Your year-end function is an awesome way to boost morale amongst employees. It can increase efficiency, profitability and employee retention. These type of functions don’t always have to be extravagant and flashy. They’re pretty much just to give employees a pat on the back and the recognition they deserve for a successful year. Staff members have the opportunity to mingle and get to know one another on a more personal level – strengthening employee relations and creating a powerful workforce.
It would be a shame if your year-end function has to be jeopardised by tight budgets. In South Africa’s economic climate, year-end functions are sometimes the first things to get cut. You may be in luck by managing to get a little bit of last-minute budget from the top to do something small for your team to show your appreciation.
A few budget-friendly last minute year-end function ideas for you to consider:
Keep it in the office
If budget is an issue then hiring a venue is totally unnecessary. If you’re reading this post it’s probably because this is a last-minute function and most venues are likely to be fully booked anyway.
You may have some hidden culinary talent within your team – find out if a few team members would be willing to whip up some snacks and treats for the day. Reimbursing them the cost of the ingredients will work out far more economical than hiring an entire catering company.
Pull together staff content. If you really want to keep your function intimate and personal you can ask staff for content to display during the event. This includes office photos, stories or site photographs they may have taken and documented throughout the year. Put together a little PowerPoint preseon to project and run in the background of your event.
Parking lot cook-out
If you have an awesome open parking lot on your premises, gather a few braais from staff members or hire a spit, set out some benches, get some great sound and work with what you’ve got!
You could even do a sunset braai and allow everyone to go home, get into casual clothes, bring their families and enjoy a year-end braai together.
Don’t hire out a venue – book tables.
You may be lucky enough to have an awesome restaurant in your area. Instead of paying a fee to book a venue for a private event, call and book a few tables. This way you’ll have everyone together and the venue still stays open for other patrons.
You’ll still be able to make your toast at the table, say your speeches and acknowledge excelling team members.
Join forces
Talk to your sister company, partners or even other companies in your office block and have a combined year-end function. It’s a win-win and may even have some surprising business benefits – you’ll be able to network, meet new people and set the tone for an awesome new year.
By joining resources you have access to other premises, staff capabilities and talents and most importantly – extra budget!
Shop around
If you did manage to pull a little extra budget and have the opportunity to look for suppliers, shop around. Some suppliers may be doing discounted year-end packages or just have better rates than others.
We, at Avstage are able to supply all the audio-visual elements of your event and we’ll try our best to make it work within your budget. Contact us to book a consult.
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