Remember your tongs for the year-end party

19 October 2016 - 09:24 By LEONIE WAGNER
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Chicken meat on a braai. File photo.
Chicken meat on a braai. File photo.
Image: Gallo Images/ Thinkstock

Planning the outfit for your year-end function? Don't bother, chances are it will be a bring and braai.

As the countdown to the end of 2016 begins, many companies have started planning their year-end functions.

But the tough economic climate has seen many scaling back on their celebrations.

Stephanie Scorgie, business leader at Cievents, a corporate events management agency, said their trend analysis showed that the banking and telecommunications sectors had decreased spending on their year-end functions.

"They have gone for smaller departmental year-end functions as opposed to a big company celebration.

"The functions have also become more casual and have gone from evening events at a venue to afternoon events at the office.

"Quite a few companies are having functions at the office, such as braais, or taking their teams to restaurants," she said.

Another trend was companies asking suppliers to sponsor their function and opting for personalised beverages that fitted the party's theme.

Scorgie said craft gin was one of the favourites.

"Due to budget constraints many companies are approaching their suppliers and asking for portions of their functions and events to be sponsored," she said.

Many companies have reduced their average spend per person for year-end functions by 20%, with the average cost now being about R300 per person for office events or restaurant events, and R650 or more on functions held at a venue outside the office.

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