End of Financial Year often means a chance to celebrate with your staff, but like all office parties, it’s a delicate balance between having fun and ensuring your staff are still safe and responsible. There are a few key things we recommend thinking about no matter the size of your event or what you’re doing.

Consider what you are doing?

This is a really important one as it will set the tone for the entire event and dictate key factors like the location of the event, timings and eligibility of the staff. Your EOFY party can be as simple as a few drinks at the office on a Friday afternoon, all the way through to an entire coordinated production with activities of site.

When thinking about what you want to do, make sure you’re considering everyone in the team. Some heavily active activities won’t work for everyone in the team, likewise, a wine tasting isn’t going to suit a team that contains high school students who aren’t of age to be able to drink.

Think about the Location

The location will determine a lot of things. You need to be considering accessibility for your staff. Particularly if your staff will be partaking in alcoholic beverages throughout the event meaning they are unable to drive home. Providing alternative transport for them is imperative to make sure everyone can get home safely.

We always suggest providing a voucher to your staff or organising a mini bus or shuttle if the event is further out to make sure everyone can get a little closer to get a cab from. By making it easier for your staff to get home, the less likely they will drive when they shouldn’t be.

Another aspect of location to continue is how long the event goes for and if you want the options for an after party or kick ons. If you spent the day at an escape room and want to treat your staff to a drink or 2 after, make sure the escape room is convenient to a local bar. The last thing you want is everyone getting in a cab to drive 10 minutes just to go to the bar. This is when groups start to break down and disperse.

Start the weekend early

Who doesn’t love a 3pm finish on a Friday afternoon. Get the group to gather and pull out a few bottles of red or white and some plates of canapes and grazing boards. It instantly makes the mood much more casual and relaxed and your staff will always get excited about an early knock off.

You will find most staff don’t want to give up their precious Saturday night or Sunday afternoon to spend time with people they see all day every day, and sometimes don’t particularly like. The best way around this is to host your event on a Friday afternoon. That way people can leave when they want so it doesn’t cut into their weekend, or keep going if they want to.

Make it a show stopper with food

This is an absolute must at any staff event, particularly one with alcohol involved. Ensuring your staff are well fed should be your number one priority. Make sure you consider dietary requirements of your staff as well. There is nothing worse than the gluten free person arriving to your event and having nothing to eat.

Food can also be a great conversation stater and make people feel relaxed and bring them together. Having an abundance of delicious food will get people talking.