It seemed a good idea in the meeting to suggest a company away day ... but you didn't expect to be lumbered with organising it!

So if you have never organised any sort of corporate event before, or have only a limited experience, this article is for you. Here you will find five easy to follow steps to help you through the process which should help you to organise a day which is memorable for the right reasons.

Step 1

Decide on the corporate event that will form the backbone of the day. This sounds easy but when push comes to shove, it is not that straightforward. You really need to consider your colleagues and the sort of thing that would alienate as few of them as possible. Look for an event that will be inclusive and one that will not leave a lot of people standing around for most of the day. Motorised events in which everyone gets wet and cold is definitely not inclusive. Additionally, it will mean people are waiting around for their turn. On the other hand, something like a treasure hunt would involve everyone and all of the time with no waiting around. If the event you have chosen must involve dead time for participants, organise it indoors or when the weather is likely to be reasonably clement. For something more active, a corporate event that comprises several activities, each one of which lasts for around thirty minutes, with teams moving from activity to activity throughout the day is a good alternative. Often company away days will involve a visit to a sporting event but be careful, not all of your colleagues will like the sport chosen or indeed they may not be interested in sport at all.

Step two

Choose the venue. The provider of the event we'll probably be able to help you to find a suitable venue but make sure that it will appeal to all people. The

Step three

Then decide on the date and book the event. Make sure are when arranging the date that it coincides with a slack period at work. If your company doesn't have slack periods, then it is essential to avoid peak holiday seasons otherwise people will be disappointed to miss the away day. Why use a slack period? Basically, because that is when people are most bored at work and it will also least interrupt the flow of business thus pleasing colleagues and management at the same time!

Step four

Publicise it well in advance so that your colleagues can put it in their diary and avoid taking their holidays on the day; the sales force can avoid making customer visits on that day too. To make it extra special keep the exact nature of the event secret a until close to the day of the event and build it up more and more as it comes closer using enigmatic publicity on the office notice boards.

Step five

Organize the transport well in advance to avoid disappointment. You will need to establish the numbers who are going on the day well in advance anyway but for passing to the corporate events company so that they can make their arrangements so you will know how many seats are needed. You don't need to blow the budget on luxury coaches but do make sure that you use a reputable company with modern and comfortable vehicles. Always order a larger coach capacity than is actually needed because this will give your colleagues the opportunity to have more space on the journey; there is nothing worse than being crammed into a coach especially if the weather outside is grotty.

General tips

Making arrangements early will reduce your stress levels and enable you to anticipate potential snags. Make notes of all of your conversations and arrangements made so that you can double check that nothing has been missed. Make sure are that you have talked things through in detail with the events company and have a timetable for the day; you will feel (and be) or more in control. Make sure that you communicate the start and finish times clearly to the transport company in order to avoid a late start or to leave your colleagues hanging around waiting for coaches afterwards. Above all make sure are that you communicate clearly your arrangements for the day to both management and colleagues so that they know exactly where they need to be and when.

So setting up the perfect company away day is not too difficult, communication and early organisation is at the heart of it. Good luck!