EOFY party season is almost upon us, which means it’s time to start planning your next work celebration.
Whether your company likes to throw a big party or keep the End of Financial Year (EOFY) celebrations to a small gathering or meeting, CENTREPIECE can be transformed to suit an array of EOFY get-togethers.
But how do you make sure your party stands out from the rest? With these five expert tips, you’ll create an unforgettable event that will leave your colleagues in awe.
Why host a party for EOFY?
For most businesses, the EOFY year falls on June 30, and often leaders opt to throw a celebration in the weeks before or after to celebrate their team’s hard work and look forward to the year ahead.
It’s a great time to call out achievements, share the highlights and keep teams motivated for the future. Most of all, it’s a great excuse to get people together and enjoy some team bonding over delicious food and drinks, or an activity.
Five tips to make your EOFY party a success
1. Find the perfect venue
When planning your EOFY party, it’s important to choose a venue that not only fits your theme and requirements but also fits your budget. Choosing a unique venue that will wow your guests is a great way to show your employees you care about them and ensure everyone has a great time.
The perfect venue will vary depending on the event you want to throw. If you’re picturing a big bash with a DJ and a dancefloor, you’ll need a bigger venue that can cater to your numbers. Alternatively, if you’re ideal EOFY party would be an intimate dinner where you can discuss the highlights of the year, you might opt for a restaurant or bar.
Some of the things to consider when choosing a venue may be:
- What spaces are available and how can they be used?
- Where is the venue and how easy is it to get to?
- Are their hotels close by?
- Is the venue suited to activities/ awards/ speeches?
- Does the venue have partners that you can utilise?
- Does the venue suit your budget?
- What food and drinks are available?
Whilst keeping your budget front of mind is important, you shouldn’t let it hold you back. Keep an open mind and think big, often your dream space may be able to cater to your needs. For example, at CENTREPIECE, we have a variety of spaces that can suit different budgets and party sizes.
It can also be good to consider non-traditional venues such as rooftop bars, art galleries, or even a boat cruise. These unique venues can add an extra element of excitement to your event and step away from the corporate stereotype.
2. Create an agenda that can be shared
As a general rule, people love to know what the order of events will be. Planning an agenda will help ensure that you have a good blend of networking and social fun, as well as more business-led aspects like awards and feedback on the financial year.
Try to make the agenda inclusive, with a good balance of business and leisure. While there are no rules around what to include on the agenda, our expert CENTREPIECE team have a few suggestions.
“When planning a party, it’s always recommended to have delicious food and drinks available, fabulous entertainment and decorations and table dressings that create a great atmosphere in the room,” said Jess Manning, Head of Corporate Sales and Partnerships at Melbourne & Olympic Parks.
Drinks and nibbles on arrival are always recommended, with a welcome speech or introduction to the evening. This can be followed by any kind of business updates you like, with dinner, awards and drinks mingled in too.
Don’t be afraid to shake up the agenda with games, activities and speeches and consider how your audience likes to celebrate. Long periods of speaking can become dry, so try to mix it up with breaks, nibbles and drinks and encourage multiple people from the organisation to give updates, not just the business leaders.
3. Source entertainment to keep the party alive
To make your EOFY party truly unforgettable, plan engaging activities and entertainment that will keep your colleagues entertained throughout the night.
Consider hiring a DJ or live band to provide music and encourage dancing, if that’s the kind of celebration you’re looking for. Or if you’re aiming for a more corporate feel with speeches and awards, you could consider opting for a venue with more of an auditorium and stage set-up.
In terms of added extras, you could also set up a photo booth with props for your colleagues to take pictures and create memories. To add some fun to the evening, why not book a comedian or magician to provide some laughs and entertainment if you want to do some team building why not consider games and competitions?
At CENTREPIECE, we’ve supported clients to create magical experiences for their team including having aerialists flying overhead and even a grand piano and pianist suspended from the ceiling. We’ve also had lots of fun creating games for clients, including setting up a basketball court in the Grand Hall on one occasion and using circus entertainers like hoop artists, jugglers, stilt walkers and more activated on the Central Terrace in front of the venue.
One of the many benefits of working with CENTREPIECE is our industry connections that make planning these added extras easy.
“Clients love that we have a range of partners and suppliers that provide world-class food, drinks, entertainment and AV services. About 75% of our clients will opt to use partners and suppliers through CENTREPIECE, so they get a done-for-you service,” said Simone Taube, Sales Manager at CENTREPIECE.
4. Provide delicious refreshments
No party is complete without delicious food and drinks. When choosing your ideal venue, you should consider what foodie options they have available and whether they can provide a variety of tasty options, including vegetarian and gluten-free options for those with dietary restrictions.
Food and drinks can be as minimal or full-on as you choose, from canapes and nibbles to a three-course menu. Ideally, any menu will be fresh and wholesome with a good range of options to suit different tastes and dietary needs.
Drinks can be as simple as tea and coffee, all the way up to wine on tables and signature cocktails. Don’t forget to provide non-alcoholic options as well, such as mocktails or flavoured sparkling water. Good food and drinks will make or break your EOFY party, so try and get lots of opinions on the kind of things people like to enjoy.
Our Winter Menu has recently launched and offers a fantastic range of dishes created using sustainably sourced ingredients predominantly from Victoria.
5. Thank your team
An EOFY party is the chance to call out the wins within your team and thank everyone for their hard work. You can do this in many different ways from personalised cards that show your appreciation, gifts, party bags and employee-nominated awards.
Speeches are also a great way to give leaders within the business the opportunity to thank their teams and share their department’s wins. That said, try not to speak for too long or have long periods of speeches without a break. People like to have time to network, chat and enjoy food and drinks between speeches so aim to fit speeches into your fun agenda, not the other way around. A good idea to keep things upbeat is to have people from across the company speak and encourage engagement from the crowd where possible.
Parties tailored to you
CENTREPIECE hosts a variety of EOFY parties, with plenty of different spaces to suit different gatherings.
Whether you’re a huge national team hosting a party in Melbourne or a local business looking to do something different, CENTREPIECE can tailor the perfect option for you.
You’ll delight your guests at our state-of-the-art venue, complete with world-class AV and rigging equipment and mouth-watering menus.
With plenty of different breakout spaces, as well as a huge auditorium, our venue can be transformed to suit your agenda and provides the perfect place to enjoy an EOFY party with skyline views of Melbourne CBD.
Get in touch with our team of event specialists and find out how you can make CENTREPIECE your next Masterpiece.