Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Planning the party
• Part 2 of 3: Working out the details
• Part 3 of 3: Honoring the guest of honor
• Tips

There are all kinds of reasons to throw a farewell party. It's a great way to leave your friend, colleague or loved one with happy memories. You can organize a farewell party when someone leaves work, when someone emigrates, or when someone starts a new chapter in any capacity. Organizing a farewell party can be a lot of work. You have a lot to do, from planning, inviting and getting ready to honoring the guest. Fortunately, you can enlist the help of your friends or colleagues. With some planning and cooperation you give the guest of honor a beautiful party that he will remember for a long time.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Planning the party

1. Choose a theme. The best farewell parties have a theme that honors the guest. Usually this theme has to do with the next step the guest takes, or with memories of your time together.
   • If your friend is moving, think about the themes that may work. You may want to throw a "good travel party" using themes like travel and discovery. Or maybe the party is all about the best local stuff your friend loves. In addition, you may want to include the culture or cuisine of the place your friend is going to in the theme.
   • Maybe the guest of honor is going to work at another company. Then at the party you can emphasize what a great job this person has done at the company.
   • Include the theme in the invitations, food, decorations, etc. For example, if your friend moves to another country, decorate the cupcakes with that country's flag. You can also make cups with the map of that country on one side and the current city of residence on the other.
2. Find a place to host the party that fits the theme. Choose the appropriate place to hold the party. That could be the office, a restaurant or even your own home. The location must be suitable for parties and a place that guests will enjoy.
   • Home is a good place for family members who are going to live abroad for a while. If a colleague retires or changes jobs, the office or restaurant you visited more often is the right choice.
   • Think about what the guest of honor will like. Remember that you are throwing the party for your friend. So it has to be a place that he will like. For example, if your friend is moving, you can have the party in the cafe or restaurant you used to go to often. Ask if you can rent it for a few hours.
   • The location should be special and a little intimate. You should be able to have a fun party without disturbing others or being disturbed by others.
3. Send the invitations. Invite people early enough so they can take the day off. When sending out invitations, think carefully about which people the guest of honor would like to have at their party. First, invite family and close friends. Think about your budget and keep the guest list shorter if you're on a budget or if you know the guest of honor wouldn't want a big party. Don't forget to invite the guest of honor, unless it's a surprise party. You can even create a personal invitation for everyone.
   • Sending real invitations through the mail is a great way to get people to come to the party. Decorate the invitations to match the theme.
   • If your friend is moving abroad, you can create invitations that resemble a plane ticket. Write down where he is leaving and where he is going.Add information about the time and place of the party. Ask the guests to let them know two to three weeks in advance if they are coming or not so that you can take that into account when shopping.
   • You can also create an event on Facebook. Social media is a great way to invite people and discuss the details of the party. Create an event in addition to the real paper invitations.
   • People don't always see the invitation if you only send it through social media. In addition, you can use the real invitations as part of the farewell gift or a reminder book. However, if you don't want to make real invitations, a colorful email can be nice too.
4. Ask for a contribution towards the gift. You have to give the guest of honor something as a reminder of this time. A sentimental gift is something that will keep your friend or colleague thinking about you for a long time. Ask the people who come to contribute.
   • If you don't like asking people for money, that's okay. You can let the guests know that you plan to buy or make something for the guest of honor. Explain that you are happy with every contribution.
   • You can also provide alternatives. If you don't want to charge money, ask people to help make decorations, set up, eat, etc. Every little bit helps.

Part 2 of 3: Working out the details

1. Give people a task. It is difficult to organize a farewell party all by yourself. But chances are that you don't have to. Surely there will be many people who want to help.
   • Give people certain tasks so that you can get everything done on time. You can give one of your friends the task of taking care of the decorations. Have someone else arrange the food. Maybe you have a creative friend who likes to make a collage.
   • If you divide the tasks, the party will be as good as it can be. And when the party comes, you can concentrate on the guest of honor.
2. Make decorations. Decorate the place according to your theme. You can create decorations that merge the past and the future, for example:
   • Make small boats or planes for someone moving abroad. Use colors that match the flag of the country your friend is going to, or the Dutch flag. You can also divide the space in two. Decorate half with colors and elements of the Netherlands, and the other half with colors and things related to the new country.
   • Make little clocks, timetables, and the like for someone who is retiring. Also think about things that your colleague has talked about that he wants to do when he is retired. Maybe you could put up some cruise ship or RV posters. You can also make some sort of decorated throne for your guest of honor to sit on.
   • Bunting flags are always a good decoration. Buy flags in the guest's favorite colors, or that relate to the farewell in some other way. You can even create a flag line with pictures or maps showing where he is going.
   • Think about a place where you can put a guestbook. You can also adapt this book to the theme. If your friend moves abroad, you can put down a bottle and small rolls of paper. Then all people can write down a message and put the roll in the bottle.
3. Arrange the food. Small snacks are fine, unless you really want to organize dinner at the table. Choose snacks that you know the guest of honor likes.
   • Small snacks such as bitterballen, sandwiches and sweet snacks are excellent, because people can just walk around with them.
   • However, a real dinner can mean more to your guest.
   • Use plates and cutlery that match the theme.
   • Provide the favorite food from the Netherlands and dishes from the country he is moving to. Or if you're hosting a coworker's farewell party, order food from the favorite takeout restaurant near the office.
   • Buy your guest of honor's favorite beers or other drinks if they are old enough to drink. Sometimes a cold beer from the favorite local brewery is all your friend needs.
4. Make time for speeches. Ask if there are people who would like to give a speech.
   • The speeches could be about what a wonderful person is the guest of honor. Make sure it says how much this person means to you, or how much you have learned from them. Do ask if the speakers want to keep it short.
   • A speech can broach a variety of topics, from funny stories to moving memories and congratulations.
   • Make sure the guest of honor has the opportunity to respond. But don't force him to speak. As funny and fun as a goodbye party can be, it can also be emotional for your friend, and he may not want to speak for all the guests.
5. Buy a parting gift. It is common for the person leaving to receive a gift at a farewell party.
   • Think about the person leaving and in what capacity. Maybe your friend likes getting a homemade gift as a reminder more than something you bought. Also consider where he is going. If your friend is moving abroad, a small gift is more convenient.
   • When someone retires, there are traditional gifts that the company often gives. But it is also nice to give something that makes him think back to the good times and the relationships with colleagues.
   • Provide someone who is traveling with something that can be helpful when traveling. Maybe your friend doesn't have a good backpack yet. Then everyone can contribute something so that you can buy a good backpack for him. If you want to go even further, you can fill the backpack with a water bottle, toiletries and tasty snacks for on the go.
   • Think about why the guest of honor is leaving and where he is going. Try to give gifts that can be useful. Don't give your guest of honor something that is difficult to relocate or something they probably don't need.
   • Maybe your friend is moving to the other side of the country. Instead of giving him even more things to pack, give him moving boxes, or perhaps hire a moving company to help him pack. Or maybe you and your friends can make a collage with memories, and give a practical item such as a backpack.
   • If your coworker is going to work at another company, think about something related to the job that will keep this person thinking about you, but will also be helpful in the new job. For example, a laptop sleeve with a photo of all colleagues on it. Or something nice to brighten up his desk.

Part 3 of 3: Honoring the guest of honor

1. Take lots of photos during the party. You can email them or even print them out to the guest of honor so he'll remember everyone who was at the party.
   • You can also make a collage of photos of the group of friends or colleagues and give them as a present.
2. Play games to honor the guest. Play some fun games where the guest of honor is the center of attention.
   • You can put a different spin on a classic game such as "two truths and a lie". Guests tell three short stories about the guest of honor. Two of them are true, while one is made up. The guest of honor is not allowed to say anything until the other guests have answered. The guy who picked out the most lies wins.
   • You can also have a "roast" for the guest of honor. Just make sure that the jokes are not offensive and that it ends on a positive note. A roast can be fun, but the context has to be light.
   • You can actually play any game you want. It's nice when the games have to do with the theme. For example, if your friend moves abroad, you can play a modified version of "beer pong". Beerpong is a drinking game where you have to get the balls into the cups on the other side of the table. One side represents the Netherlands, the other side the country your friend is moving to.
   • Take a map of your friend's destination and let everyone pick a nice place they want to go or something fun they would like to do there.
3. Let everyone participate. Give everyone the opportunity to contribute to the party. Since you happened to organize the party, you don't have to take all the credit.
   • There are going to be many people who care about this person, be it a coworker getting a new job or retiring, a friend moving house, or whatever. If you let everyone contribute something, the guest of honor not only gets the most beautiful farewell party, but you also give everyone the opportunity to say goodbye in a meaningful way.
4. Wave your guest of honor well prepared and with the best of congratulations and memories. When you think about gifts and a good way to say goodbye, you want to give your guest of honor something cheerful that will help them remember the good times with you.
   • Before the party ends, everyone should have had the opportunity to personally say goodbye to the guest of honor. A farewell party can be overwhelming, and it's not always easy to have a personal moment with the guest. Come up with an activity that everyone can participate in and have a moment one-on-one with the guest of honor.
   • Finally, give your guest of honor the gifts and toast his luck. Give a short speech expressing all your love and gratitude to this person. Let your friend know that your friendship is eternal, even though you may see each other less often from now on.

Tips

• In most cases, you let the guest of honor know that you are organizing a farewell party for him. Some people don't like being the center of the party unexpectedly. But if you know him well, a surprise party can also be extra fun.
• It is good to ask a colleague if he wants a farewell party. Some people don't feel like it.
• Choose a theme related to your friend's past or future.
• Go to the Action or another cheap store for the decorations.
• Buy or make gifts of sentimental value that benefit the guest of honor.
• Emotions can run high at a farewell party. Be prepared for that. Put down some tissues and try to keep the mood light. Play cheerful music and play fun games.
• You can ask the guest of honor what time he wants to have the party. A coworker may like to have it at the end of the workday or during lunch.