7 Tips for Your Newcastle Work Christmas Party
/It’s that time of year again! If you've been tasked with planning the annual end of year work party for your team, you’ll want to find a unique and fun staff event that everyone will enjoy. Here are our suggestions to get the most out of your special event.
Change it Up
Sick of the classic dinner and secret santa? So are we! Keep everyone on their toes and consider a roving event that starts in one location and finishes in another, with different experiences throughout. Changing environments and activities will allow for colleagues to mingle and have a wider variety of conversations outside the norm. This option is perfect for small to medium sized businesses.
Feel Free to Include Booze, But Manage It
A lot of people do like a tipple to celebrate the end of a long year, but none of us want drinking to go overboard with our workmates. We’ve all seen it, and we don’t want to relive it! If you do include alcohol in your event, we recommend mixing up group activities, drinks and food. Eat & drink history walking tours and bar hopping scavenger hunts are great examples, and allow for the event to be focussed on team building and fun, not just drinking.
Have an Element of Surprise
There is nothing like the element of surprise to generate interest and excitement and keep spirits high. Choose to have group games or random activities throughout the event for guests to get involved and get competitive. Give your workmates important information like time, place, and what to wear, but keep a few activities secret with hints along the way. They will be talking about surprise activities for weeks afterward. Scavenger hunts are a great team building option full of surprises.
Hire a Host
Have a local expert from outside the business to do the planning and run the party for you! Event hosts, tour guides and MCs bring bring a new element to your team and guide them along the way. Your host can also deal with any troubleshooting along the way, to ensure everyone from your group can have fun on the day.
Choose the most effective time to hold your work party
You want to make sure that as many people as possible can attend this fabulous work party! Check for school holidays and employee leave to make sure most people can attend. We recommend considering a Wednesday or Thursday to avoid the Christmas season crowds. You may choose an event in the afternoon during work hours, so employees can get some work or team building done in the morning, but don’t have to find extra time in their personal lives.
Location
Location Location! Atmosphere is what it’s all about. Find somewhere central, beautiful, and relaxing. Newcastle has some gorgeous parks, restaurants, bars and waterfront venues to provide the scenery for your party. In Newcastle we recommend working with outdoor locations and unusual locations like surf life saving clubs. There options are unique, affordable and adaptive, allowing your Christmas party to have stunning beach views.
How about a strolling picnic along Bathers Way from King Edward Park to Bar Beach, finishing with a drink at Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club? Or a walking tour, followed by a drumming workshop at Nobbys Surf Life Saving Club? Think outside the square and go somewhere different this year.
Get planning early and set the date early!
Don’t forget that ‘tis the season for most Hunter Valley organisations and businesses to have a work party. If you haven’t already got something sorted, get in now to avoid missing out!
Newcastle Afoot plan and run fun, informative and unique team experiences in Newcastle city centre. We specialise in corporate Scavenger Hunts and Eat & Drink Newcastle History Walking Tours. Learn more about our award winning experiences here.
Newcastle Afoot Team Parties
Scavenger Hunts and Eat & Drink Experiences to suit you.
