Retirement parties are a great way to celebrate an employee for years of dedication. It’s a huge milestone and deserves to be celebrated! If you’re a business owner fortunate enough to have employees stay with you through the long haul and retire from your company, ensuring they feel loved and celebrated will boost morale for everyone on your team. It’ll also inspire other employees to reach similar goals. Here’s how to throw a perfect retirement party for a member of your staff.
Know Your Budget
A set budget will allow you to allocate funds to specific areas from the start. You’ll want to consider whether the company will provide all the funds to host the party or if co-workers will contribute. You’ll want to ensure you create a budget for each aspect of party planning, from invitations to food and gifts. That way, you won’t spend your entire budget on decor but fail to secure a venue.
Invite Guests
Inviting guests may seem straightforward, but there are many things to consider. Will you invite your whole office? Are extended families welcome? Are young children invited? Generally, the retiree’s immediate family is invited, but what about your office staff’s families? Be sure to discuss your plans with the team so everyone is on the same page. Many low-cost or free ways exist to invite guests and manage replies online. Be sure to utilize something easy and efficient for everyone to RSVP promptly.
Plan Activities
Ensure every guest remains engaged by setting up fun, interactive games. One easy way to incorporate activities into your retirement party is to turn classic party games into ones honoring the retiree. Check out this list of retirement party games to get your creative juices flowing. If you don’t want to plan formal activities, you’ll at least want to carve out some time for speeches and toasts.
Activities like a picture wall or a photo booth that are available throughout the evening add a nice touch to any celebration. You can also ask your co-workers to submit pictures of them and the retiree and assemble a slideshow that can be shown throughout the event.
Create a Keepsake for the Honoree
Having everyone in the office gathered together for a single purpose is a great time to create something the retiree will be able to take home and keep. From a yearbook-style photo book that people sign with wishes for the future or a simple guestbook of who attended the party, there are many ways to commemorate the occasion and the friends and family who came out to celebrate.
Give the Perfect Gift
It’s a nice gesture to give the retiree a nice retirement gift, and the retirement party is the perfect place to give it to them. Make sure the present is personalized and incorporates the retiree’s favorite hobbies, sports, or food. Get the retiree’s family involved if you need ideas for what would make a great gift. Also, don’t forget party favors for guests!
Host a Retirement Party at Canterbury Conference Center
Canterbury Conference Center, located in Oviedo, Florida, is a unique event center with several indoor and outdoor facilities to host a wide range of events for up to 200 people. Our center is easily accessible for anyone in Central Florida to visit. Request a proposal for your next event from our team, or call our office to learn more about hosting your event at our facility.
