A retirement party must be special. After all, the guest of honour worked their whole life for this achievement, so take every measure to ensure that this is the party of a lifetime! Here are some tips to celebrate the retiree’s life and work.

Guest List

This is the foundation of the party, so take your time. Start compiling it months ahead of time. Thoroughly sift through every potential guest – this isn’t a party any friend of the retiree wants to miss! Also, go back through the guest of honour’s life, find those special friends who left the company years earlier or old college buddies who haven’t seen the retiree in decades–in other words, cast as wide a net as possible, since this party is the culmination of a person’s career. Let them look back on their life and all the people who’ve helped them, taught them and assisted them through years of work. It’ll mean the world to them.

Venue

You’ll want this to be big. Your guest list, of course, will determine the size required, but make sure to secure a venue that can potentially hold more than you’ve planned. For a party this important, people will show up. They’ll also accept the invitation last-minute and plus-ones will become plus-fours. So get a big place, because you’ll also want to leave space for…

Entertainment

Also a must. Consider the retiree. Would they want a DJ or a Cover Band? Or maybe they’ll want something more specific, like an Oldies Band, maybe hire a Tribute Band, or a Rock Band or maybe music isn’t the best entertainment for them. What about a Comedian? Or a variety show filled with various performers? Whatever remains true to the spirit of the retiree, that’s the talent you should hire.

Decor

Keep it simple. If the guest of honour’s calls for something more elaborate (from exceptionally elegant to tremendously silly), then by all means do that. But for a party of such significance, the focus should remain on the retiree. Rent some Tables & Chairs, maybe hire someone for general Party Decorations and let the people and the occasion take centre stage.

There you have it. Keep things simple, make sure you invite as many people from the life of the retiree as possible, and put all of the focus on the guest of honour. Now, all the retiree’s got to do is figure what they’re going to do with the rest of their life!!