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How to Plan a Surprise Office Party

By: Tony Shepard

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Planning an office surprise party isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Office politics, individual food and drink preferences, and overly enthusiastic party planners who let the surprise slip ahead of time, can make your job difficult to say the least. This isn’t to say that a well-planned surprise party can’t be a huge success though. The trick is to cover all your bases ahead of time and limit those who know about the party well in advance. By considering the following guide to office party planning and the included tips and hints, you’ll have a better chance at maintaining the ‘surprise’ for your surprise party.

Get Permission

It’s typically a good idea to clear the event you are planning with your superior before you begin your preparations -- that is, unless he or she is the person for whom the party is intended. If that is the case, then consider going through another superior or your human resources department.

Check Schedules

Before you get too far into your party planning, it is a good idea to check office and work schedules. Look for dates that maximize the number of people able to attend. Try to schedule around other events taking place the same day that might draw attention away from your party. It is especially important to ensure the honoree of the party will be working and on property that day. You may also want to double check on the day of your event that the honoree did not call off or take a sick day.

Adhere to Office Policies

Once you begin your party planning, it might not be a bad idea to check with human resources regarding any ideas or themes you might be considering. This can be a great way to avoid offending or overstepping any boundaries, or breaking any policies -- especially if alcohol is involved.

Organize Your Staff

Once you have the administrative hurdles cleared, you can better focus on planning the party itself. Your first step should be to determine who you want helping you with your surprise party planning. Look for people that you know will be enthusiastic, can provide you with the most assistance, and can be trusted not to spill the beans regarding your event.

Create a Budget

It is also pertinent to decide early in your planning, exactly how much money you can afford to spend. This might be another aspect of the planning that will involve consulting your superiors and/or the accounting or human resources department.

Choose a Location

For many office parties, an on-site location is often chosen due to lower costs, availability, and transportation issues. Often an office or conference room works reasonably well depending on the size and extent of your party plans. Bear in mind that more people will typically be able to come to an on-property event since it is more convenient.

Determine a Timeframe

When deciding upon a time of day for your office surprise party, consider when the majority of employees or co-workers will be available to participate and will have the lightest workload. Lost productivity may be a concern for the bosses, so try to keep the party length minimal. In addition, for parties after normal work hours, consider how long people may want to stay. Co-workers with families may have children who need to be picked up from school and may want to be home by a reasonable time to eat or prepare dinner.

Food, Drinks and Decor

Try to determine types of food, beverages, and décor based upon your honoree’s preferences. Ask those who know him or her best to help you determine a menu. If a large number of people are coming, you may want to consider having the event catered, but if the budget won’t allow, you could do a potluck event instead. Potluck events are often times more difficult to keep a surprise since co-workers will be arriving to work with prepared dishes.

Tips and Hints

*Avoid excessive emails regarding the party that might mistakenly be forwarded to the honoree.

*Avoid leaving voicemails regarding the party that might be overheard by the honoree. Sometimes word of mouth invitations are safest.

*Keeping those involved in planning the party to a minimum can avoid missteps when it comes to maintaining secrecy.

*Knowing your budget can help avoid overspending on supplies or leaving embarrassing gaps in your surprise party plan.

*If possible, delay informing those invitees who you know have trouble keeping a secret until closer to the actual event time.

* If you plan to have music, ensure you avoid songs that are inappropriate and contain explicit or otherwise offensive lyrics.

*Hosting a potluck party (where everyone brings a dish) can save money if you’re on a tight budget.

*Giving gifts can leave some party participants feeling they have under-spent, while others tend to go overboard. To avoid feelings of resentment or under-appreciation, it may be best to avoid personal gift giving at office surprise parties.

*Make sure guests arrive BEFORE the person for whom the party is hosted.

Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is at the reader’s discretion.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

To learn more about planning surprise office parties in general, visit that link.

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