HOW TO MAKE A FUN COMPANY PICNIC FOR YOUR EMPLOYEESBy Angelica Malin
It’s summer, so you know what that means, right? Picnics! As you’ve been stuck indoors since practically November last year, a company picnic allows everyone in the office a chance to let loose outside and get some sweet, deserved rays from the sun.
If you’re a small business of around 10-20 employees, most of the planning and execution could be done on your own, but you might need a bit of help with a few extra things. Apart from the obvious points of giving your employees several weeks in advance to take note of the date for the picnic, as well as finding a location that isn’t too busy, there are several ways to make this a summer staff event to remember.
Get the food spot-on
It’s good to have all bases covered with regards to food at a picnic, which means it’s far better to have too much than too little. Imagine going to a picnic a little bit late to discover that James from accounting just ate the last chocolate muffin (damn you, James!). Whatever doesn’t get eaten on the day can always be spared for another day, if it’s sealed and refrigerated quick enough. A nice mix of meat dishes, as well as vegetarian and vegan options, is absolutely necessary. It’s also important to provide some gluten-free, lactose-free and even nut-free food, as many people are intolerant to these things. You can either order the food from a supplier or ask people to bring in something, but as long as you’ve got selections like sandwiches, pizzas, crisps, dips, salads, fresh fruit, and a few tasty tarts, then you’re laughing.
Ice-cold drinks
Naturally, your staff will want some cold alcohol, so make sure you have several cooler boxes filled with ice, some beer, wine, and ciders. Some non-alcohol options should certainly be there too, like coke, water, juices, and lemonade. The main thing is keeping it all cold, as who wants a warm beer in the middle of summer? Furthermore, if you take company branding and gastronomy printing super seriously, see if something here takes your liking, as you’ll certainly need recyclable paper cups (similarly with plates and cutlery) and perhaps even a pop-up tent to keep those drinks extra cool at your picnic.
Entertainment
An mp3 player or smartphone with Spotify that’s connected to a portable speaker should be enough when it comes to some music for your guests. You don’t need to rent David Guetta to play a DJ set or anything, but just make sure you’ve got a playlist that features some older classics with some new hits, especially ones which cover a range of genres (not everyone loves heavy metal, after all). As for picnic games, people are usually too lazy or not in the mood for intense options like tug-of-war or sack races (plus, they’re a bit old hat now), so go for something easy and light like Frisbee, football, badminton, or everyone’s new favourite, Kubb.
In the end, everyone is usually happy if there is lots of variety when it comes to food, cold drinks, some good seating, and decent music and games. Let’s hope it’s a sunny day!
