Key points
- The graphic is a checklist of five do’s and five don’ts for a company day out or team building event.
- Most of the advice is about attendance: invite everyone, make the day worth turning up for, and avoid dates when staff are unlikely to come.
- It says staff should not pay to attend and suggests reimbursing their travel and food.
- Two points cover the organiser: keep the guest list up to date, and enjoy the event yourself.
- It was made by RH Nuttall, a family run Birmingham manufacturer of gaskets, washers and seals, and published on its blog in August 2022 [1][2].
The corporate event do’s and don’ts in text
Title on the graphic: Successful Corporate Event Do’s and Don’ts, with “Do’s” in green and “Don’ts” in red. The RH Nuttall logo (red “RH”, white “NUTTALL” and the line “Family Run Since 1860”) sits in a black banner at the top. Each tip has a numbered tab, a bold heading, a round line icon and a short explanation, quoted here as printed.
Do’s
| No. | Do | Text on the graphic |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Make Your Invitation Open to All | Everyone should be welcome at your corporate event. Any team members you exclude will feel alienated from your firm. Don’t miss anyone out and don’t force anyone to work that day. |
| 02 | Organise an Itinerary | It’s best if your team building days are organised events. Inefficient planning could lead to time wasted, boredom, and disengagement. |
| 03 | Plan Fun Activities | If you advertise a bog-standard corporate day out with no enticements, expect a high percentage of employees not to show up. Invite a local celebrity or plan something unique. |
| 04 | Invest in Excitement | Instead of another boring corporate event, give your team mates something to get excited about. Plan fun games and entertainment as well as corporate exercise and team building. |
| 05 | Invest in Snacks | Free food and drinks are the most exciting things at some corporate events. You can plan to do better, but if you provide good snacks, you will always win. |
Don’ts
| No. | Don’t | Text on the graphic |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sell Tickets | Your employees already work for you. You shouldn’t expect them to have to pay fees to show up to corporate events. In fact, you should reimburse them for travel expenses and food. |
| 02 | Stay Home | The point in a corporate day out is to get out and enjoy something new together. Learn about teambuilding through laser tag or mini golf… but don’t spend your event day in the office. |
| 03 | Choose a Holiday | There are days when you shouldn’t expect employees to turn up. Planning corporate events on these days, like bank holidays or in-service days at school, can lead to poor attendance. |
| 04 | Forget to Curate the Guest List | If you run a large organisation, the chances are there will be lay-offs between organising your event and the day of the event. In this instance, you could invite disgruntled ex-workers by accident. |
| 05 | Forget To Enjoy Yourself | After all of that planning, it’s time to live a little and enjoy your own event. Have fun : you deserve it! |
The icons are an envelope with an invite card, a route with map pins, a leaping figure with stars, two people giving a high five and snack packets for the do’s, and a ticket, a house, a beach with a palm tree, a checklist and a cheering crowd for the don’ts. Footer: “Created by” with the RH Nuttall logo.
What makes a successful corporate event
Read together, the ten points describe a successful event as one people want to attend. RH Nuttall’s own article on the graphic says the main problem with corporate events is attendance, and that the more exciting the event, the better the attendance [1].
The article adds detail to several tips. Inclusivity can mean special arrangements so that people with additional needs can get there, along with transport, accommodation, food and drink. For excitement, it suggests entertainment staff would not arrange for themselves, team challenges that feel like a fun pub event, lessons from professionals in activities such as gourmet dining, bouldering or archery, and a theme for the whole day [1].
Planning the date around holidays
The graphic warns against bank holidays and school in-service days. England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own lists, which GOV.UK publishes for each part of the UK [3]. GOV.UK also notes that employers do not have to give paid leave on bank or public holidays [3], so some staff may work them while others are off, which is one more reason to avoid them.
School term and holiday dates vary across the UK. In England and Wales they are set locally and published on each council’s website [4], so a company with staff in several areas may find that in-service days fall on different dates.
Open to all staff and the UK tax rule for annual events
The first do, an invitation open to all, also lines up with how HMRC treats staff events. Its Employment Income Manual explains that an annual party such as a Christmas party, or a similar annual function such as a summer barbecue, can be exempt from a tax charge on employees if it is available to employees generally, or to all employees at one location. No charge arises if the cost per head of the event does not exceed £150 [5].
HMRC adds that the £150 is an exemption, not an allowance: if the cost goes over the limit, the full cost per head is taxable rather than only the excess. A one-off event, such as a party for a 25th anniversary, does not count as annual [5]. Employers should check HMRC’s current guidance for their own situation.
Notes on this infographic
- Two titles. The graphic is titled Successful Corporate Event Do’s and Don’ts. RH Nuttall published it in an article titled How to Run the Ideal Corporate Event [1].
- Reading the don’ts. The headings in the red section name the things to avoid, so “Sell Tickets” and “Stay Home” mean do not sell tickets and do not stay at home.
- Travel and food costs. The advice to reimburse staff for travel and food is the creator’s recommendation. How such payments are taxed depends on the circumstances, so the HMRC guidance above is the place to check [5].
- Scope. The advice is general and written for a UK audience, with references to bank holidays and in-service days.
Sources
- RH Nuttall, How to Run the Ideal Corporate Event? An Easy-to-Use Infographic, 4 August 2022.
- RH Nuttall, home page, gasket, washer and seal manufacturer, Birmingham.
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays.
- GOV.UK, School term and holiday dates.
- HMRC, Employment Income Manual EIM21690, annual parties and other social functions.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
