How To Plan the Perfect Company Outing

We went to Top Golf! It was so much fun to let loose and hang out with the team and of course, incite some friendly competition. Company outings and corporate events are important to motivate and engage employees. They improve morale and bring people together. If they go off without a hitch, these can become the perfect moment for bonding with your coworkers and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, team outings create a strong sense of comradery for your team. Planning the perfect company outing is easy with these steps.

1. Gather Your Committee

In order to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch, it’s important to pick an event coordinator. This person will make sure that things run smoothly throughout the bonding experience and act as the point person. Between gathering RSVP’s, contacting venues, and making the tough decisions, these people will have much work to do. You could hire someone from outside of the company or appoint an employee. The latter comes with an added bonus – when employees are the ones working on the event, it’s more likely that the rest of your team will have a good time. After all, employees have a better understanding of what their coworkers like. For our Top Golf excursion, we chose one person to contact the venue and one to contact the limo company so that everything could continue as scheduled without getting in the way.

2. Set a Budget

Before you pick the venue or the date, make sure to set your budget. If you’re looking to host an event outside of the office, consider that you might have to spend money on transportation or on renting a room or area. Shop around. Get quotes. Once you have these, you’ll have a better gauge of how much you’re comfortable spending.

3. Take a Survey

Once you’ve gathered your committee, consider taking a survey of what everyone would like to do. Our group is small, so we simply asked… but if your team is big, it might be best to send out a memo, email, or survey monkey to decide. To plan an event that’s fun for and accessible to everyone is easier if you have an idea of what the general consensus might enjoy. Through this survey, people can share their ideas and also express things they know they cannot in a safe, anonymous space. Worried about getting too many ideas? Consider sending out a survey with 4 different options and have people pick from those.

4. Pick a Date

Next, pick the date of your outing. Remember that things are often more expensive at the weekend, so it might be best to pick a weekday. Additionally, consider whether a holiday is coming up and if you’ll have off the next day if you’re anticipating a late night. We went to Top Golf the night before 4th of July, which was a Wednesday because we had the following two days off. That said, remember that a lot of people have obligations on the weekdays. Second jobs, hobbies, appointments… if you can swing it, a weekday might be a better day!

5. Have Fun

Obviously, the most important thing is to have fun! On the day of, iron out all of those last-minute details, take a headcount, and get ready to go! If problems arise throughout the evening, stay calm and cool and most importantly, remember that having a good time is what matters most. This is an opportunity to get to know your team outside of the office! A company outing can make employees feel valued, boost morale, and keep them engaged, which does wonders for employee retention rates. After all, engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave a company.

So plan your first (or next) team event with these helpful hints to plan the perfect company outing! You certainly won’t regret it!