EOFY? OMFG.
It’s winter. You’re stressed. Christmas holidays are ages away. Your to-do list is longer than the run in your great-aunt’s stockings. That can only mean one thing: End Of Financial Year is looming.
Do you find yourself yearning desperately for the days when you didn’t have to talk to accountants* as much? Had enough of time-sensitive deadlines and financial pressure? If the answer to either of those questions is ‘yes’, it sounds like it might be time for an EOFY party to celebrate everyone’s hard work.
If it’s your job to plan your workplace’s time-to-unwind event of the season you might be feeling like the prospect is less inviting than doing a tax return by yourself or using Quickbooks software – but don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for. We’ve got a comprehensive list of everything you need to know right here for you. If it isn’t your job to plan the workplace do but you need to send some subtle hints to your boss to get the ball rolling, send them the link to this post with a winky-face emoji.
Step one: Pick your venue.
Some helpful criteria to keep in mind when choosing a venue are:
Is it centrally located?
Is it accessible by public transport?
Can they provide an option within your budget?
Do they provide flexible and dietary-requirement-friendly menu options?
Can they take the hassle of planning off your hands? If yes – jump in with both feet. You’re a professional, you know how satisfying delegating tasks can be.
Step two: Entertainment.
Depending on the kind of office environment you’re hailing from, there are a few options available to you when it comes to keeping the masses entertained. If team-building is your thing, consider a workplace-tailored trivia night. If you’re a larrikin bunch who love a laugh, try a dress-up theme and make sure you document it appropriately with a photo booth – Magnet Me are a great provider of keepsakes and mementos for events just such as this.
If you reeeeeeally need to let your hair down, book a DJ and make sure your chosen venue has room to boogie, as well as all the AV hook-ups necessary. Crank up the tunes and let allllll thoughts of tax wash away into the night.
Step three: Food and drink.
What food you need will be dependent on your group size of course – but in my (vast) experience of partying, I can tell you that a canape/cocktail style event works best. It’s a great way to get people to socialise, instead of perhaps sitting stationery all night and working their way through the plonk. Canapes make the whole night super easy, as it’s simple to provide for a vast range of dietary requirements that keep everyone fed and happy. Again, be sure to have a chat with your venue’s Functions Coordinator as it’s highly likely that they can take the hassle of organising this out of your hands also.
As far as drinks go – well, I’d hazard a guess that that’s your boss’s responsibility. Just specify what drinks you’d like to have included, make sure there’s a cocktail special on offer, send over the credit card details and let it run from there!
Step four: Promotion.
Tell your mates! Whack up a few flyers around the place and create a Facebook event for the occasion. If you want to go one further, create a custom snapchat filter for the occasion! Tap into Snapchat’s rabid popularity by creating your own custom filters for your office event.
The process is simple: just come up with a design, designate the time and place the filter will be active, submit to Snapchat (and allow 1 business day for approval), and voila – your party now has its very own custom Snapchat experience.
If design isn’t your thing, check out SnapGeofilters, an app that helps you easily create stunning geofilters, no design experience necessary.
Bonus benefit – your guests will publicize your awesome party to their network, which will help recruiting.
Step five: Have a margarita.
*No offence to accountants – we know you’re people too. Come and see us for a pint.
