What to do for an amazing company party that won’t break the bank?
Party planning is no small task, especially if you want your staff to love it. Office parties are a great opportunity to strengthen relationships within the team and boost morale. We’ve played host hundreds of very impressive corporate events over our 20 years in the charter business. Here are our top tips to help you make your work-do a roaring success.

Choose the best venue in town
You want something away from the hustle and bustle; a beautiful venue all to yourselves. Preferably with 360° breathtaking views. Like a luxury vessel! Could there be a better corporate party venue than a Perth boat cruise. Treat the team to a sunset cruise, Swan River cruise, or a wine-lovers cruise around the Swan Valley. Why not make a day of it in the pristine water’s off Carnac island, or a day trip to Rottnest island? Sounds like a dream right? Venue…tick.

Let everyone in on the action 
Involve your staff and ask for their input. You could start an ideas board, or suggest four or five different ideas for your staff to vote on, and add their thoughts to. Planning an office party together can make it more fun for everyone (and there’s less chance of disappointment!).

Choose your timing wisely
Don’t limit your employee party to the holidays. Holding your party during the busy Christmas period can make it difficult to tailor your event as planned. You may miss out on securing your ideal vessel  if you’re trying to book at the same time as everyone else. Caterers may not be available, entertainers may be all booked out. Celebrations are fun at any time.
Outside of the ‘usual’ party season, everyone has an opportunity to get more excited about your unique event! Why not try a weekday cruise, or a Sunday if possible – you may be able to get a significant discount on charter hire fees and add more value elsewhere.

Choose a theme
Once you define a theme to your event, planning suddenly becomes a lot easier. Decorating, music, food and beverage can all serve your theme, which makes it much easier to choose from all your options. Some easy and popular themes include a Mexican fiesta, nautical theme, a particular decade, eg. 60’s or 80’s party, Hawaiian party or Hollywood theme. Whether they admit it or not, the majority of people do love getting dressed for a particular theme, and chatting about each other’s outfits helps to break the ice on arrival.

Delegate tasks and minimise the pressure
Don’t leave all the particulars up to one staff member, it will consume them. Delegate different tasks to different staff, or ask your cruise manager to help you arrange all the details. When you can get catering, beverages, entertainment, transport and decorating all organised through one place, it saves you a lot of time, angst and money.

Include some fun and games
Team building exercises are a great ice-breaker and when managed well they can lead to increased productivity and boosted morale among your staff. Get people mingling with those they usually wouldn’t in the usual office environment. Have them work together on fun tasks, games and activities. They’ll have a lot of fun, get to know each other better, and operate more cohesively when back at work. Win win!