Throw out everything you think you know about the classic going away party

It’s not something to dread, something that absolutely must be awkward. A going away party is an opportunity, an opportunity to make a lasting impression on the special person leaving your company or your area.

Embrace this noble task. Own it. Be memorable.

Going away parties are all about relationships. When pulled off correctly, a going away party can help guests…



Solidify bonds with departing colleagues, ensuring they’ll stay in touch for years to come.



Deepen existing relationships, as the emotions of the departure inspire people to share admiration more freely than they would usually.



Create memories that set the tone for how your departing colleague looks back and reflects on your overall relationship.


Are you ready to make a lasting impression? To facilitate a memory that evokes nothing but gushing fondness?

Get started by browsing the going away party ideas below.

Going Away Party Themes For Work
1) Setting Sail / Bon Voyage Party

Capitalize on the nautical symbolism of your guest of honor’s journey to a new job or a new place. Decorate with sails and anchors and maybe even get some cheesy sailors’ hats for a photo booth.

 

2) Packing Party Theme

Have fun and provide much-needed help to the stressed out mover in your life. When you provide this much help, you’ve got a fun office party plan that might just turn into your guest of honor’s favorite memory of their big life transition.

Pro-tip: Make this virtual by having party guests send packing supplies (boxes, tape, etc.) to the guest of honor.

 

3) Murder Mystery Farewell Party

Plan a murder mystery party and, if you want, have the guest of honor play the victim.

Pro-tip: Enjoy a flawless murder mystery by enlisting the expert event help of Outback Team Building. They’ll turn your event into a crime to remember. (And we mean that in the best possible way.) Call in the experts.

 

4) Hot Air Balloons

Up, up, and away. This theme might be a little over the top, but hey, you know your guest list. If they’re into bright-colored balloons and vintage aeronautics, then go for it! (You can make some adorable going away party invitations.)

 

5) Great Escape Theme

This adventurous theme frames your loved one’s or co-worker’s departure as the ultimate escape from a hidden temple, a fantasy dungeon, or of course, an escape room.

Pro-tip: Work with the Escape Game to treat your guests to a virtual or in-person escape room experience they’ll never forget.

 

6) Bloom Where You’re Planted

This themed party is all about plants—plant decor, plant gifts, and maybe even some plant-inspired cupcakes. If the guest of honor is moving, then this party kind of does double duty as a housewarming party.

 

7) Take a Bow


Send everyone their tickets and stock up on theater-themed party decorations. This exclusive show runs for only one night. Be sure everyone comes prepared to give the guest of honor the applause they deserve.

 

8) Future So Bright

Neon colors, sun glasses, glow sticks, and other light-up baubles feature in a going-away party that celebrates the guest-of-honor’s future plans.

Pro-tip: No matter which theme you choose or invent, leverage monday.com, primarily a project management tool, to make planning the going away party as easy and as painless as enjoying those going away treats. Simply create a board, add milestones, and even upload pictures of your departing coworker or friend.

 

Going Away Party Games For Work
9) Let’s Roam


Consider Let’s Roam your favorite virtual arcade full of crowd-favorite games, including trivia, charades, and drawing games. Enjoy one hour of seamless game-play. You can switch from game to game without ever once wondering, “Okay, how do we play this one virtually?”

 

10) City Brew Tours


Posting up at your favorite bar just doesn’t seem festive enough for a going away celebration. You need something way more epic, something like a City Brew Tour.

Send your friend off by romping around the streets of your city, sampling delicious brews while absorbing all the fun facts (the kind you can’t find on Google) your expert guide is spouting.

A brew tour makes a crowd-pleasing experience for everything from retirement parties to grad parties.

 

11) The Escape Game


Celebrate a big move or a close friend’s career shift by teaming up one last time to pull off the ultimate escape. Immerse yourself in high-stakes bonding in one of the Escape Game’s brilliantly planned virtual escape rooms, which transport you anywhere from an art museum to a remote jungle.

 

12) Goosechase


Cast out that image of the awkward goodbye party where people stare at each other awkwardly and ask the guest of honor about their future plans. With Goosechase, your goodbye party can be an unforgettable scavenger hunt that sends you and your guests on a wild chase to solve puzzles, check into locations, and more.

 

13) City Unscripted


Especially appropriate for someone moving to a new place, this activity will get you and your guests experiencing your city like never before. Guided by a local with expansive city knowledge different from your own, you’ll experience new sights, spaces, and flavors.

 

Going Away Party Ideas For Work
14) A Classic, Old-Fashioned Potluck

No party is quite as easy or as festive as a potluck. The sweet simplicity of gathering with friends to share foods and drinks simply never gets old, and it certainly helps that no single person has to do more hosting work than anyone else.

Get a guest book, a dish sign-up sheet, and some fancy napkins and party favors, and you’ve got yourself a party. (This also makes a perfect no-fuss, surprise party idea!)

Pro-tip: Choose a theme—bbq, Greek, or healthy—to make sure everyone’s dishes will work well together.

 

15) Quizbreaker


You’ve made it to the going away party, but do you really know everything about your departing colleague? Quizbreaker makes it easy and fun to find out. Learn some new things about the guest of honor to add to your list of fond memories.

 

16) Competitive Sports

Get together for a pick-up game of baseball, basketball, volleyball—whatever! You’ll all feel like kids on the playground again, and you’ll never forget the night you said good-bye.

 

17) Craft Brews and Crafts

Find some delicious craft brews to sample and some delightful DIY crafts to make. That’s all you really need to create one low-key party. We recommend opening up the conference room, put in an order for catered lunch, and enjoy the hoppy-goodness of a craft beer celebration to make their last day special.

 

18) Werewolf


Party attendees split into two groups—werewolves and townspeople—and face off until all the werewolves are dead or the two groups reach equal numbers.

 

19) Thanks for the Memories

Have everyone arrive with photos, stories, and memories to share about the guest of honor. Afterwards, assemble everything in a physical or digital photo album or slideshow.

 

20) “Roast” of Guest of Honor


A near opposite to the idea above, this party activity involves telling jokes and making good-natured fun of the guest of honor.

 

Virtual Going Away Party Games & Ideas For Work
21) Outback Team Building Virtual Events


When you want to plan the perfect send off party, you call in the pros. Outback Team Building will handle your party planning and make sure your guest of honor, and all your other guests for that matter, never forget this event.

They can deliver the virtual event of your dreams, whether you want to compete during a game show extravaganza or strengthen friendships as you mastermind your way through a codebreak.

 

22) Kahoot


Use Kahoot to play and even customize free quiz-style games. See how you’re performing in real time and wait to the end to see who got the top scores.

 

23) Go Game


The Go Game does more than just provide you with turnkey virtual games; they nurture your event to its optimal level of fun and connection.

Use The Go Game for your going away party, and expert event hosts will lead your guests through games, including drawing games and trivia, while making sure they’re having a good time. If everything is going well, then they make it go even better.

 

24) Treasure Mountain


What do you do when you want someone to remember you forever? You could take them on a treasure hunt.

During this game, you and your team will follow clues and interact with a rich, realistic online environment to find a legendary treasure that has been hidden for 300 years.

 

25) Most Likely To …


To play this game, all you do is brainstorm who in your group is most likely to do something (go to jail, bake a cake, etc.). Use this massive list of questions to get ideas for your game play.

 

26) Drawful 2 Mobile App


This game brings drawing games to new levels of hilarity by requiring guests to create their drawings on their mobile devices or tablets. (Anyone who’s ever tried to do even a decent signature online will understand the challenges and delights of this game.)

 

27) Virtually Tour Yellowstone National Park


An epic tour with no rsvp required, this virtual tour of a legendary national park gives your co-workers, friends, and family members a taste of one of nature’s most beautiful gems.

 

28) Virtual Mixology Class


The internet is your new home for happy hour, so why not also a mixology class?. Grab your cocktail ingredients and some brightly colored streamers and you’ve got everything you need for a little educational boozy fun.

 

Going Away Party Gift Ideas
29) Tribute.co


Few material items can achieve the sentimental value of sincere and heartfelt messages. Tribute helps you turn video messages from your team into a perfectly presentable gift for a co-worker who’s changing things up.

Tribute gift ideas we love in 2020:


Tribute
Concierge
Pro (contact Tribute for details)
Tribute Booth (contact Tribute for details)


 

30) Uncommon Goods


Uncommon Goods specializes in meaningful gifts, many of them customizable, that pack tons of sentimental value. Browse this site to find the surprising, refreshing, and absolutely perfect goodbye gift.

Uncommon Goods gift ideas we love in 2020:


Galileo Globe Thermometer
Vintage National Parks Puzzle
Big Personality Desk Signs
Hanging Butterfly Oasis


 

31) Swag.com


From the stylish techie to the homebody foodie, your guest of honor will love the items you can find at Swag.com. Get items people actually want, including Kindles and YETI tumblers, and add your own custom design to give your gift that special touch.

Swag.com gift ideas we love in 2020:


Bella Baseball Tee
3-in-1 Trail Tumbler
Parker Small Traveler
Seneca Bluetooth Wooden Speaker


 

32) SwagUp


Don’t just send a gift; send a complete pack full of several perfect gifts, customized to help your guest of honor remember their time with you forever.

SwagUp gift ideas we love in 2020:


Home Office Essentials Pack
Classics Pack
Care Package 101
The Sock Pack


 

33) Corporategift.com


Corporategift.com offers thousands of gift options, many customizable, to delight anyone you’re shopping for. Find anything, from fine chocolates to the latest electronics, all in one pace.

Corporategift.com gift ideas we love in 2020:


Personalized commuter wallet
Custom dinosaur planter
Mini Blast Color Pots
Custom Double Layer Two-Tone Yoga Mat


 

34) Etsy


Artisan-made goods you can’t find anywhere else? If that’s not the stuff of an epicly memorable going-away gift, then we don’t know what is. Support crafters and makers while you find one-of-a-kind items your friend will love.

Etsy gift ideas we love in 2020:


Stained Glass Feather Suncatcher
Handmade Leather Bookmark
Custom Miniature Hand-Cut Map
Be Brave Enamel Pin Badge


 

People Also Ask These Questions About Going Away Parties
Q: How far in advance should I plan a going away party?

A: You should start planning a going away party about 1 month in advance. This gives you plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, purchase gifts, and get all your decorations, games, and favors.

Q: Can I throw a virtual going away party?

A: You can throw a virtual going away party! Simply find a video conferencing software to use as an online gathering hub and select some virtual going away party games and ideas to keep the event flowing.

Q: What makes a good going away party?

A: Games and activities for fun combined with sincere expressions of appreciation for the guest of honor make a good going away party. This post has plenty of tips and tricks you can use to make any send-off you’re hosting unforgettable.

Q: How do I know if my going away party was successful?

A: Know if your going away party was successful by reading the room. Is the guest of honor happy? Are the other guests smiling? Did everyone get to say a few fond farewell words to the person who’s leaving? You can also quantitatively measure your event’s success by sending a brief follow-up poll to ask guests if they had fun.

Q: What are the benefits of having a going away party?

A: The benefits of having a going away party include solidifying bonds with departing colleagues, deepening your existing relationships, and making memories with someone you’ll soon be seeing less often.

Q: How can I get started with an online going away party for work?

A: Get started with an online going away party for work by first browsing virtual theme and activity ideas for inspiration. After you have your general event ideas solidified, you can move on to planning the technical and logistical details, including selecting and testing video conference software and sending invitations and gifts.

Q: What are some good ideas for a going away gift?

A: Some good ideas for a going away gift include a versatile travel bag, a customized yoga mat, and a handcrafted leather bookmark.



The post 34 Phenomenal Going Away Party Ideas For Work In 2020 appeared first on SnackNation.

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