For many of us, Labor Day is the official end of summer. Work is back in full swing, and the office is buzzing – no more half-day Fridays. With the fall and winter seasons bringing major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it’s time to start planning for all the office festivities!
Yes we know, it feels too early, but the more advance notice to your team, the better! Coordinating all the moving parts from the entertainment to the food takes up a lot of time! Beyond that, company parties are one of the highlights of the work year. We all look forward to them months in advance, so you’ve got to get the details right!
In all our years of office catering experience, we’ve taken a few notes along the way on how to efficiently plan a perfect work party! See our tips below and get ready to be the office hero!
Start with the Basics
First, establish your budget. Know exactly how much you can spend on this event. The budget will help set the expectations for the party, but don’t be thrown off by smaller budgets – they just mean you have to get creative.
Next, set a date and time. Depending on the type and size of your company, you can go about this in different ways. For a smaller open-format company, you may opt to survey for everyone’s availabilities using Google Forms or Typeform. For a large corporate company, you may need to get clearance for a particular date and time.. Regardless, it’s important to land on a date and time early on in the planning process to work towards this deadline! Don’t forget to send the invites out to get your team to save the date. We love handy tools like Evite, Paperless Post, Google Calendar invite… lots of great options out there!
Plan the Venue & the Entertainment
It’s about getting the vibes right with the venue, theme, music, and entertainment.
You can keep the party local, right at your office in a large common space. Outside the office, you have many options like restaurants or dedicated event spaces. Regardless of location, you can always bring your own flavor with the right decorations and props.
It’s always fun to keep the party and all its elements themed! We’re talking about coordinating the colors, decorations, props, food and maybe even outfits to stick to the theme. More festive, more fun!
Don’t forget the music and entertainment! Spotify playlist or DJ, make sure to keep the tunes going. Keep things interesting with a raffle or giveaway at some point. Bring it up a notch or five with novelty entertainment like puppy therapy or free spa treatments.
Lastly, find a way for your team to save the precious memories! Takeaway gift bags are not only memorabilia, but a thoughtful token of appreciation for the hardworking employees. Also, photobooths are never a bad idea. Or you can even leave disposable cameras around the party for everyone to DIY it up!
Pick the Perfect Meal
Of course, food is often the star of the show. It’s the detail people often fixate on the most at any party. Good food is highly memorable which tends to upsell the party as whole and leave an overall positive feeling about the occasion.
The beauty of Mobydish is the variety it offers to cover any need whether in catering style, format, cuisine type, etc. on any budget and headcount. There is something for everything on our online catering platform. With Mobydish catering services, picking the perfect menu for your next office catering event should, in fact, be the least stressful part of your planning process.
Here are some of our favorites that will surely be party hits:
La Fromagerie Party Catering
Their commitment to using only the freshest ingredients and handpicking products for the perfect pairing ensures that everyone will love their gourmet sandwiches, salads, and hors d’oeuvres catering menu.
Any of their platters, filled with the finest charcuterie and cheese, will serve about a dozen people.
Must-Try at La Fromagerie Catering
Some of our favorite options include a large selection of platters with charcuterie, delicious cheeses, and freshly baked bread. They are ideal for any occasion and offer something for everyone. So come on in and give one a try today!
California Pizza Kitchen Party Catering
CPK offers a variety of Pizzas, Pastas and Salads! Thanks to their experience since 1985, they always use fresh high-quality ingredients to create innovative, heart-baked pizza like Thai Pizza! We loved their Veggie Pizza & The Original BBQ Chicken!
Must-Try at California Pizza Kitchen Catering
Choose a large serving of grilled bell peppers, Cremini mushrooms, and melted cheese with baby greens, tomatoes and housemade sun-dried tomato aioli sandwiches or any of their other choices!