Planning the perfect celebration is never easy, in fact planning any kind of event is downright difficult if we’re all being honest here! There are, however, a few steps that you can take to make that process as easy and smooth sailing as possible. Your boat experience is by nature going to be amazing, so just try and relax, follow these tips and have as much fun as you can along the way. Here’s just how to plan the perfect harbour cruise event…
Begin with your budget
First things first, the budget. No, it’s not the most exciting or engaging step of the party planning process but oh wow is it the most important – so, if you want to put together a well planned and successful event, reluctantly reach for that calculator right away. Nailing down the numbers nice and early means that you can get to selecting your vessel of choice faster, making everything run smoother and quicker down the line.
Count for capacity
More numbers, but once you’ve got these sorted you can give the maths a rest, promise! You absolutely need to have a good idea of how many people are going to be onboard your harbour cruise. Boats unfortunately do not have much flexibility in the way of capacity for safety reasons, so being as exact as you can be when it comes to capacity is absolutely essential. Send out a save the date well ahead of time to give your attendees fair warning. Save yourself any potential last minute embarrassment by accounting for a couple of extra attendees.
Plan for the tone, feel and formality of the event
Planning according to the occasion is very important. There are so many different types of events that can be held on a Harbour Cruise, there really are Harbour ferries anywhere out there for every occasion. Consider the tone and formality of the event, for example if you’re putting together a birthday party, hen’s do or public holiday event you’re going to be planning a more casual affair. Wedding receptions, corporate training days and professional events are going to be more formal. Determine the tone to make your event as cohesive and well thought out as it possibly can be.
Explore packages
One of the very best things about hosting an event on a Harbour Cruise is that you can find a tonne of different package options that are going to work for all different kinds of events. Explore your options for BYO, catering, multimedia, DJs, drinks, dance floors, stationary and other tech to see how a package purchase can add to your event. The right bundle can actually do most of the party planning for you, so if you’re tight on time then this is going to be your very best friend.
Determine the best spot for pick up and drop off
Your pick up and drop off spots are more important than you might think! This is going to have a huge impact on your guests and whatever plans you have both before and after the event itself, so make sure that you’re putting enough thought into your selection. You can always put up a poll to get a feel of what spot is going to work best for the majority of your attendees – the most popular choice will be the most democratic decision. Other considerations include proximity to public transport, parking options, scenery (for snapping a few pre-party pictures) and centrality, just in case you want to keep the party going after hours.
Think carefully about timing
Lastly, think about the time of day that you’d like to set sail. If you want a more scenic, romantic setting for your event then you should look at planning the occasion around the sunset. This is going to give you perfect pictures and a lovely atmosphere. Maybe you want more of a professional feel to the day? You’ll want to keep it to midday or morning sun. Timing is everything, so think about this carefully.
Follow these tips and you’ll have the ideal event on your hands in absolutely no time!