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Whether the sun's shining or not, a summer party for staff shows your appreciation of their efforts, boosts morale and gets everyone working as a team. Organising a get-together doesn't have to be complicated and you don't have to spend too much money.

Should we call the professionals?
There are companies that will arrange the whole thing, for a fee that usually covers everything apart from the food (see till receipt, right), but it's a lot cheaper to get a committee of volunteers from the staff to do it. There are a number of do-it-yourself options that can bring down the cost: use a free venue, say, or capitalise on staff connections for entertainment – there's bound to be a member of staff who can DJ.

The hottest venue in town
After you've decided who to invite and when to hold the party, you need to think about where. Wendy Pearson, maintenance project officer and party planner extraordinaire at Beaver Housing Society, says getting out of the office is a must: "One year, we had it in our grounds and it wasn't much good, to be honest." This year, Beaver is going to a local rugby club instead.

Flagship Housing Group, on the other hand, put up a marquee in the chairman's garden. "Staff at the coalface don't get to meet the board very often, so it was an ideal opportunity for them to get to know each other," says Paula Armenis, Flagship's head of marketing.

Feeding the five thousand
There are many catering firms, but a thriftier option is to lay on barbecue basics and ask staff to contribute the rest. Beaver's Pearson asks colleagues to bring salad, or their national dish, while the company puts some money behind the bar for drinks.

Housing association Circle 33 gets a local scout troop to do the cooking on its barbecue.

One year, we had our party in our grounds and it wasn’t much good. This year, we’re hiring a rugby club

Wendy Pearson, Beaver Housing Society

Disco fever
Music always makes a party go with a swing. Depending on the size of your shindig, you might want to hire a sound system, a band or a DJ. It's worth asking around the staff to unearth previously unknown talents – at Beaver, Pearson can call on many enthusiastic musicians to take to the stage. Both Beaver and Flagship have enjoyed karaoke – if you're hiring a sound system or DJ, karaoke may be included.

Kids' stuff
If you're having a day event including employees' children, a bouncy castle, face painter or balloon sculptor can keep them out of mischief – although a football and a frisbee can do the same job more cheaply.

Competition time
Finally, a competitive or prize-giving element can help to spice things up or add a business focus to justify the hilarity.

Airways Housing Group once held an Oscars-style award ceremony, where staff had to nominate the best improvements to the company. Prizes don't have to be lavish, though: supermarket champagne may not be as good as Bollinger but it still shows you care.