Find a vendor that allows you to focus on enjoying your event and mingling with your employees and co-workers. From acquiring permits and selecting the caterer to adding interactive entertainment and facilitated activities, the company must handle all the details of your event so you don’t have to worry. You just sit back, relax and enjoy the event. Best of all, you get all the credit!
Cost-Conscious Planning: Many options exist for cost savings that still allow for an amazing event. Find a vendor who knows how to meet your budget but not reduce the value of your event.
I hope that you find this information helpful as you look to plan your next summer outing. Best of luck in 2010.
Murrel Karsh, President and Co-Founder of Windy City Fieldhouse, the Midwest’s largest Team Building and Entertainment Company. WCF has helped define team building and summer picnic trends over the past 11 years.
WCF is an Inc. 5000 honoree, awarded to the nation’s fastest-growing small businesses and a recipient of Illinois Meetings & Events Magazine “Best Team Building Company” Award for three consecutive years and nominated for a fifth again this year.
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Topics: Chicago Company Picnic Places, Chicago Corporate Meetings, Outdoor Spaces, Team Building | Comments Off
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