How to Plan a Corporate Family Day Event at a Water Park: 6 Tips

Corporate events are all about having fun and building deeper connections among employees. These are held to show a company’s gratitude to its staff and often involves bringing employees’ families together for one big celebration.

In most cases, social events at work go along the lines of going out for drinks on weekends, having a company lunch with the managers, and socializing during Christmas parties. However, one particular corporate event idea stands out from all the rest, especially if the gathering includes your employees’ families: a water park picnic.

Now, if you’ve chosen a water park as the venue for this year’s team building-slash-family-day activity, you may need some help with the planning. To get you started, here are six tips you can try when organizing a water park corporate family day event:

 

1. Pick the Perfect Time

Picking the right time for a company picnic should be done carefully to avoid leaving employees stressed when they should be relaxing and having fun. After all, such events are aimed at reinvigorating them to continue doing their best work.

To do this, you must make sure that you think about the employees’ vacation schedules, the company’s work schedule, and the people you’re going to invite.

If it entails bringing their family members along, make sure that you schedule the event on a weekend or after work so that they can attend the gathering. Lunchtime or early mid-afternoon should be your best bet. However, you should still make sure that most of the guests – if not everyone – can come before finalizing your reservation at the water park.

1. Plan Activities for Both Kids and Adults

Since you’re organizing a family day, there’s a 99 percent chance that most of your employees will bring their children. Be sure to consider this fact and prepare activities that both adults and children will love. Incorporate rides, inflatables, sports, and even craft-making activities into the event. 

Just make sure that you do some research about what the attendees like. This can be done by floating a survey questionnaire within the company. You can also look for ideas online or ask a professional event management expert for help.

1. Think About Catering

Food is always a major part of any event, especially if it’s a corporate family day picnic. This means you have to plan for it well, but avoid overcomplicating it.

One popular choice in water parks is a barbecue station. It can cater to various dietary requirements and tastes while ensuring that your guests get a filling and substantial meal.

Adding a dessert corner or an ice cream booth can also ensure that your guests stay cool under the warmth of the sun. As a nice touch, consider handing out corporate gifts with your brand on them, like cupcake toppers and kiddie bags.

1. Don’t Forgo Entertainment

While water parks provide more than enough fun for families, you should still prepare entertainment that is unique for the corporate family fun day. You have plenty to choose from, including:

• Caricature artists
• Clowns
• Balloon artists
• Magicians
• DJs
• Face painters
• Comedians
• Bands or soloists
• Dancers

You can also choose to maximize the unique features and offerings provided by the venue. This may include water park surfing, performances by sea creatures, and safari tours, among others.

1. Prepare for the Weather

Like planning any other type of event, you should make sure that the corporate family picnic you’re preparing for is weather-proofed. This means you should know the forecasted weather conditions.

Remember that canceling on the day is not an option. To avoid wasting your efforts and the company money for the water park reservation, prepare countermeasures and a back-up plan.

For water parks, your activities would most likely be done outdoors, so make sure that you have umbrellas and ponchos ready in case it pours. Of course, guests may not mind getting wet while swimming in a pool. However, it is still better to let them know ahead if adverse weather conditions are to be expected.

Or better yet, ask the water park management if you can rent out a covered area to keep the program running even amidst rainfall.

1. Prioritize Safety

There’s no better way to spend warm, family bonding time than by joining a corporate family day picnic at the water park. However, safety should always be a priority. Be sure to follow water park safety regulations and best practices when spending time near the water:

• Adult guests must always supervise newer swimmers and children, especially younger ones. They must stay within arm’s reach.
• Kids should be guided to heed the rules posted within the premises or as instructed by the water park management.
• Always follow height and age requirements, if there are any.
• If possible, swim with a partner close to a lifeguard’s chair. This also applies to experienced swimmers.
• If there is no lifeguard, appoint a “water watcher” to monitor the pool or beach for children treading the water.

Corporate Fun in the Sun

Corporate events can be enjoyable and memorable with proper planning and preparation. Make sure you and your team get the most out of the experience by following this guide to planning a corporate family picnic in a water park.