Company Picnic Ideas and Planning Tips
By
Ellen Zucker
The company picnic is a beloved tradition at many firms.
It's an opportunity for employees to mingle and "let down their hair."
A well organized company picnic with planned activities can help integrate employees with each other. This is particularly important if the company has undergone recent reorganization. As such it functions as a "team bonding" mechanism.
A company picnic can be held for an entire firm of thousands or for a single department of 30.
In my role of party entertainer (and prior to that corporate employee), I have attended countless such events. Here are some observations, tips, and ideas I picked up along the way.
General Considerations
Like any other type of event, you need to decide what you want your picnic to be like and how much you want to spend.
As with any event, it is important to keep the needs and tastes of your attendees paramount.
Allow yourself sufficient time to book your venue if the picnic is offsite. Demand for some venues is at a premium during peak periods. It is not uncommon to make reservations several months or more in advance of a given date.
You'll need to plan food and beverages, and activities and entertainment and, in some cases, transportation to the picnic site.
Allow enough time so you can give your employees sufficient advance notice to include the picnic into their plans. This is especially important if you'll be inviting family members or if it is held on a weekend.
Company picnics and company picnic ideas can range from the very simple to a pull-out-all-stops extravaganza. My observation is that people have a good time at both.
Do you want to have a theme? A theme is fun! Plus it makes it easier to organize food and activities.
WHEN do you want to hold you company's picnic?
Here, in the Philadelphia area, companies hold their picnics beginning in June through early October.
Considerations such as your company's workflow, availability of a desired venue, etc., will help you determine the date. Employees are less apt to be away on vacation in June or September, but they will really enjoy the chance to kick back in July or August.
There are pros and cons to weekday picnics versus weekend picnics.
Company picnics held during a workday will ensure a greater attendance for employees when they would normally be in the office. And, they don't cut into precious personal time.
But spouses and children are generally more available for a weekend date.
WHOM do you want to invite?
Staff only? Members of the employee's immediate family? What about significant others, friends? Decide where to draw the line.
Family picnics are a great way for employees to meet co-workers’ families. It humanizes co-workers by allowing them to relax their at-work personas.
On the other hand, single or divorced employees can feel like the odd wheel at a very family oriented event. That can be overcome by planning activities suitable for people of all ages.
Activities that require participants to form groups can help integrate the attendees. And it keeps your guests occupied.
WHERE do you want to have your company picnic?
While many picnics take place under a tent in the company's parking lot, offsite venues can make people feel more relaxed. If you're on a strict budget, one option is a nearby state park. Many have large pavilions ideally suited for such events.
I've also been to company picnics given at the home of the firm's CEO or owner. This kind of setting adds a homey touch to the festivities. In some instances, facilities were set up
Author of 'Sleepy Hollow' Washington Irving's Home, Sunnyside, historically preserved.
Irvington, Town of Greenburgh NY
The Village of Irvington, in which the hamlet of Ardsley-on-Hudson is located, encompasses approximately 2.82 square miles and is located along the lower western edge of Westchester County, bordering the Hudson River about 12 miles North of New York City. The Village is part of the Town of Greenburgh and is adjacent to the Villages of Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, and Elmsford. The population of the village was 6,631 according to the 2000 U.S. census.
The Village is traversed by New York State Route 9, Interstate 87, and the Saw Mill River Parkway. In addition, commuters are served by Metro-North Railroad which provides access to New York City via the Hudson Line within 25 minutes.
The Village is a suburban community and primarily residential in nature with a large number of residents working in New York City. It is characterized by its tranquil atmosphere, numerous green spaces, and an absence of commercial strip development. It contains an impressive vista of homes, lawns and parks, the Croton Aqueduct, and many natural scenic resources. It also includes an attractive central business district in full view of the Hudson River.
History
The Village of Irvington was incorporated April 16, 1872. The territory of the village was part of the Bissightick track of the Van der Donck grant purchased by Frederick Phillipse in 1682. In 1817, Justice Dearman bought half of William Dutcher's farm and lived there until 1848 when it was sold to Gustavo F. Sanchi. In the same year, it was sold to John Jay, grandson of Justice John Jay, who arranged for it to be laid out in lots as the Village of Dearman. The lots were sold at public auction in New York City in 1850; the village of "Dearman" was formed. In 1854, "Dearman," by popular vote, changed its name to "Irvington," honoring its beloved citizen, Washington Irvington, author of
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and
"Rip Van Winkle." Works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who also lived here, can be seen in the town hall, library and the Irvington Presbyterian Church.
American author Washington Irving's residence, Sunnyside, still exists there today, preserved as a museum. Sleepy Hollow (formerly North Tarrytown) is the nearby village after which Irving wrote his most famous work,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Today, Irvington is home to several important businesses, companies, and institutions and people including:
Westchester Limousine (800) 720-2021
Hire a limo for your weddings, birthdays, proms, and romantic dates, or treat your guests and clients to a Westchester limousine shuttle service for a tour around town, to and from hotels and airports, and during special corporate events. And for your limousine service needs only one name can be trusted: Westchester Limousine Service. Five years of first-class quality limousine service by our professionally trained chauffeurs and staff have earned Westchester Limousine Service a reputation as the New York limousine service company to hire for every function or occasion. Our stable of limousines is widely arrayed from simple elegant town cars to stylish sedans and luxurious stretch limousines. Our services cover all cities, towns and villages in Westchester County, New York.