Program for retirement celebration

Celebrating important events such as a worker's retirement shows your staff that you appreciate their efforts. One of your first tasks will be to determine your budget, explains Retirement Tips and Tricks. The amount of money you have to spend on the program will determine what kinds of food you serve, where you hold the event and what level of entertainment you bring in.

Additional items that will be determined by your budget include the sound system, decorations, printed programs and a retirement gift.

Retirement is a very personal event and should be given individual consideration. For a larger party, consider inviting extended family, friends, former colleagues, and longstanding professional collaborators. Prepare a visual display that reflects the retiree's career. A retirement party is a celebration of both a person and their career.

It is nice for party attendees to see pictures from each stage of the retiree's professional and personal life. Pictures displaying the person's accomplishments and work history can mounted on a poster, shown on a monitor sitting on a table, or projected onto a large screen for all at the party to watch. Add in photos of other important events such as a memorable trip or the birth of a grandchild.

Old photos of out-of-date fashions and hairstyles might add some comic relief. Set the right tone. Humor can be an important element in saying goodbye to someone who is retiring, but fit the humor to the person and situation. For instance, a roast could be appropriate for a retiree who enjoys bawdy or teasing humor. Be sure to moderate the humor, however, for someone who could become offended easily or who is finding the idea of retirement challenging.

Those who are anxious or mournful about retirement would appreciate a more heartfelt goodbye. Remember that the main focus is to honor the retiree so make sure that the atmosphere of the retirement party always keeps a sense of dignity. A retirement party should feel like a fun celebration, not a sad event. Plan a toast or a speech. Most retirement parties include a speaker who offers remarks that are both touching and humorous.

Commemorate the event. A retirement party is a good opportunity to produce mementos and keepsakes. Videotape the party or event so the retiree can view it again later. Provide a blank memory book for guests to sign and encourage them to write down their memories of the past and good wishes for the future. Part 3. Strive to keep in touch. After an active career, it is normal for a retiree to miss their colleagues and the social aspect of the workplace.

Make sure friends and coworkers have the retiree's contact information and make an effort to keep in touch. The retirement party or the last day of work is a good opportunity to exchange phone numbers, email addresses, and social media profiles. Connect your newly retired friend with their peers. Sometimes retirees need some help finding a new niche. If you are already successfully retired, feel free to give tips and make suggestions about how to adjust.

Join the retiree for activities and hobbies. One of the greatest advantages of retired life is the newfound time to pursue activities and hobbies. Make sure the retiree is enjoying their experience by joining them for hiking, art, tennis, a film, or whatever they enjoy. At a private home, it can be an all-nighter. At a venue, at least 4 hours depending on the party and if dancing is included. Not Helpful 2 Helpful Most of the time it is no later then 2 weeks after they have retired.

Personally, I would have it as an evening event after their last work day! Not Helpful 6 Helpful You can use decorations geared to what the person retiring plans on doing after retirement, i.

When a beloved principal retired from our elementary school, all the teachers wore jeans, a button down shirt and cowboy boots.

It perfectly represented the retiree. If the retiree is lucky enough to be entering a life of leisure, you may want to celebrate their retirement with an event focused on their favorite hobby. Relocation: If they are relocating, you could plan a party around their new location. A Costa Rican party could have jungle decorations and everyone could wear Hawaiian shirts for example. Travel: A traveler might appreciate an around the world party with maps and food from all over the globe.

Guests could wear attire from their favorite destination and offer travel tips to each other. Devote different tables to different hobbies, jobs or roles from their personal history. Wine: For a wine lover, set up a wine tasting.

Have everyone bring a bottle of something they really love. So often in our culture, work is work and home is home. There is not a lot of mixing of the two environments. Some of the best retirement parties mix the guest list and this gives a really powerful opportunity for people to learn about the retiree. It can be very touching for children and grandchildren to hear about the accomplishments of the retiree.

If you are having music at the party, you could create a playlist of songs appropriate to aging and retirement. Maybe make it a karaoke party with only retirement themed songs on the system…. Smashing Success: Smash the alarm clock! An important symbol of the workaday life is the alarm clock.

There are many different companies offering a variety of catering packages which suit most budgets. In addition, many popular high-street food supermarkets also offer a party food ordering service at reasonable prices. There are also pop-up catering companies which can provide mobile street food vans at various venues including your home. These specialise in many different types of food including hog roasts, pizzas, BBQs and fish and chips!

They can be a unique talking point and fun addition to your retirement party. Another option is to book a restaurant or venue and let take care of all of the catering. If you choose this route, make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment. You may have a choice of set menu options provided by the restaurant depending on your budget.

These will need to be sent to guests in addition to the retirement party invitation. If you want to save money, some restaurants and venues may allow to provide your own choice of drinks. Others may charge a corkage fee. Ask when you make your booking. The first thing to think about is who is going to give the retirement speech.

It is always best if the person giving the speech knows the retiree personally. The speech will be more genuine. Line Managers are a good choice as they have a professional relationship with the retiree. They are in a position to give a heartfelt retirement speech which reflects on career achievements and personal qualities. If you are holding your own retirement party or someone else is hosting it within your circle of family and friends, think carefully about who to choose. Choose someone who is close to the retiree but confident about making a speech.

Before writing the retirement speech, spend time gathering this information from work colleagues, family members and close friends. These contributions can form part of your speech. It is always good to include some light humour in the retirement speech.

Quotes are an effective and easy way to accomplish this. Check out our post about different quotes for retirement party. If you would like some visual prompts when giving the retirement speech, consider making a PowerPoint. The slides can be embedded with photos to entertain the guests and a few words as aide-memoires for you!

For more detailed information about writing a retirement speech, read our post The Best Welcome Speech for Retirement Party. Another way of involving guests in the retirement party is to create a retirement book of memories. There are many different types of guest books for a retirement party.

These can be created by contributions from guests during the retirement party or before the event. On the day, guests can record their favourite anecdotes about the retiree during the party. They can sign the book and share memories. Of course, this is a lovely keepsake for the retiree after the party. However, it also serves as a talking point for guests throughout the party as they remember shared work experiences. If you want a unique way of guests recording their memories, deep box frames are another fun idea.

You can buy a range of blank wooden shapes which guests write on. They are then slotted into the frame and can be displayed as a lasting memory of the retirement party.

Alternatively, you could collect photographs of the retiree from work colleagues, close friends and family. You can collate these into a photo book in advance of the party. Alongside the photographs, you can add memories and anecdotes. If you are good with technology, you could also ask the guests to make short video clips of their work memories of the employee and their contributions. You can then play the video during the party. Why not consider displaying large photos of them at their retirement party?