As Christmas marks the biggest season for company holiday parties, summer comes in at a close second for employee appreciation event planning and execution. Do you have a rocking team of staff who deserve recognition? Why not surprise them with an evening of fun, food, dancing and socialization…oh and did we say cocktails? That’s what CGC did when they recently teamed up with Tigris for their employee appreciation event planning requirements.

Employee Appreciation Event Planning for CGC’s annual 2014 Sales Meeting

CGC Inc. is a leading marketer, manufacturer and distributor of gypsum wallboard products, interior finishing materials and suspended acoustical ceilings in Canada. Each year, CGC hosts their annual sales meeting in North America where their sales reps and employees come together for a week to discuss the year in review. Tigris was contacted to assist with the employee appreciation event planning logistics for the 2014 CGC sales meeting dinner. This included: sourcing information and quotes from venues in the area, coordinating site checks and securing the venue for the event. Once this was complete, Tigris was able to facilitate a menu tasting which assisted in narrowing down the choices of entrees and desserts for the evening. Following the tasting, Tigris continued to work alongside the CGC main contact to ensure that every detail from decor to entertainment were taken care of.

Overall, the goal was to provide the CGC team with a memorable, relaxing and entertaining evening to reflect all of the emploees hard work throughout the year. Upon arriving at the entrance of the patio, you were welcomed by a venue hostess who would show you to the patio where the cocktail reception was being held. Following the cocktail reception, the guests moved into the dining area of the venue for their 4 course dinner. A brief speech was made to congratulate a recent retiree and the guests continued to enjoy their evening to the sounds of the live band.  Once dinner was completed, the guests were able to roam the venue dining area or patio while dancing, chatting amoungst each other and hitting up the poutine station (which was served towards the end of the evening). The event was also attended by Olympic Gold Medalist Tessa Bonhomme. The guests had a wonderful time and danced until the band literally packed-up and left. Now that’s the type of event you want your staff to remember…by the way who doesn’t love poutine?

What employee appreciation event planning tips should you be aware of when booking your next event?

While you may be thinking that employee appreciation event planning can’t be overly complicated, you need  to take into consideration several factors to ensure the success of the event. We have listed a few items that we took into consideration when perfecting CGC’s sales meeting dinner. Use the checklist below to ensure you’re taking care of all your staff’s needs:

1. Location – make sure it’s accessible to all who are planning on attending. If the location/venue is not easily accessible, look into arranging transportation for your guests.
2. Dietary Restrictions – whether you’ll be serving hors d’oeuvres only or a full sit down dinner, be sure to check with your staff to note any allergies, vegan or vegetarian requests.
3. Entertainment – depending on the company and staff, not everyone may have the same taste in music. Aim to find something that will please everybody! When in doubt, hire a band that can DJ in between sets.
4. Décor – depending on where the event is being help, you may want to incorporate your own décor. Budget depending, this can include full furniture rentals, or simply adding a red carpet for a VIP entrance.
5. Tenting – if your event is held outdoors or has a patio area, it is always wise to research and even reserve a tent for your event. Most tent rental companies will ask you to pay a deposit to hold the rental, however that is much better than the alternative – which is cancelling the event completely due to the rain

Are you interested in event rentals for your next corporate event? Why not contact Tigris for a FREE no obligation quote on how we can assist you by ensuring your event is not only successful, but rewarding as well. Let the professionals take care of the employee appreciation event planning, while you take care of your team.