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
New Roc City in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle's earliest residents were the Siwanoys, living on the southern end of Davenport Neck -- the area known as Titus Mill farm. They sustained themselves by gathering food from the abundant fish, clams and oysters found along the shore of Long Island Sound.
The Huguenots followed in 1688. Also settling along the water's edge, they used the water routes into New York City to transport their locally grown produce by sloop. In later years a steamboat provided daily service from New Rochelle to the City.
For almost 300 years, New Rochelle's waterfront has continued to play an important role in the life of the community. In the nineteenth century it became a popular place for summer fun. Numerous parks were built as play lands for pleasure-seekers, including Starin's "Island Grand Cafe and Amusement Park."
In the early part of the twentieth century, the County's famous Glen Island Casino on Long Island Sound continued to draw such celebrities as Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers and Ozzie Nelson. Others came to the waterfront seeking the peace, tranquility and scenic beauty along this splendid shore.
As the crow flies, the shoreline within the City of New Rochelle measures 2.7 miles. But with its many irregularities and off-shore islands, the actual length of the waterfront is 9.3 miles. The unusual features of this splendid coast have over the years earned it the nickname, "the Queen City of the Sound."
New Roc City
New Roc City, a 1.2 million square-foot retail and entertainment center in downtown New Rochelle, offers fun and excitement for the entire family. New Roc City is the home of the Tower Space Shot Ride, the only one in the Northeast! It's also the home of Westchester County's only IMAX Theater, and Westchester's largest Megaplex with 18 movie theaters! And if that's not enough, The Fun House offers all the entertainment needed to keep the wholefamily busy day and night! New Roc n' Bowl is Glow in the dark Bowling complete with a snack bar and full Liquor License for the older competitors.
New Roc Ice, the skating rinks offering -- The Central Park Skating Pond, with a sculptured ice surface, is complete with iron rails, park benches, lamp posts and a city feel. The NHL-size skating arena, with its 50-foot ceiling and energizing murals, features hockey games, figure skating and gala special events and shows.
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.