The ultimate guide to a ZONE BOWLING work party

Teamwork is a pretty valuable thing when it comes to running a business. Every cog in the overall machine needs to do its part, lest the other cogs have to begrudgingly take on more work to make up the slack. Creating good employee engagement is key to keeping your staff working together, as well as loyal to your business. In fact, companies who have higher engagement show twice the annual net profit, according to a study by Engage for Success. 

If you think work is becoming stale, employees are becoming bored or you're just plain looking for a way to create some excitement, it's probably time to host a party.

Why choose ZONE BOWLING for your corporate party?

Let's just get the basic reason out of the way first. Imagine you host a party in your own office. Everybody shows up (mostly because they are already there), starts drinking and chatting and the night moves steadily onwards. People get more drunk, talk inevitably turns to about work because you're in the work environment and then everybody goes home, having had an average time. The aftermath is that you, some volunteers or your unlucky cleaners now have a bit of a mess to mop up. Does that sound like engagement-driving fun? Nope! 

So consider your local ZONE BOWLING centre for your next work party. Why? For starters, it gets your crew out of the office and into a fun, exciting environment filled with neon colours, excellent music and friendly staff. It's a bit like working from home versus working from an office. Working from home puts you in a place with too many distractions, not to mention a 'home' mindset rather than a 'work' one. The office changes you into a worker so you can focus on the task at hand, not the to-do list on the fridge. OK, so it's more the opposite of that ... but you get the idea. It makes people change mindsets.

Bowling and laser skirmish make for great team bonding exercises, too. What's more fun than thrashing Bob from marketing at a few rounds on the lane after he talked himself up so much? Everyone gets to have a great old laugh, learn a bit about each other's personal lives and bond as both colleagues and friends. When they return to work, this bonding doesn't just dissipate - in fact, you'll probably find a good ZONE BOWLING party is talked about for weeks to come! 

So how do I plan a great ZONE BOWLING party?

Alright, so after you have chosen your ZONE BOWLING venue, it's time to start planning! There are a few things to consider when putting together a successful work party, but it's all pretty easy and relies a lot on common sense. Here are some suggestions for you to think about when you start scheming.

• The date - You can't just plan a party on any ol' weekend and expect people to show up. What will work best for your employees? Is there a holiday or occasion (such as Christmas)? Ask around the office or send out a mass-email to gauge when people are available. 
• Invites - Obviously your employees are automatically invited, but is anyone else? It's quite common for people to want to take their partners or some kind of plus-one - does your budget allow for that? 
• Advertise - Not everyone will automatically know that there is a party happening, as the grapevine doesn't reach every ear. Use social media to create a bit of buzz - get people talking to each other online, making suggestions and getting excited about the event. Also, some posters would go a long way around the office to keep reminding people of the dates as well as an RSVP email so you can judge interest.
• Food and drink - The worst thing that could happen during your party is that people go hungry and/or thirsty. For your convenience, ZONE BOWLING has some catering packages available for businesses already made up. Do you want the Gold Package - a drink for all guests as well as a wide selection of snack food? Or perhaps just a couple of sharable dishes, such as a sandwich or savoury platter? Talk to your local ZONE BOWLING centre to see what they can do for you.
• Dress themes - Nothing gets people participating and laughing together quite like a silly dress theme. When grumpy Derrick from accounts comes in complete drag, there isn't an unhappy face in the house (someone always comes in drag). Organise an affordable dress theme for everyone and strongly encourage participation. It'll certainly make the photos sillier, that's for sure.
• Access - Last but certainly not least, can everyone actually get to the venue? Not everybody has a car, or perhaps your workers will want to drink a bit. Consider adding a carpool section to your social media pages so everyone can organise their own rides, or book a bus to get everyone to and from ZONE BOWLING safe and sound. 

Prizes and awards

Use the sporting aspect of a bowling work party to get some prizes into the mix. At the end of the evening, or perhaps the next day, you could give out some gifts for various awards to do with the night, as well as utilise the opportunity to give out awards for work performance and outstanding achievement. 

For on-the-night awards, hand out prizes for 'Best Dressed', 'Highest Bowling Score', 'Lowest Bowling Score', 'Most Creative Team Name' and anything else you can think of. In terms of work-based awards, think about who your top earners, best performers and most valuable employees are. Don't forget those part-timers, either! 

As for the rewards themselves, a bar tab is always a welcome sight at a party, though vouchers are very popular gifts as well. ZONE BOWLING offers gift cards, so why not grab a few of those to hand out to your top bowlers? You could be encouraging them into a new sport, or helping their team stick together if they decide to join a bowling league. 

Hosting a work party can be a chaotic mess in your own office, or an exciting and memorable experience at an ZONE BOWLING centre. Which do you think is better?

Got any more bowling party tips and tricks? Leave some ideas in the comments below!