Corporate summer parties are the perfect vehicle for bringing your employees together, celebrating achievements and having fun.
But a corporate family day takes things further. It’s more inclusive, more supportive, and means your people aren’t choosing between work and family.
Whether you call it a corporate fun day, a company fun day or a family day out, the goal is the same: give your team and their families a brilliant shared experience outside the office.
A well-planned company event like this can do more for team morale than a dozen all-hands meetings.
So, what do you need to do to host your own family-friendly fun?
How do I organise a family fun day?
Like other corporate events, a corporate family day needs careful planning. This means that you need to choose the right corporate family event venue, activities that will be fun for all ages, and mouth-watering food and drink options.
Let’s start by considering ideal corporate family day venues.
Corporate family day event venues
If you want to host a knockout summer family event, you should look for corporate family day venues that combine indoor and outdoor space. This will give you the flexibility you need should the weather not play ball on the day.
Alternatively, you can create fantastic interior spaces at your outdoor location by dotting the site with tipis and marquees. These can be decorated to fit in with your family fun day theme and offer respite from any excess sun or rain!
When looking for your perfect corporate family event venue, you may want to pop the following options on your list:
- Hotels with plenty of outdoor space
- Parks
- Woodland areas
- Farms
- Lakeside settings
When you take a look round your potential venue, remember to weigh up your tech and lighting needs, as well as travel links. A far-flung farm may be in a stunning location, but this may not be the best choice if you need excellent Wi-Fi!
Read more: Look at our 14 questions to ask a venue.
7 Family-friendly corporate event ideas
When planning your ultimate family fun day for your employees, you can capture the imagination of both adult and child attendees with an exciting theme.
Popular corporate family day theme ideas include:
1. A day at the fair
A fairground theme is certain to go down well with all guests. Fill your venue with fairground rides and stalls, including coconut shies and a merry-go-round, and set up candy floss and popcorn stands to keep energy levels high.
2. Traditional garden party
Garden parties never fall out of favour because they offer a perfect day of family fun. Serve a fantastic picnic spread and set up some fun lawn games, such as giant Jenga and croquet, to keep big and small guests entertained.
3. A trip to the circus
A circus theme offers a nostalgic trip for adults while the kids can be wowed by amazing sights and sounds. Walkaround fire eaters and acrobats can lead guests into a big top tent where other amazing feats are put on display.
Family days reduce team turnover
We’ve seen first-hand how family days boost engagement far beyond the event itself... when employees’ partners and children feel included, loyalty and connection to the company grows naturally, boosting morale, but also reducing staff turnover. Turnover of talent on average costs companies on average £30k per employee, if your event helps to change just 10 peoples minds who are thinking about leaving, that has just saved your business £300k!
Mike Walker
Managing Director, MGN Events
4. Kick back and relax
Not all family-friendly corporate events need to be energetic. A more laid-back event could team up meditation spaces with craft stations, and end with a projector film for everyone to sit and enjoy.
5. Fun at the festival
Of all corporate family day theme ideas, festivals have to be one of the most popular. Entertain guests with a fabulous line of music, comedy and live performances, and keep them fed with a mouth watering mix of food truck options.
6. Head to the seaside
A beach party is a great choice for all guests. Think arcade games, a sand pit for the little ones and a DJ playing beach party anthems as the sun goes down. Perfect!
7. Let’s go to the movies
You can also take inspiration from family-friendly films! Take a look at our Back to the future case study to learn more.
Corporate family day activities and entertainment
There are so many corporate family day activities to choose from. It’s a good idea to tailor them to fit in with your theme, but whatever you choose, it may be a wise plan to create zoned areas offering different activities. This way, you can provide something for everyone and ensure that kids, no matter their age, are entertained!
To get you started, here are a few of our favourite company fun day activities:
- Inflatable assault courses – Think its a knockout, bungee runs – so much fun
- Face painting – Perfect for kids and adults alike, Henna / Glitter!
- Fairground stalls, such as hoopla, coconut shy’s
- Garden games, including rounders and croquet
- Treasure hunts
- Crazy golf
- Bouncy castles
You should also consider walkaround performers who can entice your guests into a particular activity zone or keep them entertained while mingling. Stilt walkers and balloon modellers and circus acts can be excellent choices.
Don’t forget photo opportunities either! Set up some cool backdrops to encourage photos or scatter some immersive photo booths around your venue to capture the good times.
Corporate family event food and drink
With so many exciting activities to choose from, it’s important that you keep your guests topped up with food and drink.
Food trucks add cool vibes, and are easy to setup. Think pizza vans, gourmet finger foods. You can get so fun with the names too. i.e Folk in the road, Buns on the run, Wok this Way.
Family-friendly options include fancy BBQs, traditional picnics and street food. A mobile bar offering signature cocktails and non-alcoholic tipples for younger guests will keep them hydrated. Having a water refill station will also ensure that no one goes thirsty on a hot day.
What makes a great corporate fun day?
The best corporate fun days share a few things in common: they feel generous (not a box-ticking exercises), they include families and partners, and they have enough variety to keep everyone from the CEO to the kids entertained. Think of it as your company’s way of saying “we appreciate you” with actions, not just words.
Talk to us about corporate family day ideas
This article should lay the groundwork for a fantastic corporate summer party family day. However, great events take a lot of planning, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Here at MGN events, we can help you to pinpoint the right theme, pick the perfect activities and help you manage the family fun day itself! We offer a full, end-to-end event planning and management service and also offer a free venue finding service for our clients.
Why not talk to us about your next event? Get in touch with one of our helpful team members today by filling in the contact form below. Alternatively, email us at hello@mgnevents.co.uk or give us a call on 01932 223333.
Matthew Strange,
Creative Director
Creative chaos? He lives for it. But when it’s time to deliver, he’s got a clear head, sharp eye, and a knack for making things happen—fast.
