Most corporate event ideas you read online were written for a company with an events team and a ballroom budget. If you are the person at a metro Atlanta company who got handed this on top of your actual job, that is not useful. You need something one or two people can run on a Saturday without anybody ending up stressed in the parking lot.
We deliver party rentals around Atlanta from Conyers, and a good share of what goes out on weekdays goes to company events. Here is what pulls people out of their chairs, and what organizers tell us afterward they would change.
First, say out loud what the day is for
This sounds obvious and it is the step people skip. An employee appreciation day, a family day with kids running around, and a team building afternoon are three different events, and the attraction that carries one will fall flat at another.
Write one sentence. "This is a thank you and families are invited." Or "This is the sales team and nobody is bringing kids." Every decision after that gets easier, because you stop trying to please a crowd that is not coming.
Eight corporate event ideas that actually pull a crowd
The thing these have in common is that people walk up to them on their own. Nobody has to be herded.
1. A mechanical bull
This is the one that ends up on everybody's phone. A mechanical bull rental works for the audience that has quietly outgrown inflatables, which at a company event is most of the room. It is always run by a trained operator who matches the speed to each rider, from gentle to serious, and it sits inside an inflatable safety surround.
Space is the thing that catches people out. Once the surround is counted, a bull needs a genuinely large flat area. Office grounds, venues, and church halls usually have it. Indoors works too if the ceiling is high enough, which takes the weather out of the picture entirely.
2. A dunk tank with a manager in it
A dunk tank rental is the cheapest morale win on this list, because the attraction is not the tank. It is the sign-up sheet with the VP's name on it. Put three or four willing volunteers on a rotation and the line will not empty for an hour.
Practical notes: it holds around 500 gallons and takes 45 to 90 minutes to fill from a garden hose, so you need a spigot within reach and you need to start filling well before people arrive. Ages 10 and up throw well. Little kids mostly want to walk up and push the target by hand, which is fine and worth letting them do.
3. A row of carnival games
If your event has families coming, carnival games are what keeps a wide age range busy without a schedule. Six games spread along one edge of a field will absorb a hundred people for two hours. One adult per game is what makes a booth run, so count your volunteers before you count your games.
4. An inflatable obstacle course
For a team that likes to compete, an inflatable obstacle course turns into a bracket on its own within about ten minutes. Somebody will pull out a stopwatch. Let them.
5. Field day style relay races
Free, and better than they sound. Tug of war, a sack race, and a water balloon toss cost almost nothing and get people laughing at each other, which is the actual goal of a team building afternoon. Keep each one short.
6. A concessions table
Cotton candy and popcorn machines do something odd at adult events: grown professionals turn into eight year olds around them. Concession machines each run off a household outlet and a sturdy table, and one person can learn to work one in a few minutes.
7. An outdoor movie for an evening event
If your event runs into the evening, an outdoor movie screen gives the back half of the day a shape. Families with young kids tend to stay later when there is something to sit down for, and it fills the stretch after the food has gone and before people start saying goodbye.
8. Nothing, for part of the day
Leave a block with no activity in it. People at work events want to talk to each other, and a schedule packed end to end means nobody gets to. The quiet hour is a real idea, not a gap.
Planning a company picnic: the parts that decide the day
How many tables and chairs?
A 6ft rectangular table seats around eight, or six comfortably once plates, drinks, and a cooler are taking up room. Divide your headcount by six rather than eight and you will not be short.
You do not need a seat for every single guest at a standing event. Seating for about three quarters works, because people drift. What you cannot skip is a place for older relatives and anybody who is not going to stand in a field for three hours. Tables and chairs are the booking people forget until two days out, which is also when they stop being available.
What about the heat?
Atlanta in June through September is humid in a way that changes an event. The afternoon is the problem, not the temperature on the forecast. A 10am start is a genuinely different day than a 1pm start.
Get shade over the seating with a tent if your venue does not have trees in the right place. Put water in more than one spot so people pass it without making a decision. OSHA's heat illness guidance is written for outdoor work, which is exactly what your volunteers will be doing all day, and it is worth five minutes of your time. For the forecast itself, the National Weather Service office at Peachtree City covers the whole metro.
Red clay is the other local wrinkle. After a hard rain a field that looked fine on Thursday is a mess on Saturday, and inflatables need firm, level ground. If your venue is a grass field, have a paved backup spot in mind. Anchoring works on grass, asphalt, and concrete alike.
Food, and what the county will ask
Catering, a food truck, or grills run by volunteers all work. The part people miss is that selling food to the public, or serving it at a public event, can put you under county environmental health rules. The Georgia Department of Public Health is the place to start, and your county office is who you actually call. A private event for employees on private property is usually simple. Anything open to the public is worth one phone call before you plan a menu.
What should people wear to a company picnic?
Tell them. Do not make them guess, because half will show up in office clothes and spend the day uncomfortable. One line in the invite fixes it: "Casual, closed toe shoes, and you might get wet." If there is a dunk tank or an inflatable, say so, because people need to decide whether to bring a change of clothes.
When to book, and why midweek helps you
Six to eight weeks ahead for a Saturday. Metro Atlanta weekends in spring and fall fill up early, and the popular units go first.
Here is the advantage nobody tells corporate organizers: midweek is wide open. A Thursday company event can get dates and units that a Saturday birthday party cannot, because weekdays are the quiet side of this business. If your event does not have to be on a weekend, do not put it on one.
For a full picture of what goes into a budget, our party rental budget guide breaks the numbers down. Inflatables start at $150 for the day with delivery, setup, anchoring, and teardown included within 35 miles of Conyers. Ask us about the add-ons that fill in around a centerpiece.
Check your date
Tell us your headcount, your venue, and whether families are coming, and we will tell you straight what fits and what does not. Call (404) 480-2645 or check availability and we will get you a quote.
Frequently asked questions
What are good corporate event ideas in Atlanta?
The ones that give people something to do instead of something to watch. A mechanical bull, a dunk tank, a row of carnival games, and an inflatable obstacle course all pull a crowd without anybody running a program from a microphone. Pick one centerpiece attraction and build the rest of the day around it.
How do you plan a company picnic without an events team?
Work backward from your date and settle four things in this order: the venue, one centerpiece attraction, seating and shade, then food. Everything else is optional. Most of the picnics that go badly went badly because nobody counted chairs or checked where the outlets were.
How many tables and chairs do we need?
A 6ft rectangular table seats around eight, or six comfortably once plates and drinks are on it. Divide your headcount by six to be safe rather than by eight. Remember that not everyone sits at once, so you can plan seating for about three quarters of your guests at a standing event.
Does a mechanical bull work for a corporate event?
It is one of the better fits, because it works for the crowd that has outgrown inflatables. It is always run by a trained operator who sets the speed for every rider, and it sits inside an inflatable safety surround. The catch is space: once the surround is counted it needs a genuinely large flat area, so tell us the venue early.
What do we do about the Atlanta heat?
Start earlier than feels necessary, get shade over the seating, and put water where people walk past it rather than at one table. A 10am to 2pm event in July is a different day than a 1pm to 5pm event, and the morning version is the one people stay at.
How far in advance should we book rentals for a company event?
Six to eight weeks if your date is a Saturday. Midweek is easier and often opens up dates that a weekend request cannot get, which is one of the quiet advantages of a corporate booking. Call (404) 480-2645 once you have a date and a rough headcount.
Do you deliver to corporate venues and office grounds?
Yes. Delivery, setup, anchoring, and teardown are included within 35 miles of Conyers, which reaches most of the metro. Office parks, church halls, school fields, and private venues are all normal for us.