Planning a Retirement Party: Italiano's offers a Place, Catering & Tips

Tips for Planning a Retirement Party: How to Get Started

Once you've made the decision to host a retirement party, start tackling a few of the first steps involved in planning an event:

• Ask for help
• Create a guest list
• Pick a tentative date
• Determine the location

Who Will Help?

Although you will oversee the party planning process and make many of the decisions, try to get at least a couple of people you can rely on to help you make the event a success. Ideally, those people would include a one of the retiree's colleagues from work and a family member or friend. Each can share ideas from their unique perspectives and help you take care of many of the party planning details.

Creating a Guest List

You need an estimated number of guests to know how big the party will be and decide where to host it. Typically, retirement parties include a mix of coworkers, family and friends, along with anyone else who had a significant role in the retiree's life. That could include former colleagues who worked closely with the retiree, or other associates outside the company.

When to Hold a Retirement Party

Although some retirement parties are held soon after the retirement is announcement, the best time is the day of or weekend after the retiree’s last work day. Since the party kicks off the guest of honor’s retirement, even a week or two after might be better than holding it in advance of that final day.  

Where to Have a Retirement Party

Once you have an estimated number of guests to be invited, you can begin thinking about places to have the retirement party. If you are planning the party for a coworker, a company conference room may be the best place. A small party hosted by a family member or friend could be held at your home or a restaurant. For a large party, consider renting a private reception hall. 

Italiano's a Great Place to Have a Retirement Party

If you are looking for places to hold a retirement party in the Houston area, contact Italiano's in Humble TX. As one TripAdvisor member said, Italiano's is a "great place for a retirement party," with food and service second to none.

Italiano's can accommodate large parties in a private banquet room as well as small parties in the popular restaurant venue. Inquire about reserving a reception room or tables in the restaurant for your preferred party date.

Catering Services for a Retirement Party in the Houston Area

Unless you plan to hold the retirement party in a restaurant, you may want to order catering services. Italiano's, an award-winning restaurant, provides affordable catering your guests and budget will love. Inquire about Italiano’s catering services.

More Tips for Planning a Retirement Party

With the guest list, party venue and catering services taken care of, you can begin thinking about ideas for making the party a fun, memorable event for the retiree as well as the guests. Below are a few to help get you started:

Will the party have a theme? A few popular retirement party themes include Hire Year (decorations, entertainment and guest attire are based on the era when the guest of honor first became employed), Company in Mourning ( a “funeral” theme in which guests, dressed in black, pay their respects to the company losing a valued employee), and Permanent Vacation (a vacation-themed party).

Who will speak? Retirement parties usually include at least one speaker, so decide in advance if the person leading the event will be you or someone else. Whoever is doing it should prepare a small speech, one that welcomes guests and makes the guest of honor feel special. You can also give other guests the option to speak. If you plan to do so, tell them in advance so they can think about what they want to say. Make the speeches lively, humorous and fun. Most importantly, honor the retiree.

Create a video keepsake. Gather photos of the retiree’s life and career and create a video to run continuously during the party. After the party, give the video to the retiree to keep.

Prepare a bucket list. What will the guest of honor do after retiring? Ask party guests for ideas. For this fun activity, you will place a bucket on a table with paper and pens. As they arrive, invite guests to write their ideas on the paper and put them in the bucket. Later, someone reads a few of the ideas and presents the bucket to the retiree.

You can find many more ideas to help with planning a retirement party online. With good planning and a little help, you can make the party a memory the retiree will treasure forever.