A sports day is an excellent way to uplift morale, promote teamwork, and encourage healthy activities in your workplace. So, you should organize one at your workplace. This will not only be a great bonding activity, but also showcase your commitment to employee wellness and happiness. However, if you just host one in an underwhelming and unplanned way, it can easily backfire. Therefore, you need to work hard on the planning and promotion to make your workplace sports day successful. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Set clear goals and a budget
You should set clear goals for your sports day, and make sure they’re aligned with your company’s values and culture. This way, you can have a foundation for the rest of your planning. First, determine your budget. Then, figure out what resources you can allocate to what aspect. Then, allocate these resources for the equipment, refreshments, prizes, and venue payments.
You can even take your sports day to the next level and invite sponsorships. Form partnerships with nearby businesses to help offset costs and increase visibility. You can even have them send in some teams to compete against yours in a healthy and fun manner.
Work on the logistics
Make sure you choose the right venue and date for your sports day. Take a look at the weather forecasts around the day you plan your event, and check if things are clear and comfortable. Avoid holding your sports day when the temperature is too high, as people might get sick. Similarly, try to avoid the slightest chance of rain, otherwise the whole event will be a washout.
Also get the best venue possible. This should be accessible, have enough space for all your sports, and also have enough capacity for refreshments and spectators. Reach out to a few options and see what works within your budget. Also consider transport and travel costs. If your venue is a bit out of town, arrange a bus or similar transport for your employees.
Choose the right activities
Variety is key for a fun sports day. Offer a mix of team and individual sports to cater to different interests. Also take into account the fitness levels and preferences of your staff. You can have a poll in the office to pick out some options.
Some examples you can include are football, cornhole, volleyball, badminton, running, obstacle courses, or tug-of-war. Also include options which are more accessible for employees who might not be that sporty. These can include balancing card towers, or even board games.
Organize the teaming and schedule
You cannot have a good sports day if you’re not organized with your plans. So, create teams and also have your sports day schedule mapped out in advance. This will prevent any confusion or chaos on the actual day.
However, do allow for flexibility. Let employees choose their teams or assign them randomly. Give them a deadline to do this to keep things organized. Make sure you consider team size and abilities. Ensure that the teams are balanced and fair. Do not let strong players all be in one team, and do step in when needed.
Decorate the office
Make sure you hype up your sports day in the office. In the weeks leading up to the event, decorate your office and put up banners and posters around the workplace. Make a few sports posters to showcase the event, and put them on company notice boards. Create these using the sports poster templates on PosterMyWall to get truly cohesive and attractive designs.
Also hype up the prizes and refreshments you’ll have on offer. You can even create a few flyers and give them around the workplace. Announce your sports day with these new decorations and keep them up until after the event is over.
Use internal communication channels
Promoting a workplace sports day is different from marketing a public event. You need to keep things within your employees and only showcase the event on social media and external marketing once it’s done.
So use internal communication to share your announcement. Use company newsletters, emails, and intranet to spread the word. If you use tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, announce the sports day in the relevant channels there as well. Also create a dedicated event page on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. This will showcase your workplace culture, and also let employees keep up with the event and see their pictures and videos from the event.
Create a fun atmosphere
This should be at the front of your mind throughout the planning and marketing process. Set up a fun atmosphere, with upbeat music to create a lively atmosphere. Also encourage employees to cheer on their teams. Even if your employees are not participating in games, encourage them to come by and cheer their coworkers on.
Motivate your employees and award prizes for winners and participants. Also consider different categories for these. Recognize achievements in various sports or skills to keep things fair and balanced.
To sum up, these ideas will help you plan and promote a fun sports day at work. So, start your planning and get ready for a day to remember!
