great jobYou value your employees and want to show them so, but you have a limited budget and are "busy, busy, busy". You also know in the coming year things are going to be tough. How do you show your most valuable asset — your employees — that you care about them? By holding an employee appreciation event!  

Here are 8 ways to get started on planning an event to be remembered: 

Tip #1: Establish an overall budget for the day. 

Find out the budget number you have to work with and then breakdown that number in the following areas:

Tip #2: Choose a day that will work with most people. 

Talk to management about giving people a day off. If that is not possible, put an email together with 3  possible dates and ask people to vote on their number 1 choice. Most of the time, you will not be able to get everyone to the event, but 75-85% is what you want to strive for. If the majority of employees are not able to make it on the designated dates, reschedule for another time.  

Tip #3: Get employees involved in the planning process. 

By crowdsourcing with them what the day will look like, employees will feel like it is their event instead of your event. 

Tip #4: Determine the activities and entertainment. 

Will you be including employee spouses and families? Will it be in the evening or during the day? Determining who will be invited, sets the stage for activities and the type of entertainment (face painting versus DJ) you will have on-site. 

Tip #5: Plan out food and beverage. 

Figure out what kind of food you will serve and whether it will be catered or you will ask employees to bring a dish. To minimize liability, most event meeting services organizations recommend that you stick to a no-alcohol policy, especially if you are gathering on company premises. 

Tip #6: Choose a location. 

Once you have determined the activities, entertainment and F&B, consider the location that best serves this event. Will it be on-site or offsite? Day or evening? Indoors or out? If you are going to have an evening outdoor event, consider light equipment rental to create a certain ambiance for the setting. 

Tip #7: Provide Awards and Prizes. 

This is a great forum to present employee appreciation awards. You can also give goody bags to each employee as they leave the event. If you have games, provide prizes for each contest. Set up a stage for award presentations and make certain your sound and lighting rental system can been heard and viewed by the entire group. 

Tip #8: Have Fun.

When the day finally arrives, remember you are an employee, too! Smile, tell employees how much you appreciate them being there and participate in the fun! 

Are you event planning in California? Think of AV Event Solutions when you plan your next employee appreciation event! They can provide you with lighting, sound, and much, much more. Give them a call at 888.249.4903 for more information.