You can never go wrong with the summer company picnic. Whether your budget is big or small, it’s easy to design a fun event that will fit within your monetary limitations, and the gain makes the investment well worth the while. The perfect mid-year morale booster, the summer company picnic lets you thank your employees and allows them to have fun and know that you appreciate their contributions to your business. Here are three tips to planning that summer company picnic without losing your head:
SET A DATE: June is almost over, and July and August will pass by quickly. Now’s the time to choose a date for the event where the maximum number of employees can attend. This is likely to be mid-July to mid-August sometime. The good news is that it’s not that far away, so you can plan it, enjoy it, and then cross it off your list as a task well done and accomplished. I advise against choosing a weekend date, and if you can, consider starting that company picnic toward the end of your workday – as early as 1pm if you can swing it (so it’s a lunch picnic) or 4pm or 5pm – your team will enjoy the early dismissal from work and those with families or children can still get home at a reasonable time to spend time with their loved ones.
SELECT AN APPROPRIATE VENUE: Choose the venue that best meets your needs. Indoors or outdoors? And if you’re going to be outdoors, do you have a plan if the weather calls for rain that day? There are many restaurants with private outdoor spaces as well as parks that may work for your needs, or maybe you or one of the executives you work with has a home with outdoor grounds that would work with a few tents. It doesn’t have to be grand or over the top – you don’t even need to have live entertainment – the point is to schedule a non-work time so your team can come together and enjoy a meal with the people with whom they spend most of their waking hours.
MAKE A BUDGET THAT WORKS FOR YOU: It’s the summer company picnic, not the holiday party and not the year-end bonus. No one is going to complain that you didn’t spend more money or that you served barbecued chicken and corn on the cob instead of hot dogs and hamburgers. Make a budget, and stick to it. If you want to have it at a certain venue or space that is slightly out of your range, try talking them down – many places will be happy for your business and thus willing to negotiate.
Contact Shannon at sha@dashawellness.com to book your custom-tailored health event at your company today. DASHA® is a wellness lifestyle brand and Manhattan-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. DASHA®’s corporate health initiative is to educate, motivate, reward and inspire employees to instill better health habits and make education decisions. DASHA® understands that if your employees are able to stand tall, feel healthy and confident, they will be better people and can contribute more productively to their work environment. DASHA®’s motto is to “enhance your well-being.”
