Alternatives to Amusement Parks for Company Picnics
Alternatives to Amusement Parks
Renting out an amusement park for your company outing can be a lot of fun, but sometimes you need something a little more private and customizable. We’re here to help. A Company Picnic has worked coordinating loads of company outings over the past 35 years, and we can bring in the fun of an amusement park with a more private setting.
Amusement Parks
Planning picnics at amusement parks has its perks. They offer great experiences for families, plenty of things to do, food, and souvenirs for guests. There are no shortage of great reasons to visit these tourist attractions. Perhaps that is why some opt to select amusement parks for their company picnics. There are benefits to this of course (such as ease of planning process), but also limitations. For example, unless the grounds are under a buyout for the day, you will be sharing the space (and all the attractions) with every other family who opted to visit that day. The parks are also branded specific to their own name, which limits your ability to showcase your own business. This leads us to the benefits of using a private location as an alternative to hosting at amusement parks.
The Benefits of a Private Location:
The wonderful thing about company picnics is that they give your team a laidback event in which to network and get to know each other across the workforce. Picnics can build up a sense of camaraderie, unity and togetherness, and that’s exceptionally important to have in the workplace. At a traditional amusement park, it can be tricky to develop a sense of unity and togetherness, as groups often splinter away to see the sights on their own.
If you host a more private event, you’re able to keep the group whole, and promote that sense of unity across the group.
Another benefit to a more private setting is the ability to, well, keep it private. Choosing a private location and setting up a registration system complete with wristbands allows you to keep only your team present at the event. A more open setting means your event is competing with other people’s plans, and vice versa, which can be a distracting environment to work with. Ensuring your event remains private can also boost that sense of unity and team bonding, as being surrounded by your coworkers for an afternoon of fun promotes a sense of trust and community.
When you’re planning a picnic, there’s plenty of logistics to work out, and travel can be a big factor. Going to an event at an amusement park can mean traveling far out of the way for your staff. While the uniqueness of the event can pay off for them, having to travel can impact attendance. If you’re setting up your own location, there’s plenty of ways to work around your team having to travel out of their way. We love hosting events in a company’s parking lot (like this employee appreciation day), since the commute is essentially the same as your team’s commute to work each day. We also like hosting events at parks local to a company’s headquarters, which ensures staff members won’t have to travel out of their way. This, in turn, boosts attendance and ensures you have a full turnout for the day.
Setting up your own location is also a great way to tailor and customize the event to your teams’ needs or wants. While everyone can enjoy an amusement park, it’s a bit of a one-size-fits-all experience. When you’re tailoring an event around the individual attendants, you craft a unique experience that everyone can enjoy together. In setting up your location from scratch, you’re able to pick and choose what features you include, as well as ensure it’s accessible to all your employees. It’s a meaningful experience all around!
The cost of setting up your own location is, in fact, a similar budget to hosting your event at a theme park. However, setting up a location may actually save your staff a little money. They won’t have to purchase food at a customized company picnic, and if you choose a location nearby their workplace, they save on gas, too. On your end, the budget for the event being similar, but including the ability to customize, ensure privacy, and each other factor mentioned here, may, in fact, be better for your ROI.
But what about the specific entertainment that comes along with an amusement park? Well, we’ve got that covered, too.
How to Bring the Amusement Park to You:
If you’d like to create the atmosphere of an amusement park, complete with games, rides, and foods, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a few ideas on what we can do for you:
Rides:
· Ferris Wheel
· The Swinger Carnival Ride
· Tidal Wave Carnival Ride
· Zip Lining
· Wild One Roller Coaster Course
· Thunderforce Adrenaline Rush
· Spinning Apples Carnival Ride
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· Kite Flyer Carnival Ride
· Human Twirl Carnival Ride
Themes:
1. Carnival
Our Carnival theme embodies the fun of a local fair, brought to your location of choise. For this, we bring in loads of amazing rides, slides, and carnival games for your team to enjoy. We can also bring in circus elements, be it camel rides, stilt walkers, or acrobats. This theme is amazing if you enjoy the carnival aspects of an amusement park, and is sure to delight your staff as well as their families.
2. Thrill Seekers
Our Thrill Seekers theme is not for the feint of heart! For this, we bring in adrenaline-boosting rides like ziplines and roller coasters, inspired by thrill parks across the country. While not exactly an amusement park theme, and, as mentioned, more of a thrill park theme, it’s still an amazing way to get your teams’ blood pumping at your next company outing!
Games:
· Carnival Booths
· High Striker
· Mechanical Bull
· Inflatable Ring Toss
· Skee-Ball
Food:
· Popcorn/Kettle Corn
· Cotton Candy
· Candy Apples
· Ice Cream Novelties
· Popsicles
· Sno-Cones
· Fair-Style Corn
· Turkey Legs
· Pretzel & Cheese
In Conclusion…
While amusement parks are a great way to show employee appreciation, they may not be exactly what you’re looking for. If you love the idea of an amusement park company outing, but want it to be a little more private, we hope this article has given you ideas on how to achieve the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for further ideas, check out our blog on summer picnic ideas. May your company picnic be a blast!
