Over the last week, I’ve enjoyed having so many voices of Baudville share their stories that I thought I’d continue by introducing my co-worker, Dean, who is here to make a very special announcement about the Baudville Games.

Dean was integral in bringing the Games to life, from concept through execution, so who better to tell you more? Take it away, Dean!

You might ask yourself: what are the Baudville Games?

For us here at Baudville we wanted to bring some of the enthusiasm of the summer games to offices everywhere, including our own. Baudville has always been the place to balance a heavy workload with some fun and excitement during the day, and we are keeping that tradition alive with the Baudville Games!

Baudville Games give businesses a way to break up the workday by providing quick and easy-to-do office games with everyone on your team. A different game will be posted every week on our website and on our Facebook page. Companies will register, participate, and then email their best game photo to us every week. Photos will be shown on Facebook, and the one with the most likes will win $200 in Baudville product! (That’s $200 in Baudville product every week, too, so if you’re super-creative and popular with our voters, you could bring home some major bacon!)  

After a lot of serious (and sometimes not-so-serious) deliberation, our marketing and design team came up with four different games that we (and, we hope, you) will be playing over the next four weeks: Rubber Band Archery, Binder Clip Diving, Mental Gymnastics, and Office Soccer. All four of these events are easy to do and fun to play. The great thing about all of these games is that everyone can play them with the supplies they have in the office. Look for me as one of the competitors in Rubber Band Archery, where I’m known as Dead Eye Dean!

The energy has already started to build here at the ‘ville and it’s amazing to watch coworkers get so excited about these impromptu breaks. It’s all about recharging people during the workday and keeping them energized during the distracting summer months. What better way to do it than a little fun and friendly competition?

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Dean has been with the ‘ville for a whopping 10 years! He shows his stuff designing our catalogs, a variety of print pieces, and even some of our products. Dean is an avid golfer, a recent (very happy) newlywed, and in-house table tennis ace. He’s also currently the only male in a department full of women. Stay strong, Dean!

As the Human Resources Manager at Baudville, I have the privilege of leading our Spirit Team which is a group of employees from different departments who plan our company events. And we have a lot of events! Our annual picnic is what employees really look forward to in the summer. We hold it in the evening at a local venue, like the zoo or baseball park, and employees can bring their families. We provide dinner, entertainment, games, and prizes – of course we have to have prizes! But an event like this doesn’t come together over night! Our Spirit Team puts in lots of hours planning and preparing to make the event success. We want your event to be great, too, so I’m going to share six my tips for planning a summer event that you can use in your organization.

#1 Work with a Team
When it comes to planning events, the most important tip is to work with a team! An event requires a lot of work - it can be overwhelming for one person! Recruit a team of employees who are enthusiastic about events. You can share the workload, generate more ideas, and have more fun in the planning process, too! Remember to recognize your team throughout the event planning process. Express your appreciation by writing a thank you note and leaving it at their desk, or posting a Shout Out in their honor.

#2 Encourage Early Registration
In order to have a good turnout at your event, be sure to share the date, time, and place far in advance.  Mention the date of the event at a meeting and follow up with an email to everyone so they have a record of the information. Then, it’s never too early to start taking RSVPs. We send out an email to the entire company more than a month in advance that clearly states the details of the event and extends an invitation to their family. Be sure to give a deadline for your RSVP. Having a clear idea of how many people are attending will make it easier for you to plan for food, seating, and prizes.

#3 Bring an Event Tool Kit
Whenever we host an event at an off-site location, I bring a tool kit with me that’s stocked full of items that may come in handy in an event emergency! In our kit, we have pens, tape, stapler, scissors, string, band aids, etc. This kit has come in handy more than once! The other item that has helped my events stay on track is an Event Check List. We’ve created this one and made it available for free download in our Recognition Resource Center. It lists every detail and item you could possibly need to consider for your event, and helps you keep on track!

#4 Prepare for Weather
Sometimes the summer weather doesn’t cooperate with our event schedule! You should always be ready for the weather which could mean having a back up location or alternate date. You may simply need to have the right supplies on hand. Bring umbrellas for every attendee so they can stay dry in chance of rain, or a cup for water if the weather is hot.

#5 Create Name Badges for All Attendees
Because employees bring their families to our summer picnic, there are often a lot of unfamiliar faces walking around. To make everyone feel more comfortable and the event a little friendlier, we create name badges for every attendee. We usually create adhesive name badges for our guests to wear. The name badges attach easily to clothing, stay out of the way, and make the individual’s name visible. You can also use custom or themed lanyards for your event or use one of our theme lanyards and display a name badge in a badge holder.

#6 Have Fun!
After all your hard work, the event is finally here! It’s time to take a deep breath…and enjoy! Give your team public recognition at the event, so all the guests can express their appreciation through applause and cheers. Finally, take time to appreciate everything that went into making the event great and pay attention to what your guests like the most so you can do it again next year!

Now that I’ve shared my six tips for planning a great summer event, I hope you’re ready to hit the ground running! If you would like more ideas, visit our Recognition Resource Center and download the Summer Team Events eBook. It has lots of suggestions and creative event ideas you can use with your team this summer.

Have a great summer!

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Cindy is the Human Resources Manager at Baudville and has over 14 years HR experience. In addition to her HR Generalist duties, she’s the center of positive mojo for the company and heads up many of our recognition initiatives, events and awards. In other words, she’s got it going on! Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyGilmanPHR for HR updates from the place for daily recognition!

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer in Michigan, and many of us enjoyed the warm weather last weekend doing summer activities: boating, swimming, visiting the beach, and anything else outside. After five months of cold, wintery weather, Michiganders love to be outside!

I especially love to be outside in the summer, so sitting in the office on those beautiful days can be tough. But I also love the chance to participate in the many summer team events Baudville plans. Whether it’s a short tournament of backyard games over a lunch break or an evening at the ballpark, summer is a great opportunity for team building.

Last year, we asked our customers how they keep their teams engaged during the summer months. We received a lot of great ideas, which we compiled into the Summer Team Events eBook. Download the eBook for activities, outings, competitions, and more you can do as a team. 

One of my favorite customer suggestions last year was having a regular fun activity. You can create a calendar for the entire summer and plan activities and events for your team. Share your schedule with the team, and listen for the excitement to start. Anticipation will build for your different team building events, and employees will want to come to work during the summer months just to participate.

You can start today! Did you know that June First is National Doughnut Day? Surprise your team with a doughnut treat this morning - or even this afternoon!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.