4 minutes
Most people think parties are a blast to attend but not as much fun to plan. As CUES’ VP/executive education & meetings, I oversee more than 35 events a year. Whether you are planning an annual meeting, a staff celebration or a branch opening, follow these seven steps to make your next credit union event a big success.
1. Set Your Budget
How much do you have to spend and how do you want to allocate your credit union's dollars?
Is the food more important or the ambiance?
Do you want to have entertainment or flashy AV?
If budget isn’t an obstacle, by all means go all out in all areas! But most of us need to set priorities: food over venue or a unique spot with good enough food.
At many locations and restaurants, weekday events will be more affordable than weekend. In addition, some venues at certain times of year (such as spring and summer for proms and weddings) will come at a premium.
2. Choose a Theme
When planning a party or event, deciding on a theme can provide focus and will help you make other decisions about location, food and decor.
A theme can help you make a bigger impact on a smaller budget. For example, if you choose a Cinco de Mayo theme, you might serve non-alcoholic margaritas with chips and salsa and have Mexican-inspired decorations.
Or you could celebrate a credit union “home run” with hot dogs, Cracker Jacks and peanuts for staff.
A neighbor here in Wisconsin hosts a very memorable Fire and Ice party each winter, with fire pits and grills cooking in the snow!
3. Find a Location
A good place to start is with an event place you’ve visited previously. Where have you attended weddings or corporate events? Unique venues, such as arboretums, gardens and zoos, can be also be a fun place to start.
When scouting locations, keep the guests in mind. Based on your audience, you’ll pick very different venues. If you’re expecting young families, you might select a park or zoo. But a reception for your small business members would likely work better at a downtown restaurant. And if you’re hosting an older crowd, select a spot with easy—and close—parking and not a lot of walking.
For outdoor venues, you always need an indoor backup plan, even for locations that never get rain. Get a tent or have a plan for where you can go inside if necessary.
4. Select the Menu
Many venues have built-in food and beverage caterers so you’ll be limited to what they offer. But if you’re hosting the event at the credit union or a space with no limitations, you’ll have the luxury of researching multiple caterers.
What time of day will the event be? You can save on your budget by having a mid- or late-afternoon event with passed appetizers. A lot of times people won’t eat as much when the food is passed. People will take just one vs. three to four at a buffet. A good rule of thumb is to plan three or four pieces of passed hors d’oeuvre per person for every 30 minutes.
When planning food quantities, also factor in five to 10 percent as no-shows. If you have 500 RSVPs, plan food for 470-480. Don’t ever plan food for the maximum number. This will save money and control waste.
And of course consider allergies and dietary restrictions. Be sure to have vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Finally, anticipate early birds. Request food and drinks be ready 15 minutes prior to the event start.
5. Decide on Décor
If you have budget for lighting, under table lights and backlit bars make a strong impact when people walk in the door. Another fun way to decorate is to use your credit union’s logo and brand colors, especially for an annual meeting or new branding event.
Or save money by playing off the venue’s décor. If you’re at a botanical garden, you don’t need to spend much (if anything) on decorations. But in a standard hotel ballroom or office space, you want to do something fun. Sometimes it’s worth paying a little more in location rental to have that built-in décor.
6. Find Your Vendors
Hotels have in-house production and AV staff for lighting, projection, etc. And most cities have events companies that will help you organize and plan the details for your party. Search Yelp (www.yelp.com) for reviews of each vendor, location, caterer, event planner, etc. Another great resource is your city’s tourism and convention bureau.
7. Stay Organized
Checklists are key! Create a task list and delegate each step, even if it’s just to yourself. Plan an itinerary of how the event will happen and share that with your venue and other vendors.
It’s really about sitting down and figuring out what you want the event to accomplish. What do you want it to look like and what do you want people to walk away with? Once you have those answers, local venue and options will start to pop up.
Joette Mitchell is CUES’ VP/executive education & meetings.
