Year End Functions

Year End Functions: Turn A Planning Disaster Into The Party Of The Year

Letting their hair down and relaxing with their colleagues after a year’s hard work is the reason why people look forward to their company’s year end functions. Due to the different cultures and personalities found in most companies, it is a lot of pressure to organise the perfect function.

By making use of a company to take care of the planning of the function will ensure that every little detail is taken care of. Make sure you choose a company that specialises in the planning of yearend functions and have a reliable reputation in the industry.

Before deciding on which function planner to use, obtain a few quotes from different planners and don’t be afraid to ask them how many yearend functions they’ve organised for companies similar to yours in size. If you are a large corporate company with hundreds or even thousands of employees, you should ensure that your planner has the capabilities to organise a large function successfully.

If you as a company decide to take control of the planning and organising in-house, there are a few things to remember when planning your function. While Fridays and Saturdays are the ideal days for year end functions, you will find that they are the two most expensive days when you are hiring a venue. Choosing the date is the first step in the planning scheme.

Once you have a date finalised, the next step will be to confirm the estimated number of people who will be attending. Having a ballpark figure is a good start as most venues will ask you this when you enquire about their facilities for year-end functions.

Arranging the Function – Where and When

Whether you are looking for a venue in close proximity to your office or a venue in another province so that you and your colleagues can make a weekend of it, year end functions are often not a success because the venue is either not capable of handling the amount of guests or the service is below standard. That is why it is so important to find the perfect venue suitable for your company.

Once the date is finalised and the venue is booked, you should send out the invitations. Because year end functions are usually held just before the December break, most people will be in a rush to finish their work before they go on holiday and do not pay much attention to invitations left on their desk. A cheap and convenient way of getting the invitations out to your colleagues is by sending an e-mail so that they can insert it into their desktop calendars electronically.

Remember to emphasise the theme of your function in the invite so that everyone is aware of the theme and that confusion could be avoided. By adding a theme to your year end function, you will not only make it much easier for people when deciding what to wear to the function, but it also adds an element of enthusiasm.

Be sure to add the RSVP date in your invitation and send a reminder a week or two before the actual date of your year end function. By doing so you will ensure that your colleagues are aware of the date and will arrive on the day of the function.

If the pressure seems too much to handle or you don’t have enough time on your hands to plan the perfect function, contact us. We are professionals in organising year end functions and are able to source various types of venues and themes to make sure you enjoy the party of the year.

Please contact Cardinal Leisure and Lodges for more information at viviene@cardinalleisure.com or give us a call at 011-478-2420 (SA)