It’s A-Boat Time To Start Planning Your EOFY Party

It has been a long year. With COVID, your team has probably been getting used to working from home. Maybe you’re running a mix of remote work and in the office. Either way, the critical time working with your colleagues and growing team comradery has been difficult to achieve. No matter what your company’s scenario, it’s on you to plan the EOFY party of a lifetime! Something to get everyone’s spirits up and the team back on track.

Organising a EOFY party is the perfect opportunity to show appreciation to your staff, grow team cohesion and deepen relationships. It’s time for the team to let their hair down and reflect on the year gone, beer in hand.

Now, we’ve all had an open tab at a bar, we’ve tried the local lawn bowls, and we know who to let take the solo in a group karaoke night (and more importantly who not to), but since this year needs to be special, why not celebrate it on the scenic Sydney Harbour?

Looking to Hire a Boat for your EOFY party?

A boat is the EOFY party idea that will get everyone talking!

Arrrr you ready to hear the best part (sorry, we love a good sea pun)? It’s more affordable than you think! With food and drinks, it can come to less than $80/ person. Not only that, it’s picture perfect, meaning people will be snapping and sharing their experience so you’ll have ample pictures to share across your company’s social channels. Now that’s the team culture building activity to boost everyone’s spirits, and to use to attract future incoming candidates! 

With boats available for groups of 4 – 950+, hiring a boat for your EOFY party is a great idea. There is no better backdrop for your corporate party than the sensational views of Sydney Harbour. A day on the water taking in these million dollar views will result in long lasting positive memories and an event your crew won’t easily forget. Explore corporate boat hires.

Planning your EOFY boat party

But now what? Where to start? No worries, planning an EOFY boat party can be pretty straightforward. In the following section, we’ll give you 6 tips and tools to plan a great one of your own!

1. Plan in advance.

Most of the time EOFY boat parties are best planned a little while in advance. If you’re planning to cruise on the weekend, we recommend getting the ball rolling 2 months prior to your preferred date as weekend dates are very popular in the boat cruise game. If you’re booking a weekday, you are more likely to find something closer to the date. However when choosing a date, we do recommend giving as much notice to your team as possible to make it more convenient for people who live far away or have family obligations to join.

2. Pay attention to time and day.

If possible, organise the event during working hours so everyone will be able to attend. Not everyone will be free to attend the EOFY party if it’s hosted outside of working hours. Plus, it makes employees feel great knowing that they’re partying in the boss’ time. It shows true appreciation.

3. Location, location, location.

It’s likely that the team spends most of their time at the office or nowadays, at home. Some of the team may never have seen each other in a different setting than in the overly bright office cantina. Taking people outside the office environment creates excitement and boosts engagement levels. Just imagine the round of smiles you’ll be served when the team cruises under the Sydney Harbour Bridge past the Opera House!

Organise your EOFY Party Boat Hire Today

4. Budget.

You can hire a private boat for as little as $400/hr including skipper, pick up & drop off and use of the boat amenities (such as BBQ, plates, cups, cutlery, cleaning and garbage disposal)! Normally, cruises are 3-5 hours. Hiring a boat for your EOFY party could set you back less than $50/pp for a 4 hours cruise for up to 30 guests. The boats offer BYO food & drink options. Normally with BYO, people spend roughly $10pp for food and $15pp for alcohol for a group of 30 guests. This would put the total costs for the boat hire and food/drinks to just under $75/pp.

5. Organise yummy food & drinks.

To go from just food, to great food doesn’t have to cost that much, but will sure be appreciated by your team. You don’t have to go all out, even a nice charcuterie board can work miracles. Make sure to check everyone’s dietary requirements so everyone can enjoy the food & drinks on offer. You can BYO or if you would rather have everything catered, you can opt for one of the catering packages, typically starting at $20pp for food and $55pp for drinks.

6. Bring the tunes.

Music often sets the tone. Regardless of where you are, you can create the vibe you’re after by playing the right tunes. It’s recommendable to have a few playlists ready for the day. Something light and easy for the initial mingle and -depending on company culture and the amount of beers flowing- something people can have a boogie too later on. Use our Sydney Harbour Days playlists to get the party started!

Ready to Book your EOFY Party Boat Hire?

What are some other EOFY party ideas in Sydney?

Ok so we are leaving the office but we don’t have the sea legs yet! Now where do we go? Well, there are quite a few very fun team party options. What you choose to do, of course depends on your company culture and the size of the group. But assuming the team wouldn’t mind letting their hair down a bit, here are two options for small, medium to bigger sized groups.

Social Escape Room: From $45 pp/hr

With 2 – 8 players per room, the Social Escape Room is a great fit for small businesses. Lock up your work mates and together try to find your way out. The escape rooms are filled with challenging mind games, riddles, puzzles and mysteries. ​You will need teamwork, creativity and resourcefulness to escape in time!

The Social Escape Room doesn’t include food nor drinks. It would be best to organise food separately by either organising a picnic yourself or opt for a restaurant lunch.

Amazing Race with Bars: From $77.50pp

From 6 – 120+ participants, the Amazing Race with Bars is a great fits for larger groups in particular. It’s a combination of Amazing Race challenges and clues with a couple of drink stops along the way so that everyone stays hydrated. The game is all about strategy and fun, making it the ultimate crowd-pleaser and a perfect way to spend an afternoon bonding with your team.

The Race includes a few drinks but no food. It would be best to organise food separately by either organising a picnic yourself or opt for a restaurant lunch.

Ready to find out more about EOFY boat parties in Sydney?

If you have any questions regarding boat hire, please get in touch with us. We can cater for small groups up to groups of 100+, organise the catering and if required, wait staff and entertainment. Don’t forget to follow us on social, and share this with your HR team or party planning comity to give them a subtle hint of what you want to do this EOFY.

Ready To Set Sail Or Find Out More?