Tips to Celebrate the Opening of a New Office
Relocating to a new office is a lot of hard work. From those back-breaking days of packing to having some employees uproot their lives for the sake of relocation, an office warming celebration is the least you can do for those involved.
However, organizing an office warming party is not an easy task especially when everyone’s still settling down. In this article, we’ll be giving 5 tips for you to consider when you’re celebrating a new office space!
Set a Budget for Gifts
Moving into a new office is a huge undertaking, and your coworkers and guests would love a token of appreciation for attending. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be unique and provide value to the recipient.
If you’re scratching your head on the kind of gifts we’re talking about, you can get some ideas here. The gifts you provide will also reflect on the image of your “new” company.
If you’re trying to attract new business in the area and plan on inviting neighbours over, customized gifts with your branding are a great idea. They are a great marketing tactic that still serves the purpose of showing appreciation.
Invite Your Customers, Clients, and Neighbours
Take this opportunity to invest in those important relationships. With a brand new setting and a welcoming environment, it’s a good time to walk through your company’s new projects and goals. You don’t want it to sound like a business meeting, but just enough to make sure they feel honoured to be a part of something greater with you.
Inviting your neighbours is a great way to introduce yourselves and develop long-term relationships that may be mutually beneficial. It is possible that they become your next customer and put in the good word for you with the established businesses in the area.
Set Up a Committee
Obviously, you can’t do it all on your own. This is when you let your co-workers express their talents and non-work related skills. Allow them to take part in activities they feel that’s right for them.
If you have co-workers that are creative, let them deal with the decorations. If they’re bubbly and find it easy to make friends, perhaps they’ll do well with sending out personal invitations to the party.
Remember, this celebration is for them too. Organizing an event like this can be a fun team-building experience provided that they don’t have superiors micromanaging them!
Festive and Fun
If your company’s known for its formal work culture, this is a good time to let loose a little. Depending on the number of attendees, you may want to hire an energizing MC.
The MC is more than just a person with a mic. They help in ensuring the smooth flow of the event. You might be the host, but the MC connects everyone together and makes sure there’s no moments of awkward silences in between.
Also, don’t forget the music! No celebration is complete without music, but keep in mind on who’s attending the event when you’ve assigned a DJ. You don’t want inappropriate lyrics in the air when there’s kids around or clients you want to impress!
Food and Drinks
Times have changed and you definitely want diversity on the buffet table. From Turkish Delights to New Zealand meat pies, your attendees will enjoy the experience more when they are trying out new things with colleagues.
When it comes to drinks, alcohol is a surefire way to help break the ice, but obviously you don’t want to forget about the non-alcoholic beverages. No celebration is a good one without fun food and drinks!
