During the early parts of November each and every year, Melbourne Cup fever takes over throughout Australia. And while Melbournians and many other Victorians are lucky enough to have a public holiday on the big day, the rest of the states have to head to work. Celebrations, however, can still take place in the office, and these tips will help you to host the best possible Melbourne Cup party at work.
1. Make sure you have something to watch the race on
This, of course, is the most important aspect of any Melbourne Cup party. While not everyone will be equally invested in the race, there will certainly be plenty of people at every office with at least a passing interest, and given it’s what the whole day is based around it’s important to tune into the action. There’s no need to have the entire race meeting on – though there will likely be some who want to watch each and every race – but making sure that everyone can enjoy the three minutes or so for which the Melbourne Cup lasts is imperative. Turn it up loud, put the TV somewhere easy to see, and get behind one of the biggest and oldest events in Australia.
2. Do a Melbourne Cup sweep
The Melbourne Cup sweep is a popular activity at homes and offices alike on Melbourne Cup Day, and can be a great way to generate a little bit of extra excitement for the big race. For those who don’t know, a sweep involves every participant picking the name of one or multiple horses in the race, and the winner of the sweep is whoever holds the ticket pertaining to the winning horse. Typically there will be some kind of prize pool involved, though even without that it can be a valuable addition to your party.
3. Change the office dress code for the day
Fashion is a major part of not only Melbourne Cup Day, but indeed the entire Spring Racing Carnival, and those heading to Flemington go all out with respect to their outfit. You might not take it quite so seriously in the office, but even so it’s fun to have employees dressing up in something a little bit different on race day. Ditch the standard office wear and have everyone turn up in fascinators, fancy suits and dresses, and watch as the atmosphere changes into one of fun and frivolity.
4. Order food and drinks
As with any party, it’s important that there is something to consume at your Melbourne Cup Day event. Ordering some fancy food can be a good way to separate this day from a regular day at the office, while a few drinks can also be a fun addition. Of course, it’s probably not ideal to have employees knocking back drink after drink during a work day, but given the Melbourne Cup typically doesn’t jump until around 5pm, plenty of offices knock off just in time to watch the race and enjoy a drink or two with it.
Not everyone gets to enjoy a day off on Melbourne Cup Day, but that doesn’t mean that anyone has to miss out on the fun. Planning an office party can be a great way to bring some atmosphere to work on the day of the race, and the above tips should help you to do exactly that.
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