Are you stressing about your upcoming office game day? It definitely can be stressful unless you follow these five tips recommended by expert event organizers.
Do you recall the joy and excitement you felt when you and your friends planned a game day together? Your bunch had fun picking the best option for goodie bags, theme colors, attire, snacks, drinks, and video games to play.
The planning was nearly as much fun as the game day itself.
Now, remember the parties you’ve attended in the past few years. They had the best themes, games, and prizes for everybody. And there’s no reason why your corporate game day can’t elicit the same excitement.
But now that the game day is coming up, you’re likely feeling some serious anxiety about organizing the ideal party. Don’t worry! To prevent you from messing up, we’ve gathered five tips to help you ace your game day!
1. Pick the right games.
Game days are effective investments in the workplace. It’s a terrific idea to host these types of activities at work to increase employee energy and productivity. Games do not just provide relaxation for your people, they also improve teamwork, communication, and interpersonal relationships.
Many of the best game days and parties have extra games to kill time before the event starts. If the weather is nice, you can set up outdoor games like cornhole, horseshoe, table tennis, etc.
Remember to include board games and card games so that your not-so-sporty employees can enjoy themselves too.
Now, as for the event game that everybody in the room prepared for, you can pick any of the following:
- Scavenger hunt
- Who’s the most likely
- Name that tune
- Never have I ever
- Company trivia quiz
- Truth or dare
- Karaoke competition
- Talent show
- Video game challenge
- Culture show
- Charades
- Compliment train
- Straight face challenge
- Where’s the water?
- Beer pong
These games and activities will encourage employees to socialize, bond, and get to know each other more personally. After the game day, you will hear laughter and stories about it when they show up at work. After all, who’s not gonna love a tighter and stronger team?
2. Serve the perfect snacks.
A game day wouldn’t be complete without mouthwatering snacks! Games tend to be tiring, so it’s better to plan ahead on what to put on your table.
While cooking on the spot is heartier, you can set out a few quickly prepped meals for your early comers. Here are some of our food recos:
- Chips and salsa dip
- Pretzels
- Mini-hot dogs or sausages
- Chorizo queso potato skins
- Totchos
- Frico cups
- Veggie rolls
- Deviled eggs
- Feta-watermelon stacks
- Cauliflower popcorn
- Crispy potatoes with vegan nacho sauce
- Banana jalapeño bites
These simple finger foods will give your workers something to munch on while enjoying pre-game activities. Plus, without a hungry employee to distract you, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare and check everything before the fun begins.
Now let’s talk about the dish to share with your employees. Before deciding what food to serve, consider asking your team what dish they prefer. Who knows, you might have a vegan or a lactose-intolerant employee. You don’t want to spoil the fun for them just because of a food mismatch!
Make sure there is easy access to the food table. And don’t forget to set the eating utensils near this area. Another tip: it would be nice to place bowls of snacks on each table so your team can have them within arm’s reach while they play.
3. Don’t forget the beverages.
Sip, Sip, Hooray!
Game day and beverages go hand in hand. But we are not just talking about ice-cold beers or Coke (which we truly love). We are talking about concocting a more special drink to keep your guests hydrated as they cheer on their team.
Something about a communal pitcher or punch bowl lifts the mood. And there’s something unique about having a cold, bubbling glass in one’s hand. Whatever type of drink you want to create will likely work, but if you need ideas, here are a few of our favorite cocktail drinks for game day. (Go, team!)
For the cold season
- Hot spiced cider
- Classic sweet tea
- Cranberry-apple cider punch
- Sparkling applejack cocktails
- Ginger-orange mocktails
- Maple Irish coffee cocktail
For the warm and hot season
- Honey Paloma
- Bourbon sweet tea cocktail
- Mulled cranberry sipper
- Carrot-ginger-tequila punch
- Blackberry and sage spritzers
- Cranberry jalapeño margarita
- Lemon basil mojito
- Tiki touchdown game day cocktail
- Moscow mule cocktail
The options for drinks are endless but be sure to whip up something appropriate for the season and weather. You don’t want guests to get a sore throat from sipping icy drinks during the cold season!
4. Choose memorable prizes.
Company giveaways like shirts, mugs, planners, and caps work for any contest. But these prizes won’t spark the raw excitement you’re looking for from your employees or keep them pumped up throughout the game day.
Certain prizes amplify their motivation to compete and win. But not all prizes are equal. Some awards are always more coveted than others, so save the biggest prizes for the end of the party.
Second, you should consider the appropriate prizes for individuals as opposed to grouped games. You could give ten teammates a holiday abroad in an ideal world. But in reality, you cannot risk having these ten people go on a week-long vacation at the same time!
Now, if you’re thinking about big prizes for your winners, here are a few flexible things we have in mind:
- Luxurious hotel and spa gift card
- Brand-name clothing, shoes, bags, or accessories
- Latest gadgets like Iphone, Macbook, Playstation, etc.
- Invitations to exclusive events or concerts
- Free holiday trip abroad
- High-end home appliances
- Michelin star restaurant full-course meal voucher
- Cruise ship ticket
5. Choose a perfect theme.
Who doesn’t love a good theme on a game day?
A theme is more than just matching colors. It is a valuable part of your event that can solidly reinforce your company values and message. A game day theme not only gives your party structure but also makes it a memorable experience.
Everybody loves to dress up and take pictures to share with friends and on socials. Not only that, but a theme could also be an opportunity for a costume competition! After all, the best-dressed employee deserves an award.
Before you pick your theme, you should have a clear awareness of the goal of your event, for the guests, as well as the takeaways you want them to have. These considerations will help you create a theme that your employees will love.
Now, if you’re thinking about what themes to use, here are a few themes we have in mind:
- TV throwback party
- Mad Menstyle cocktail party
- Football team day
- Cider and sweaters
- Famous couples
- Mad Hatter day
- “Make-your-own-holiday” party
- Masquerade party
- “Caddy snack” summer soirée
- Saturday Night Live party
- Netflix original series or tv character
One last tip to ace your game day
Imagine your game day. Employees come flocking in and are enjoying themselves. But you noticed gaps in the program, especially when you are waiting for each game to start! Of course, you don’t want the hype to go down.
What if you hired a professional mentalist magician to entertain and treat your team?
Thinking of a name? Look no further than Amir Lustig.
Amir is a world-renowned mentalist who can provide your team with unforgettable experiences and entertainment as they wait for the games to start.
Hiring Amir Lustig at your next event is a surefire way to take your game day to the next level. He will ‘wow’ your employees and leave them talking about your event long after it ends.
Contact Amir today, and visit amirlustigasia.com to discuss how he can help turn your event into a spectacular experience.