Being a manager here in sunny LA, I am often asked to organize some of the parties for our small companies. In the past, dinner and drinks was an easy standby, but the bad economy has put a damper on that sort of fun and budget constraints prohibit that kind of spending on an event. An event planner friend of mine suggested that for a really fun Los Angeles corporate event, we could try indoor karting at a facility in nearby Thousand Oaks: fun, slightly competitive, slightly team-oriented, silly, and relatively inexpensive. It was an excellent suggestion.
When it comes to organizing a corporate event Los Angeles doesn’t offer that many convenient and inexpensive options, unless senior management’s idea of a good time is the playground at McDonald’s. Kart racing was both fun and budget-oriented. Planning the quarterly office party there made me a hero/superstar to a lot of management, as they all had a great time trying to one-up each other on the raceway in the same way they try to one-up each other every day in the office.
The venue helped plan the party, including arranging for food delivery and providing a comfortable private room for us to relax in and laugh about the morning races before hitting the track again in the afternoon. They customized a package for a party, the cost of which was less than half what it would have cost us to throw the usual dinner-bar party that ushered in new fiscal quarters in better economic times. Management seemed to have so much fun that I think karting could become a semi-annual tradition – if the company doesn’t form a competitive team to race against other companies. When you can make it so people have more fun for less, you really look like a hero, which is exactly how I looked thanks to the people at the indoor go-kart track.
Los Angeles corporate event planning used to be much easier when the company budget allowed for what seem now like outrageous expenses on office parties. While I will need another good idea for the next quarterly party – racing every quarter might be too much of a good thing – I am glad to have found this venue, which makes my job a whole lot easier. I now know that when it comes to planning an affordable corporate event, Los Angeles isn’t completely devoid of options.
Posted under business
This post was written by admin on May 28, 2009
