Birthday Party Ideas in Singapore For Kids, Teenagers, Seniors and For Anniversaries. 

 

Birthday Party Ideas

A birthday signifies the anniversary of the birth of a person, and there can be nothing more joyous than holding a celebration on this occasion. So here we will be explaining birthday party ideas acoording to the situation, age and affordability. 

For kids, a birthday party can be a great boost to their self-esteem, while teenagers on the other hand look forward to having a party that expresses their maturity and budding individuality. So executing the birthday party ideas in their special day will make them feel special and happy.

Birthdays are also a great way to celebrate the lives of the adults in our lives, bringing families together to create memories that would be long-lasting in the minds of our loved ones.

And for companies, an anniversary signifies an important milestone in their journey towards continual progress.

For momentous occasions like these, having the right game-plan will play an important role in determining the eventual success of the birthday party, making the person being celebrated have an unforgettable special day!

Now, there are various birthday party ideas in Singapore for all the above-mentioned groups; let us take a closer look at all the planning considerations of available options and birthday party packages in greater detail.

Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Making your boy or girl feel like a prince, princess or rock star on their birthday is one of the best and most lasting gifts you can give them. But where and how should you start?

  • Theme

It is always comfortable to start with a theme around which you can plan your invitations, birthday party decor, food catering, and also event space for the birthday party.

Themes give life to parties, and as such should be thoughtfully decided upon

Both you and your child (or toddler!) will enjoy making plans for themes that reflect their interests – be it sports, art and craft, a mermaid or minecraft theme, or even a lego-based theme.

Think about the right music choices to play in the background – the right types of tunes will enliven the party, setting the scene and keeping the overall energy positive.

  • Guest list and Invitations

You should make the guest list for your child, but once they reach the age of four, it goes without saying that they should be consulted.

Invitations can either be bought off-the-shelf from the store, or be handmade. They can set the mood for the event, and older kids may enjoy making invitations out of paper-dolls, origami or even off a computer-based template.

Each invitation should not only include the required details such as time, date and directions, but also special instructions such as ‘bring a swimsuit’ or ‘parents to accompany children’.

 

  • Decoration

Once you have decided on a theme, be sure to prepare appropriate birthday party accessories and decoration accordingly, which could be things like balloons, banners, or a giant backdrop.

The aesthetic choices to be made here also depend on whether your child is 1, 3, 6 or 12 years old, as kids will invariably grow to love different things as they age.

  • Food and Venue Options

You can also decide on the food options, and depending on your choice of venue, whether to have it catered by the venue itself – for example, if you chose to have your birthday party at common children’s birthday party restaurants such as  Ben and Jerry’s, Pizza Hut, Marche, Jollibee or even McDonald’s, one thing to consider is that you have the option of having them cater food for your celebration.

A question you need to answer is also whether the party is going to be a halal party – this would involve both food and beverage choices for your event.

  • Entertainment   

Be sure to include entertainment that would fit your chosen theme – this could range from having magicians on the day to art jamming activities.

Also decide on photography and videography services that you would like to have to document your kid’s special day.

It should go without saying that kids are full of energy and are always looking to have a good time – have a list of activities for them to be engaged in throughout the event, and also schedule appropriate rest times for them to have refreshments and food.

  • Organiser Help

Make sure to not go at this alone – everything will be much easier if you have help! Get a spouse, relative, neighbour, babysitter or friends to assist with activities as well as in the setting up and cleaning up. This will be especially important if you are entertaining young guests whose parents will be dropping them off.

  • Control Expenses

You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a successful party. Remember, this party is for your child and their friends – not their parents. Save the fireworks display for your next adult gala. Kids just want to play, so there should be no obligation to send them home with goody bags full of expensive toys.

  • Dealing with Siblings

Even though it is the child’s big day – make sure not to ignore their siblings (if any). Allow the sibling to invite one special friend, and let them help out with the party – most kids never want to miss out on the action at home!

  • Expect the Unexpected

This is typically the hardest thing to plan for at any children’s party, so here are some tips to keep chaos at bay:

  1. Be prepared for meltdowns – have adult helpers on hand to take care of a distraught kid while celebrations continue.
  2. Stock up on basic first-aid supplies.
  3. Be sure to know of any food allergies or relevant medical conditions of the children that will be at the party, especially if the parents are dropping them off and will not be around.
  4. If you have pets, it will be good to separate them from the guests. Some children are allergic to or afraid of even the most gentle of animals.

Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Kids!

With all that mentioned, an option you should definitely explore for your child’s birthday party after considering all the possible birthday party ideas, is one offered by Team Music called ‘Rock-Band Themed Birthday Party!’.

 

In the package specially planned for children, the party will take on a rock-music setting, from the venue decor, to the background music, down to the choice of outfits for the event. Team Music can also provide cakes, snacks and balloons, and suggest and provide appropriate outfits for the celebration!

Children will learn how to play a simple song on instruments such as electric guitar, bass, keyboards, drums and vocals, and be able to play together as a band under the guidance of Team Music’s experienced instructors.

It will be an invaluable experience for them, to learn what it takes to play as a band through complete songs, and gain soft-skills such as listening skills and teamwork all while having fun and enjoying the process of learning something new!

If you are looking to spice up your child’s next birthday celebration, definitely look up this option to help you in your journey to make their birthday an unforgettable one.


Birthday Party Ideas for Teenagers

When your child turns double-digits, planning a birthday party can definitely become more challenging. Guest-lists might be in flux now due to politics of such an age range, and they would want a party that highlights their personality and sense of self-expression.

With that being said, here’s a mini-planner to help you along in your quest to have the best birthday party yet for your teenager!

  • Teenager’s Wants

What does your teen want? Answering this question would lend clarity towards the planning and eventual execution of the party, as it would inform your choices from both an aesthetic and functional point of view.

Another thing to consider – is this an age for your child that is considered a milestone? For example, a birthday that commemorates their sweet 16th, would be different from one where they are turning 21, and all the social-gravity that age brings. Questions like these will inform your choice of theme, the tone of the party, the guest-list, down to the food and music for the party.

It may very well be that he or she wishes to have a party at Wild Wild Wet, and have a day filled with water play. Or perhaps to bring back memories of childhood, they would like to play indoor laser tag, head to a KidZania, or play arcade games at a Timezone arcade. They may even wish to have their birthday on a yacht out at sea!

Consider their wants and align them with your budget to set yourself on the right path towards making this day a special one for your teenager.

  • Party Size

Consider the max capacity that you would like to host for the celebration. This would help you decide on whether you can host it at home, or start looking at the various locations in Singapore, and possibly renting such event spaces to hold the birthday party.

Another option to explore is whether to hold it indoors, or outdoors. This ultimately depends on whether your teenager is a fan of outdoor activities, or more a fan of quieter, intimate activities.

  • Party Location/Venue

Decide on the best location for your teenager’s birthday party – depending on factors such as the number of guests invited, the chosen theme and planned activities for the day, and even proximity and ease of access for your teenager and his or her friends.

Consider the various birthday party venue rentals and possibly holding the celebration there – in fact, if for example the venue of the choice was the Singapore Zoo, you could engage their help in planning the activities and games for your teenager’s birthday, from going on a guided tour to taking part in a treasure hunt.

  • Timing

Decide on a timing that would be conducive and maximise the full attendance of guests for the party. Choose a night-time event if you know your teenager likes night-games and campfire activities – this would also lend itself to a sleepover once the party is over, which depending on their age, could very well be the icing on the cake for a memorable birthday for your teenager!

A birthday event timed during the day would also be another option, which could eventually culminate in a feast-like atmosphere at dinner-time after a days worth of fun-filled activity.

  • Party Theme

Choose a birthday party theme – these range from combat skirmish type themes (definitely for the boys!) to mani-pedi parties which will always make your teenage girl and her friends happy!

Be sure to keep in mind classics like the sleepover and slumber party. Since the kids are now all older, a big plus is not having to deal with separation anxiety that could be an issue if they were younger.

Other options include scavenger hunts that could now have bigger boundaries attached to them – this is great for your teenager to get accustomed to getting to new places on their own.

  • Entertainment

As kids turn into teenagers, they will definitely start having well-established tastes in music and fashion and design. While keeping the chosen theme in mind, hone in on these aspects of your teenager’s personality in deciding on the appropriate entertainment to have at the celebration.

This would range from choosing the right kind of music to play, to having appropriate party decor to even perhaps choosing a fun and relevant movie for guests to watch.

  • Gift-policy

Establish the gift-policy early on, perhaps on the invitation card itself or upon guests arrival.

For example, simple statements such as ‘please bring a gift and leave it at the door upon arrival’ would help make this aspect of the birthday party efficient, with the mentioning of an established time at which the birthday boy or girl will be opening all the presents.

  • Friends and Family

This one is an important question – will you be having a friends-only party or one that is a combination of both friends and family?

Certain criteria to consider in answering this question would be the expected number of your teenager’s friends attending the party versus the venue capacity, as well as the appropriateness of activity in relation to the average age of guests.

It could very well be that you would have two parties – one solely for your teenager’s friends and another one for the family to get together.

  • General Rules

Establishing basic guidelines and rules would help ensure the celebration runs smoothly with as few hiccups as possible, and also allow you to moderate a level of courtesy and discipline amongst all guests (especially your teenager’s friends) as the day progresses.

This could refer to certain things being mentioned on the initial invite such as ‘no alcohol’, ‘no smoking’, and ‘no curse words’. Establish a contact list and known list of your guests’ allergies and medical conditions for emergency as well, to ensure the overall safety of the event, and most importantly, your peace of mind.

Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Teenagers!

An option to consider for your budding adult, is a Rock-band Themed Birthday Party offered by Team Music!

Allow Team Music to organise the birthday party for you, and enjoy a day filled with fun and joyous music-filled activities. Your teenager and their friends, and perhaps even the adults, will be learning music instruments (including vocals) and be able to play through pre-selected songs of your choosing, regardless of their musical background and experience! This will be done through the guidance of Team Music’s experienced facilitators, who will be there to help every step of the way.

This would be a great learning experience for your teenager and their guests, from the aspect of learning soft-skills involved in playing together as a band such as listening skills, commitment to the cause of playing well, as well as developing confidence in themselves through persistence, all while having loads of fun in picking up something new!

Birthday cakes, snacks and appropriate decor will be provided, together with genre-appropriate outfit suggestions as an overall dress theme for the event. Team Music will work together with you, your budget, and your needs and wants to ensure the success of the event!

The entire package can be customised to your needs and wants – if you are on the hunt for unique birthday party ideas that are different from everything else out there, definitely look this package up.


Birthday Party Ideas for Seniors

Seniors should be celebrated for their longevity and so much more, but all too often birthday celebrations for such a person turn into events that place the older individual in the backseat. Here are some definite ways to celebrate a loved one’s 50th, 60th, or even 80th birthday in ways that will definitely lift their spirits!

  • Senior’s Wants

The goal is to celebrate this day together with your loved one, doing whatever they want in a day designed solely for them.

Work with caregivers and family to select the best activities for the occasion, and in the initial planning stages, consult the senior themselves if they wish to partake in any particular activity on their special day.

Brainstorm around their likes and dislikes, and come prepared on the day itself with a list of possible activities that would fill your beloved senior’s heart with joy.

  • Theme

Birthday themes for seniors need not be boring affairs – like any party, a theme gives it life.

In this case, we need to take into careful consideration the physical needs of the elderly. Some good themes to explore would be something like ‘Good Old Times’, a way of evoking feel-good memories of the past through perhaps displaying treasured photos as decor for the birthday celebration, and planning an old-school dress code for guests.

Setting the tone this way will definitely be a big help in making your senior feel appreciated, as well as make their guests feel excited to be in attendance at this party!

  • Guest list

The success of any party will always depend on the guests who attend. Carefully draw up a list of people that would ensure your beloved senior’s excellent company for the day.

Do not just think of who to invite, but also their mode of transport for the day. Seniors with mobility issues may have trouble getting to your birthday party venue of choice, and keep in mind that some will have caregivers that will have to be in attendance as well.

A potential solution is to engage transport services for the day, with wheelchair-accessible fleets in particular being a great option.

  • Keep It Simple

More than anyone, seniors appreciate the simple things in life, and probably do not need a glitzy luxurious party or a thousand balloons to feel appreciated.

Keep things as simple and as elegant as possible, with an emphasis on quality over quantity. Try your best to not cloud this special occasion with extraneous activity and events. Simple things like bouquets of their favourite flowers, a birthday cake in their favourite flavor, and seeing their favourite people all in the same space, will probably be more than enough to put a big smile on their face!

  • Location and Limitations

This relates to the question of mobility – does your senior have physical limitations? Keep this in mind as you choose potential venues to host the event, with the goal of convenience and accessibility being important factors to your decision.

Additionally, check ahead for weather conditions and have a wet-weather plan in the case of having an outdoor birthday celebration.

You should also consider if hearing impairment is prevalent amongst either the senior’s guests or even the senior themselves; if so, you may want to skip traditional speeches and opt for a more personal, intimate setting where guests are able to have one-on-one conversations with your guest of honor!

  • Gift Ideas

Guests will typically ask ahead of time the question – ‘what should I bring as a gift?’.

Make sure to think beforehand, of any difficulties the celebrant may face with gifts. Are there certain types of gifts that they may be unable to use, due to some kind of limitation? If so, it is best that guests know this prior to the birthday celebration.

Gift cards are often a great idea. Note your senior’s favourite restaurants, and places to visit, and perhaps purchase a gift card for them from such venues.

Seniors also typically donate to charities and are fond of a few in particular, so knowing such details would mean you could open up donations to the floor during the event to the celebrant’s favourite charities, which is bound to bring joy to your beloved senior!

  • Music Choices

Birthday parties are affairs meant to engage the people in attendance in conversation and fun times. The background music for a birthday celebration can really set the tone, so be sure to have a playlist on the ready full of tunes that will keep the party’s energy going and make the mood positive.

Consult with your elderly loved-one too, on their favourite tunes to ensure they get to safely bust a move to their favourite songs!

  • Delegate

If you are the primary caregiver for your senior, you may want to engage the help of someone else to host the party. Consider hosting the party at a family member or a friend’s place, as this would free up your time and energy, which you could then use to ensure your beloved senior’s comfort by attending to them throughout the day.

You know your senior best in terms of what they like and who they would like to attend their birthday party – so it would be wise to use this information in delegating various roles to your family members, keeping everyone involved in the running of this special day!

Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Seniors!

If you have a birthday celebration coming up for a senior who loves music, look into the Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Seniors offered by Team Music!

In this fully-customisable program, both the celebrant and their guests will be taking on roles as instrumentalists and singers for a few pre-selected songs, learning how to both play the songs individually and as a band. With a varied song repertoire, Team Music will work with you in choosing the best possible songs for the event!

Allow your senior and loved one the opportunity to play their favourite tunes, perhaps for the first time ever, with guidance from Team Music’s team of experienced facilitators!

The party will have delectable birthday cakes, appropriate decor and even outfit selection provided by Team Music, all in line with a music-themed party. Tunes will be selected in accordance to your needs as well – just imagine how great it would be to have a playlist full of songs that your senior loves, playing throughout the party!

This bespoke party is fully customisable to you and your senior’s needs and wants – definitely look into this if you are looking for unique birthday celebration ideas to show your senior how much you appreciate them!


Birthday and Anniversaries

Everywhere you look these days, there seems to be a form of measure of life: from the use of biometric technology in exercise regimes, to the steady stream of statistics published each week.

We impose a kind of order on the passage of time, culminating in time becoming a measure of change.

Landmarks in time, such as birthdays and anniversaries of companies, can then be seen as a division between a past self and the present self who has the future in reach. This helps reinforce goal-pursuing behaviours; as such, birthdays and anniversaries are important times and excellent opportunities for both individuals and companies alike to celebrate past successes as well as envision and plan for the future.

With that in mind, here are some guidelines to help you plan and ensure the success of company anniversary celebrations!

  • Round up the Troops

Company success stories typically come about as a result of collaboration and buy-in among employees and departments, ensuring everyone is on the same page with regards to company direction, methods and outcomes. It should not come as a surprise that the same is true when it comes to planning anniversary celebrations!

Get your staff excited by having them actively participate in the planning and execution – this will go a long way towards ensuring the campaign runs smoothly.

  • Planning

Once you get everyone on board, the planning stages for your anniversary celebrations can begin.

Ask yourself a few questions – how long will the celebration last? Will there be events and mini-celebrations in anticipation of the actual date? Will your focus be on a social-media driven campaign, or will it be a quietly anticipated affair leading up to the big day?

Deciding on your timeline is important, as anniversary campaigns involve many components – so make sure to start planning ahead to ensure the pieces are in place well before the actual date of the anniversary.

  • Know Your Story

Behind all the things that your company does, there is your branding story. Anniversaries are probably the best time to revisit, hone and disseminate this story on a company-wide level.

Think of any significant birthday milestones that you’ve personally celebrated or were responsible in planning for the celebration of, and how a common thread in each was that every one of those were made particularly touching by the telling of stories about the person being celebrated.

The same is true of your company – your story of origin, the evolution and the characters driving said evolution are compelling components of your business. Articulating this will help inform the tone and theme of your celebratory campaign, so be sure to do this beforehand.

  • Make A Splash

How are you planning to mark this important occasion? Here are a few ideas!

1.Get It Published

An anniversary is an excellent time to think about publishing your company’s history, weaving it into a tantalising narrative, complete with a beautiful layout and design. A physical book will act as a tangible commemoration of the business to date.

2. Throw a Party

Gather your colleagues and clients, and treat them to a night of celebration! Plan for a party that’s either held at a spacious hotel function room, or explore other options such as booking the USS or Singapore Flyer exclusively for a day (or night) of fun with your company.

Remember to brand your invitations with your anniversary campaign – from the tagline to the logo, and so on.

3. Give Back

Choose to donate or match donations from clients and employees, to a charity of your choice. This is one of the most altruistic ways to celebrate an anniversary and is a very respectable choice to make, especially if your company has a purpose-driven perspective.

  • Have it Permeate Everything

Whether you’re planning to publish a book, a limited edition product, or even a specialised website for the big day – make sure to have it permeate everything you do.

Include your taglines and links in your email signatures, print special postcards, update your social media image, and get it on your letterhead. As you go about running your business from day to day, find ways to promote your impending milestone.

An option to explore is to also pitch it to the media, which includes trade magazines and websites. This is especially so if you have compelling and easily digestible facts about the company, such as infographics, fun facts or even your company timeline. Mainstream media may pick up on this as well, if you have a very endearing personal story to tell about the company.

  • Celebrate

While there are business objectives for planning a company anniversary do not lose sight of the traditional goal of having celebrations, which is to celebrate!

Take this moment to revel in the success of the company, and take stock of what has happened so far in its existence. Acknowledge everyone who has contributed to its success, and embrace both the present and future.

  • Post-event Planning

As the celebrations come to a close, this will be a good time to start planning ahead, and thinking about the chapters that have yet to be written in the company’s history.

Take this opportunity to think big; over the course of planning for this anniversary you have dissected and and reflected on your company’s history, and now have increased clarity behind the reasons for your company’s success.

This is a great time to map out strategically, the path to take for the next five years. The next big anniversary will come in no time!

Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Company Anniversaries!

If you are looking for unique ways to hold your company’s anniversary celebration, it would do you good to consider Team Music’s Rock-band Themed Birthday Party for Company Anniversaries!

This highly-customisable program includes all aspects of party-planning for your company, from the decor, the outfit theme, down to the design of the invites! Cakes and snacks will be provided as well.

The main event during the party will be where you and you guests don instrumentalist hats, which include the drums, guitar and bass, keyboards and vocals, and consequently start learning two pre-selected songs!

Of course, this will be done under the guidance of Team Music’s experienced instructors, so be confident in the fact that by the end of it, you will be playing through two complete songs as a giant band!

This is a great activity, to have everyone in attendance be in synchronicity in terms of listening, working together and having confidence in execution, all while having great fun in learning something new and creating collective memories as a group.

Team Music will work with you every step of the way, to ensure your anniversary celebration runs smoothly and will be one to remember for your employees and clients alike!


 Team Music Rock-band Themed Birthday Party Ideas

Most birthday parties would have tunes being played in the background – why not take it a step further and have music be the theme of your celebration?

If you’re knee-deep in birthday party planning and seemingly running out of ideas to make your next celebration a joyous and exciting one, a good option to consider would be Team Music’s Rock-band Themed Birthday Party.

In this fully-customisable music-based programme, you will be presented with options ranging from the choice of cake, the type of decor, the dress code, down to even the invitation card template! This ensures that all your needs and wants are met, letting the event be a memorable one for the person being celebrated and all your guests.

The main highlight of engaging Team Music as your birthday party organiser is the band activity, where everyone at the party will pick up various musical instruments (from bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, and vocals) to learn pre-selected songs under the guidance of Team Music’s experienced facilitators!

These songs are decided beforehand, with prior consultation done with you to ensure the selection aligns with the theme of your celebration. Popular song choices include Jay Chou’s ‘An Jing’, Guang Liang’s ‘Tong Hua’, A-mei’s ‘Ting Hai’, Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ and Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are’.

At the end of the learning journey, everyone involved will be playing through these songs as a giant band, with a video being professionally taken to document the day’s events!

Team Music will also help you with choosing the right venue for your celebration – it could be an outdoor birthday party, or even one held at Botanical Gardens, employing their function room for the day’s activities.

Every aspect of the celebration, from food to the dress theme, will be handled by Team Music with absolute consultation with you to ensure the success of the event. This two-way communication will be important, especially because different types of birthday parties call for varying approaches to the design of the celebration – for example, celebrations commemorating milestones such as a 16th or 21st birthday would take on a different tone as compared to a senior’s birthday, or a company’s anniversary!

Be sure to look up this programme, if you are searching for birthday party event management for your next celebration. Team Music will work with you, in alignment with your budget, to deliver your best possible birthday experience yet!

Corporate Events

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The Beginner’s Guide to Planning Successful Corporate Events in Singapore

Dinner and Dance events have become trendy again in corporate events in singapore, and for good reason! People love to have good food, drinks, and entertainment; they also love having a reason to be glamorous and play dress up. 

These events straddle that magical balance between being a relaxed and natural environment and having business overtones – which encourages people to network at ease.

On the flip-side, they call for the highest level of clarity, collaboration and commitment from the organizing team. So the question is this: how can we plan a successful Corporate Events in Singapore?

What is Corporate Events?

Corporate events are organized by the corporate companies for their employees, clients or stakeholders. Depending on the cause of organizing events, the gathering can be a small or a large one. Corporate events like seminars, conventions, and conferences are usually a large gathering as the reason for organizing the events might be a social cause, awareness program, educational courses, counseling, discussions regarding productivity and achievements, etc.

Corporate events like retreats, holidays, private concerts, corporate dinners are organized for a few members of the company. Corporate events are important for team building and team bonding. This keeps the employees motivated, helps to build confidence and effective relationships between the employees and the company.

Corporate events also lead to organizational development and unite people by maintaining a friendly working environment. Corporate events are also sponsored by corporate companies to celebrate success or to promote business. These events are very essential to encourage professionals, strengthen team interaction and recognition.

 

Let us now look at the different aspects of planning a successful Corporate event in greater detail.

 1. Know Your Client

 

 

 

  • This is a crucial first-step towards becoming an event planning wizard.
  • All your preparations must be done according to your target audience.

For example – it would be fine to introduce a moderate drinking or ice-breaking game to rev up social engines for the night if it was a corporate party, but this should probably be avoided if the event called for more serious undertones.

2. Plan Early For Corporate Events

 

The optimal time-line to give yourself to ensure the success of an Corporate events is to plan 2-3 months ahead.

This is so that you can:

  1. Establish the event’s goals and objectives
  2. Select the actual date
  3. Identify potential venues
  4. Develop an event master plan
  5. Obtain cost estimates – venue and equipment rental, food and beverages etc
  6. Recruit your event committee, overall event manager, sub-committee members
  7. Ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined for specific tasks – includes VIP coordination, printed material design, online/social media etc
  8. Create and execute an exciting publicity plan and branding for the event
  9. Identify and confirm entertainment options
  10. Identify and contact potential sponsors and partners

    3. Assemble a Team for Event Committee

It takes a team to get the entire DnD going – from the initial planning phase all the way to the actual event day and the follow-up post event.

4. Establish Total Budget For Your Corporate Events in Singapore

 

 

Keeping to an event budget is crucial to planning success. Four main areas to allocate the bulk of your budget would be:

  1. Event Venue
  2. Catering and Drinks
  3. Team Bonding Activities
  4. Entertainment

Other things to consider:

  1. Transportation Costs of Guests to Venue
  2. Decoration
  3. Hospitality Staff
  4. Event Management
  5. Event Insurance

At the start of your planning process, research how much money you’ll need for each of the above and distribute your budget accordingly. This will help you manage each section individually.

5. Ensure Clarity of Purpose

Dinner and Dance events are commonly held as a way to celebrate key corporate events, achievements or successes.

Now, whatever this purpose is, it is important to have it resonate throughout the entire event – from the way invites are sent right down to speeches given throughout the event, and the entertainment being provided.

6. Choose a Good Date For Corporate Events-

Look out for major holidays, making sure that you don’t schedule the event too near an important holiday like Christmas, as it may mean a lighter wallet and a lot of empty seats.

Also check for same-day popular events that may be going on – you don’t want your guests to have to decide between your event and another event that’s happening at the same time!

 

7. Choose a Theme

When choosing the theme, think about how it will impact other decisions you’ll be making down the line.

Event themes will inform the style of food and drinks that are provided, the dress code and sometimes even the venue of choice – all things that you need to consider in your overall budget.

If appropriate, have some fun choosing the theme! Create an experience for your guests that is at once immersive and unique – be inventive and creative in your decoration, culinary and entertainment choices.

Some popular theme choices:

  1. Alice in Wonderland
  2. Hollywood/Celebrity
  3. Halloween
  4. Medieval
  5. Rockstars (BANDINC®)

Now for more formal events, you may simply choose to employ a traditional ‘black tie’ theme. This theme would be perfect for all purposes, allowing guests to dress up and event decor to be glamorous, all of which create an appropriate business-like environment.

 

BANDINC® Team Building & Performance

 

8. Choose an Appropriate and Exciting Venue For Corporate Events in Singapore

Since expense is a given in a company for Corporate Events, you may as well find a private event space that would impress the guests attending. The choice of venue speaks volumes about the caliber of the event – first impressions are always important.

Having said that, there are other factors to making this decision. Consider how the venue relates to your theme. For example, if you are going for a luxuriant black tie theme, find a dinner venue, or cafes with private rooms that emit a sense of glamour and class.

You will also need to consider whether the venue is easily accessible to not just your guests, but your suppliers too. Consider whether there are loading and parking spaces near by – this helps ensure that the loading and unloading of equipment can go smoothly.

Finally, find out if the venue offers any extra services aside from room hire. Some event venues provide catering packages, event insurance, or even hospitality staff. Decide whether it’s within your budget to employ the venue in managing some of these aspects – it could make the event easier to run, as well as make the budget easier to manage.

 

9. Decide on Menu and Catering of Corporate Events 

 

 

It is essential to put a lot of thought into the food menu for the corporate events. Be sure to include a choice of courses, together with options for those with special dietary needs, for vegetarians for example. It would be great if you could have guests RSVP with their menu choice in advance, so that each course is optimally prepared in terms of amount.

You would also have to decide on the caterer for the event. Outsourcing catering is definitely common, or you could opt for the venue’s in-house team if they offer such a service. Some factors to consider in making this decision:

  1. Is your choice of menu a relatively classic one? If it is, then choosing a venue’s in-house team would be safer as they are more likely to be familiar with the kitchen.
  2. If you are going for a specialised menu, chances are that external caterers would be more suitable.

Additionally, consider these logistical questions as well:

  1. Does the catering team provide hospitality staff?
  2. Is cutlery and crockery included?
  3. Do they cater for common dietary preferences?
  4. Can they help align their food preparation with your theme?

10. Drinks and Refreshments

Typically, the venue or drinks provider should be able to provide a quote for a free bar where guests will have unlimited access to soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, wine etc. Providing an unlimited bar definitely gives the ultimate guest experience.

However, if your budget does not permit this, it is common practice to at least provide wine at the table during the course of dining. You could then provide a bar where they can purchase additional beverages.

If the event is a ticketed one, an option to consider is absorbing the cost of the free bar within the ticket price.

 

11. Dress Code

It is common practice to ensure that guests adhere strictly to the specified dress code as this helps elevate the atmosphere and overall experience of the event.

This is applicable especially in the case of slightly wackier themed events – the more effort guests put into their appearance, the more enjoyable the evening will turn out.

Once a dress code has been chosen, detail the requirements in a clear concise manner on invitations and ticketing to avoid guests arriving over or under dressed. Be sure to re-iterate this further ahead of the event!

12. The Guest List

 

Deciding on the guest list will depend on the purpose of the event. Be sure to include relevant groups of people, with plus ones where appropriate. Definitely make sure not to leave anyone out!

For example – if  corporate events were meant to celebrate individual or company success, it’s important to invite everyone who works at the company. Omitting people from such an event can reduce company morale, and it’s important to have everyone feel the benefits of company success.

Or perhaps you have been tasked with arranging an event to bring members of a local club together. In that case, be sure to invite member’s partners, as well as retired or previous members of the club.

Now if the event was meant to create profit, it would be wise to invest in some external marketing to get people interested in attending the event.

Allocate some of your budget towards showcasing what your event has to offer in terms of venue, theme and entertainment. Other means of advertising would include using social media to target your specific audience, or even putting out advertisements in local papers and investing in event PR. You could also offer external companies the option of purchasing tables in bulk, and the opportunity to sponsor the event.

 

13. Master of Ceremony

 

It is important to have an overall sense of direction during the event itself, so employ a master of ceremony to manage the flow of events and to maintain a high level of energy throughout the night.

The master of ceremony should be experienced and also have an approach that is in line with your overall theme. Needless to say, they should be entertaining and have excellent time-keeping abilities. Their job scope includes:

  1. Introducing speakers for the night
  2. Guiding guests through different sections of the event
  3. Introducing entertainment
  4. Alerting guests as to when dinner is served
  5. Giving shoutouts and thanks to sponsors

 

14. Entertainment

 

Guests expect to be entertained before, during, and after dinner.

Entertainment comes in many forms, the choice of which is largely dependent on your budget. Some options include:

  1. Live Music
  2. Stand-up Comedy
  3. Magicians
  4. Circus Acts

Here at Team Music, we also offer a special service where we can train a team of your choice, to play as a band for your Dinner and Dance! This always lends itself to a sense of closeness and bonding within the company itself – guests appreciate the effort put forth by these individuals, and a joyful energy in the air can be felt when the performers put on their show.

 

Do ensure that your entertainment is reflective of your chosen theme, and work with the master of ceremony to integrate it seamlessly into the overall flow of the event.

 

15. Decorations

 

When it comes time to decorate the venue, consider your theme and how much budget you wish to allocate to the overall decor.

The venue of choice comes into play as well; a relatively plain venue would need more thought and budget into creating an immersive and memorable environment, whereas a venue that is architecturally more stunning would not require as much decorating, but may cost more to hire.

Do place high consideration towards table decorations, as this will be where guests spend majority of their time. Make these areas as attractive as possible, including things like centrepieces and table covers when planning table decor.

There is something to be said about the idea of ‘human decoration’ as well – are you mixing it up and putting people together who do not know each other? Or are you filling tables with people from the same departments? This has a big impact on the atmosphere of the event, and is worth thinking through.

Lastly, consider how much decoration and props you will need to bring your chosen theme to life. Under spending on a themed event’s decor is never good and might result in a lacklustre atmosphere!

 

16. Floor Plan For Your Corporate Events 

It is good to have an eagle-eye view of the entire event venue, and having a floor plan will help you achieve that. This can help you plan out activity space for entertainment during your event, such as for BANDINC®!

Here is a sample floor plan that we use:

 

17. Table & Seating Plan

 

Where your guests sit during the event will make a big impact on their overall experience.

For a corporate event, there are two options to explore here:

  1. Have them sit as per their work teams. This helps segment your guests up in a way they are used to.
  2. Mix things up and place people with colleagues that they might not normally have contact with. This could prove to be a great way of bringing the team together!

If your event requires guests to pay, you can price more or less depending on where they want to sit. It is common practice to auction off whole tables – this allows guests to purchase a ticket for a group of people, populating the seats with their own guests.

Finally, have plenty of table plans available for viewing! While it is true that people never look at them, it is always confusing when guests are suddenly confronted by tables. As such, have table

18. Transport & Logistics

 

Do provide your guests with detailed information regarding the company Corporate Events venue’s location – this includes public transport routes and parking. If you have chosen to provide transport, include details of this within the invite/ticket.

Also, as mentioned earlier, it is important to communicate to any outsourced vendor things like directions to the venue, and available parking space for them to load any equipment.

19. Event Insurance

 

Planning and running a successful event requires a huge amount of time, thought and money. Hence, it would be wise to cover your event for any mishaps such as:

  1. Needing last-minute emergency staff or services due to being let down – replacement staff will likely cost more at such short notice.
  2. Event venue cancellation.

After all that time (and money) spent on planning your event, it would be highly advisable to invest in some kind of financial protection.

 

20. Offer Incentives

 

People love incentives, so be sure to include some for those who arrive early, or purchase tickets early. You could also offer prizes and giveaways to get your guests excited.

 

Keep in mind that different people respond to different kinds of stimuli – so rather than having just one method of offering incentives, be multi-pronged and approach it from a few different angles.

 

Here are a few examples:

 

  1. Offer prizes for the first fifty registrants – this is sure to get attendance for the event up from the start!
  2. Early-bird Discount – if the event is a ticketed one, offer early purchase discounts which can be made available both for single tickets or group purchases.
  3. Event Incentives – consider offering prizes for the first twenty through the door for example, as this encourages guests to turn up early and also increase general attendance levels.
  1. Photo Booth

We live in a snap-happy world; every second there are 806 photos uploaded to Instagram! These days people do not want to just experience things in real life – they also want to share that experience with friends and family online.

 

You can take advantage of this desire to share live experiences at your event by providing photo-ready experiences at your event – having a photo booth is a great way to get guests engaged, and add variety to the evening’s festivities.

 

Be sure to create a relevant hashtag for your Corporate events, displaying it everywhere so that guests will use it to tag their taken photos – this is bound to create a sense of buzz around the event and also makes it convenient to search for photos of the event at a later date! Here are a few examples of trendy photo-booth experiences you could provide at your event:

 

  1. GIF Booth – this sort of booth puts together a series of images and video to create a short animation that you can share on social media with funny and interesting captions. GIFs have become an innovative and fun way of communicating online, and will be a novelty at your event!

2. Big Balloons – balloons, or inflatables, can create a stunning backdrop for photos when they are oversized, and the choice of color can also tie into your theme and decor for the event.

3. Frames – there is now a trend to make use of empty frames to create cool effects that range from containing event information and hashtags, to having a head-in-hole so that guests are posing with a backdrop.

Red Carpet – provide a red-carpet A-list experience for guests, by having them pose for photos on a red carpet except without having papparazi around! This definitely lends itself to having a feel of luxury for the event’s proceedings.

  1. Itinerary

A well thought-out itinerary is important to have, as it provides an overview of all the distinct moving parts in any moment during an event. When planning for this, take into account not only the time taken to do certain tasks, but also those few minutes between tasks that may seem unimportant at first glance – the amount of time required to walk between two areas of the venue for example, or the time needed to set up table decorations for a venue. Always give yourself more time than you think; it can be very stressful to have too little time to do what needs to be done during an event.

 

A plan, with a detailed breakdown of exactly what needs to be done, or of everything that is happening at any point of time during an event, will be extremely helpful not only for you as the event planner, but also anyone else behind the scenes during the event; whether they are helping out, giving a speech or talk.

 

This shared itinerary will give everyone involved confidence and goes a long way towards eliminating any potential panic on event day – knowing that you could take a look at the very detailed schedule and see where you should be and what you should be doing at any given minute is very reassuring in moments of chaos and stress; these moments, for better or worse, tend to surface on event day!

This aspect can be outsourced as well – BANDINC® provides an itinerary for clients as part of its organisational package, working closely with clients on time-allocation and role breakdowns, ensuring that an optimal ‘working manual for the day’ is achieved.

22. Software for Event Management

Event management software is important for the event planner, to keep things organised and also aid in the dissemination of information.

Make use of Google Calendar to assist in marking out important dates and deadlines, and to have a shared calendar of day-to-day activity amongst committee members. Look into Trello as well; it has strong collaborative features, and can be said to be a visual whiteboard that you and your committee can fill with post-it notes.

23. Door Gifts/Lucky Draw

Consider giving out door gifts and organising a lucky draw. For example, a Team Music-organised event would include lesson vouchers and instruments like ukuleles and guitars as door gifts and prizes during the event.

24. Table Gifts

These are great for conveying a personal message to your guests.

 

25. Photographer

Include a photographer in your budget so that guests will be able to look back fondly and have the memory of the evening ‘etched in stone’.

 

26. Networking

If the event is corporate in nature, encourage networking by hosting a post-event drinks session; consider using a private party venue for an ‘after-party’.

 

27. Publicity

Take full advantage of technology and social media in event planning. Keep in mind that your event will have a specific target audience, so use only appropriate social media channels. For example, if it is a corporate event, it would be good to use Facebook as opposed to Instagram or Snapchat for your marketing.

 

28. Create Promotional Clip

Consider hiring a studio to create a promotional clip for you. Otherwise, try creating your own promotional material – these days smartphone cameras are good enough to record quality video. Promotional clips help make events more inviting and create a build-up to the actual day.

 

Conclusion:

Corporate events in Singapore are difficult to run successfully and smoothly, while still ensuring that goals and objectives are met and aligned with company direction. Follow this guide in confidence and be well on your way to becoming an event planning guru!

The Benefits of Humour at Workplace

The Benefits of Humour at Workplace

 

“Humour is the possibility of particular cognitive experiences to incite laughter and provide amusement.” – Wikipedia

Good humour, according to Grenville Kleiser, is a tonic for the mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.

Humour can be a strong and useful tool to get ahead in the workplace. However, when used incorrectly, humour can be perceived wrongly and cause damage. So, it is an important topic of study for proper understanding of leadership and communication in a working environment.

 

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As someone who uses a lot of humour, I am interested in what makes for an effective joke in various settings and what undermines my efforts. So, I found this research on how humour relates to status and competence really fascinating.

A good joke can go beyond simply increasing one’s capital, of course. Humour is one of the highest forms of human communication. It can serve to increase intimacy, show compassion and understanding, break tension, make the unspeakable speakable and generally bring people together in a way nothing else would with amusement.

Bitterly, Schweitzer and Brooks in their research paper “Risky Business: When Humour Increases and Decreases Status” which was published in 2017, created and explored experiments which examine the positive and negative impact of humor in business environments.

 

After the experiments, they were able to see how much of an impact, both successful and unsuccessful attempts at humour have on social capital. They sought to answer the following questions:

 

Hypothesis 1: The use of humour increases perceptions of confidence.

Hypothesis 2: The successful use of humour increases perceptions of competence.

Hypothesis 3: The successful use of humour increases status.

Hypothesis 4a: Perceptions of confidence mediate the relationship between the use of humour and status.

Hypothesis 4b: Perceptions of competence mediate the relationship between the use of humour and status.

Hypothesis 5: Appropriateness of the humour attempt will moderate the relationship between humour and competence.

Hypothesis 6: Laughter will moderate the relationship between humour and competence.

Here’s what was deduced: Firstly, when someone tells a joke and it works (it is funny and appropriate), the joke teller is seen as having higher confidence, competence and status. In addition, people like these are more likely to be considered for leadership positions. The overall positive effect of humour in the workplace would be strong if people laughed at the joke. After all, Strean (2009), pointed out that laughter makes us feel good and it is great for overall health.

Furthermore, the effect of successful humour on status was so strong that even recalling a time when co-worker told a funny joke or did something funny increased the perceived status of that co-worker.

However, humour is risky. When jokes work, it’s great for our social capital – however, when they flop, it’s bad. The researchers found that telling an inappropriate joke leads to lower perceived competence and decrease in status. However, making an inappropriate joke still leads to higher perceived confidence, even with lower status. And if the inappropriate joke makes people laugh, the damage done becomes minimal.

There are many ways humour can be effective with human beings:

 

Communication

Humour gets people to listen: Regular use of appropriate humour makes people more eager to read and hear what you have to say. Humour increases persuasion. Humour can aid convincing especially when messages are being passed across to people with different opinion to the speaker’s because the humour diverts their attention from immediately creating counter arguments, as they don’t feel like the message is being crammed down their throats.

Humour aids in learning: The use of humour as an academic tool has been proven to ease classroom anxiety, create a more encouraging atmosphere, as well as aid the learning process. Humour increases the likability of the speaker. A proper use of humour will ensure a favorable approach towards the speaker.

 

Relationships

Humour heightens the sense of shared happiness: Humor releases endorphins, the “feel-good” chemicals in our body, that makes us feel a natural high while being with one another. 

Humour reduces status differentials: Humour can help in the reduction of the social distance between employer and employees. Fun team building or group activities are a great way to get colleagues to socialise and have great laughs together.

Humour diffuses conflict: Humour has long been seen as the great equalizer, a way to facilitate conversation and bridge differences. Actually, humour has been identified as a key factor in peacebuilding and international mediation.

Humour builds trust: Humour could bring about social benefits which include bringing about togetherness, reduction of status differentials, conflict diffusion, team and trust building among diverse groups.

 

Problem Solving

Humour enhances overall brainpower: A dose of humour sets-free the chemical serotonin in human brain, aids focus, enhance objectivity and improves overall brain ability.

Humour improves decision-making: Positive moods bring about more flexible decision-making and wider search behavior and greater analytic precision.

Humour increases the probability of new ideas being accepted: Unconventional interactions can reduce the barrier for people to posit novel things.

Humour triggers new connections: Humour arouses the exact hemisphere of the brain, which subsequently sets off divergent, creative thinking which allows individuals to see broader applications, novel connections, and otherwise elusive relationships.

Humour enhances ability to solve problems: Studies have proved that merely seeing comedy films can improve creative problem solving skills. Corporate teambuilding activities are great ways to encourage natural humour and problem-solving between teammates.

 

Productivity

 

Humor provides motivation: The use of humour in organizations has been aligned with improving morale among workers, creating a lively and positive organizational culture and in the process increasing motivation.

Humour reduces absenteeism: Humour tends to enhance work performance, satisfaction, team solidity, health, effectiveness, as well as minimized burnout and work withdrawal.

Humour aids employee engagement: Managers who lead with reasonable amount of humour benefit from higher levels of employee engagement and success all round.

Humour improves productivity: In one study of more than 2,500 employees, 81 percent agreed to the fact that working in a fun environment would enhance their productivity.

 

 

LEADERSHIP

 

Humour enhances perceived leadership skills: Leaders, who lead with humour, especially in stressful or perceived one-down positions are seen as being on top of things, being in charge and in control, whether they are in fact or not.

Humour open up opportunities: Research has shown that, managers, who showcases good sense of humour are considered for more opportunities in organizations than those without a sense of humour.

Humour builds credibility: Humour users are seen as more credible and more competent.

Humour increases profit: Organization humour has been proven to go hand in hand with successful leadership, increase in profit and work compliance, a successful business culture, message and goal clarity in managerial presentations, improvement in group problem-solving, and with reduced emotional stress due to threats and role conflict at work.

 

There you have it! All the above are a couple of benefits of humour at work. The little time you put aside for humour may be what you need to cool off the steam and increase office productivity.

 

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Strategies to Improve Team Collaboration

Strategies to Improve Team Collaboration

In a corporate environment, there are many different departments that come together to form a well-functioning organisation. Everyone has a part to play to ensure the success of the team. Everyone is unique in their own ways so when they come together in their strengths, they are able to produce great results and ideas.

So it is no surprise that active team collaboration plays an essential part in the successes of an organisation. Leaders and team members alike should constantly strive to improve the quality of team collaboration and work better with their colleagues.

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