You want to go out with friends, family or with your staff. Here you will find 7 tips for your outing to organize it as successfully as possible so that everyone will talk about the party for a long time to come. Good planning is the basis of a successful outing. Key questions: who, what, where, when & how. In addition to organizing your outing, you always have to take setbacks into account. And last but not least: with the budget that is available.
Look, these tips are not intended for an outing with your partner or with a friend. A bit maybe, for example if you want to surprise the other person with an awesome trip. If you go out together, you just discuss how and what and if necessary you can get into the car a few minutes later. Or on the train. If you organize a trip for a group, there is more to it.
Tip 1: Make a plan
It may seem logical to “make a plan”, but there are always people who want to immediately turn a bold idea into action and later encounter all kinds of unexpected problems. Unexpected problems cost at least time, but often also money. And it can lead to dissatisfied faces from the participants of your outing. Of course you do not have to make a book of 10 pages, but a sheet of paper with the most important things is useful.
Tip 2: Think “who, what, where, when & how”
The pillars of a successful outing. We look at them per component, although they are closely related. That often makes it so difficult to organize a successful outing. You've decided that you're going to go karting indoors on a race track. But yes, grandma and grandpa also join the outing. Or you want to organize the outing on a Saturday and later it turns out that two of your best vrienden work on Saturdays and really can't take time off. In short, you have to make trade-offs here.
Who: Sometimes this question is easy to answer, sometimes very difficult. If you a staff party organizes, your staff will come along. Point. If you a bachelor party for your best friend, his friends come along. Which friends are they, who does he want to join and who doesn't? Then you also have to take into account the activity you are going to do. Are you going surf rafting? Then that one friend with a leg in plaster cannot come along.
What: exactly what you will do during your outing depends on all kinds of factors. What do the participants want and can do? Are your staff young or old, do you have enterprising friends or do they quickly find it scary? Is laughter and fun central or tension and sensation? Or do you want to learn something, for example during a workshop? Above all, consider what the participants of your outing would like to do. Then you have the best chance of success.
Do you want to teambuilding it is extra important to think carefully about what exactly you are going to do.
True: the place where you celebrate your outing is important. Where do the participants come from? From all over the Netherlands? Then it is best to organize an outing around Utrecht. Nice and central. If the participants all live close together, you may be able to travel together. For example, classify cars and passengers. A lot is attached to the choice of location. Can the participants still come home at a bit of normal time or will it become night work for some? Is alcohol used? How do people get home? Is there one participant who has to travel very far and the rest not? You may have to compensate him or her financially or arrange a place to sleep. The location itself should also be nice of course, but that goes without saying.
When: you put a day in the agenda and it later turns out that it is just 2e Easter day is. Or Ascension. Oops. So check whether the date you have in mind is suitable. Also look locally because sometimes there is just another event nearby that hotels are full or the bowling alleys are not bookable. And then the weather. If you want to organize a beach party, you better do that in the summer. Summer is a better time for a successful outing anyway, unless you go indoors or do winter sports.
How: this mainly concerns transport and possible accommodation. Think carefully about how your participants will get to the party. Does everyone have a car? Do you have to travel by train or maybe it is useful to rent a bus. And how does everyone get home? Most people dislike having an outing that requires them to travel far and incur costs.
Tip 3: Your budget (of course)
Going out costs money. In any case, be clear to the participants about what exactly they can expect. That saves crooked faces. You should always consider food and drink. At least a drink and often food are part of an outing. You therefore need to reserve part of your budget for this. You also often have to release part of your budget for transport. If everyone can walk or cycle to the party location, this is not necessary, but that is of course not always the case. You do not have to pay for a short car ride. But if you invite guests to a party 200 km away, you have to consider whether you want to charge them with the cost of the trip or give them compensation.
What is left after food and drinks and possible transport is for the location and / or the activity. First comes the possible rent for the location, then the activity. Usually it is one of the two. Either you rent a location and organize something fun there, or you book an activity and the location is already included.
Tip 4: Keep your budget ample for setbacks
There are always setbacks. You should also take this into account in your budget. You are the organizer of the outing and if you want to leave in the morning your car will not work. There is no other option than to call a taxi to be able to arrive on time to receive your guests. A good friend who could not join at first can come along. So extra costs, but fun! A stroke of luck with a financial setback.
Anything can happen that you lose extra money. You still have to do an extra round of drinks, because things are running out. You assumed that everyone had an NS discount card or a museum card, not so. Extra cost. Turns out that you have to rent gloves when snowboarding. Open your wallet again.
Tip 5: The weather does not do what you want
Well, the weather. Trips organizing in the Netherlands are weather dependent. Unless of course you are going to do something indoors, then you can skip this part. Although… a big storm can throw a spanner in the works when you go on a boat trip. The trains sometimes (read often) fail, making your location inaccessible. An outing outside is even trickier. Rain! That does not always have to be a global problem, of course. A nice GPS tour can also be done with an umbrella and it usually does not rain continuously all day long. Hiding for a while can be enough. However, think about how you deal with setbacks in terms of weather. Need to come up with an alternative program?
Tip 6: It should be fun
It may be an open door that an outing should be fun, but it should just be really fun. Most people like to experience something new. Something exciting. It should be fun of course. Bungee jumping or skydiving is going a bit too far. Sociability is also important. Time to catch up during a family outing or staff party. And then the inner man. People like food. A tasty lunch, a well-dressed drink, a delicious dinner. Think about what is fun, especially what others like. You can really enjoy kiting on the beach, but do your friends or colleagues think so too? Ask the participants questions to find out what they like.
Tip 7: Do something with and after your outing
It is of course great fun if your outing is successful and you can see it. Have the best photo printed in large format and hang it on the wall. This way you will continue to enjoy your family, friends or colleagues for a long time. Think about whether it is necessary to thank your guests. For their arrival and positive participation and for any gifts. It is also useful to find out what could be done better. You can look at that yourself, but you can also pulse the participants to see how they experienced your outing. This way you can look even better next time.
