i’m matt james

professional event producer

  • 27 years event-planning experience
  • Winner of 30 industry awards
  • Clients include:
  • Elton John,
  • Stella McCartney,
  • Sarah Jessica Parker,
  • Kevin Spacey……and more

welcome

Matt James professional event planner
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CONTENTS

ON THIS PAGE

01 ice-breaker activities

Retirement party activities and conversation-starters to help break the ice

hello my name is... sticker badge highlighting their 'special power' worn on shirt breast
Table Topics conversation-starter cards
DIY self service Vodka bar at a party with vodka and various juices in carafes
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02 OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRIBUTE

Ensure guests feel included with retirement party activities that allow them to contribute and share

65 Reasons We Love You signing poster guest book alternative for a 65th birthday party
retro telephone audio guest book set up next to an instructions sign inviting party guests to record a message
retirement party guestbook alternative signing poster
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03 CREATing ATMOSPHERE

Keep the energy up and atmosphere lively with retirement party activities that encourage circulation and flow

photos and fun facts cards hanging from balloon strings at a party
individual sheets of fun facts clipped to string garlands and hung from a tree at a garden party
woman clipping photograph onto illuminated string lights to create garland decorations on a wall
gold balloon with 'Pop Me' handwritten on with a Sharpie with strips of paper with other fun facts printed on
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04 BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER

Create shared experiences that bring everyone together and help them bond

group of office workers at a party holding up fan faces of a man's face in front of theirs
gray haired man in a suit standing next to a custom pinata of himself
friends watching a back yard birthday slideshow
group of male friends holding up wedding party photo booth props
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ADVICE FROM A PRO

retirement party activities

summary
  • Engagement is essential for creating atmosphere
  • Icebreakers and conversation-starters facilitate introductions; taking the pressure off the host
  • Use them to encourage different groups to interact and discover things they have in common or might not know about the retiree
  • Retirement party activities that allow guests to contribute and share; a memory, anecdote, or photograph, makes everyone feel included
  • Activities also encourage circulation, which keeps the energy up and prevents guests clustering in corners with the people they came with
  • Keeping people moving, exploring different areas, mingling with others, and discovering new things creates a lively and fun atmosphere
  • Activities can also provide a handy distraction for guests to extract themselves from awkward conversations!
  • Always include at least one activity that brings everyone together as a group
  • A shared experience creates a bond and unites all the different groups as one; people that are all important to the retiree
  • People love to feel connected, especially through something meaningful, so it encourages more interaction
  • Perhaps most importantly, activities prevent boredom and people leave with something to talk about, share, and remember; they feel as though they’ve had an experience.
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MATT’S TIPs

Matt James professional event planner
in this section

01 ice-breaker activities

WHY YOU NEED ICEBREAKERS AND CONVERSATION-STARTERS

  • Retirement parties can involve a mix of friends, family, and co-workers from different areas of the retiree’s life.
  • This can mean different age groups and social circles, who don’t necessarily know one other, being thrown together in a room.
  • In situations like this, you can’t just hope they all mingle and interact.
  • If you leave it to chance, people will cling to their tribes and congregate in groups; family in one area, old college friends together….and so on.
  • This is a sure-fire way to kill the atmosphere.
  • Not to mention the poor retiree will spend all night flitting between different groups, moderating their conversations or behavior accordingly, which is no fun for them.
  • Realistically, you can’t be on hand to introduce all the guests to one other or provide prompts for things they may have in common,
  • Which is why you need to lay on a few simple icebreakers that will act as conversation-starters or talking points.
the idea

Hello My Name Is… stickers

Facilitate introductions and conversations with name tags revealing guests Special Talent, Superhero Power, or Favorite Sitcom Character

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Man wearing Hello My Name Is... sticker
the idea

fan face custom cutouts

Create photo ops by providing guests with fan faces of the retiree at different stages of their life

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group of people holding custom fan faces of the retiree in front of their own faces at a retirement party
the idea

photo party hats

Create custom party hats printed with old photos of the retiree from different stages of their life

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color photo party hats showing the retiree now and as a middle aged man
the idea

fun facts napkins

Use on bars, buffet, or dessert tables to provide conversation-starters and entertain guests with ‘Fun Facts About the Retiree’

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custom photo 'Fun Facts about the Retiree' retirement party napkins
the idea

how well do you know the host?

Leave printable quizzes in areas where people congregate or sit to entertain party guests and provide conversation starters

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'How well do you know the retiree?' retirement party game printable quiz
the idea

custom crossword

Leave custom crossword puzzles about the retiree on place settings or occasional tables to help break the ice and keep guests engaged

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Custom crossword puzzle about 'Samantha'
the idea

table topics

Help your elderly aunt from Iowa find something to talk about with your goth-rock obsessed teenage niece using these cool conversation-starter cards

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Table Topics conversation-starter cards
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Matt James professional event planner
the idea

D-I-Y COCKTAIL BAR

Take the pressure off drinks service and help break the ice by providing recipe cards and ingredients for guests to make their own cocktails

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DIY cocktail bar with liquor, ingredients, and a cocktail recipe sign for party guests to make their own drink
the idea

EDIBLE DRINK MARKERS

Make personalized edible drink markers using alphabet cookie cutters and melons

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party drinks with edible drinks markers made of fruit spelling out the names PETER and ZOE on bamboo skewers
in this section

02 OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRIBUTE

how to ensure everyone feels included

  • Activities that allow guests to contribute and share; a memory, anecdote, or photograph, makes everyone feel included
  • I once read about a holiday party guests where asked to bring two photos of happy moments from the past year, which they then used to decorate the tree.
  • The party started with everyone gathered around the tree, sharing a drink, and reflecting on positive experiences that had brought them joy.
  • It sounded like a lovely way to bring everyone together; allowing people to bond over something personal and meaningful, and it no doubt set the tone for the rest of the evening.
  • You could take a similar approach to your retirement party activities by asking guests to bring photos of memorable moment they’ve shared with the retiree, which could then be clipped to strings to form part of the room decorations.
  • Alternatively, invite guests to ‘Take a Walk Down Memory Lane’ by writing down a favorite memory or amusing anecdote of the retiree
  • The host could then read a few out loud as part of a thank-out speech later in the evening.
  • People love to discover new things about someone they know—especially if it’s something unusual or unexpected—so these activities double as entertainment.
  • And by inviting guests to contribute and share makes everyone feel as though they are included.
  • It highlights—and allows everyone to bond over—the thing you all have in common; your relationship with the retiree.
the idea

guestbook alternative: signing poster

Invite guests to write messages for the retiree on a signing poster to be framed as a keepsake

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retirement party custom 'then & now' photo framed signing poster guestbook alternative
the idea

audio guestbook

Bring your guestbook to life and capture authentic and unfiltered voice messages from friends, family, and co-workers to treasure forever

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retirement party red telephone audio guest book next to a printable instructions sign inviting party guests to leave a message
the idea

polaroid guestbook

Snap it, shake it, stick it, sign it! Invite guests to illustrate their guestbook entry by using an instant camera

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Polaroid guestbook, instant camera, and instructions sign set up for a retirement party
the idea

video guestbook

Capture the love by setting up a tablet on a tripod for guests to record video messages for the retiree

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couple recording a video message on a tablet on a tripod for a retirement party
the idea

through the years guestbook

Customize a guest book with photos of the retiree ‘through the years’ to create a personalized keepsake

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'Through the Years' custom photo retirement party guestbook showing the retiree at different ages
the idea

Shoot it, share it sign

Ask guests to capture memories by snapping, sharing, and tagging photos on social media using a custom hashtag

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'Oh Snap! Share the Love' custom hashtag sign for event photos
the idea

a trip down memory lane

Have guests take a trip down memory lane by sharing their favorite memory of the retiree

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Share a memory cards and sign for a retirement party trip down memory lane
the idea

reasons we love you guestbook

Turn a guestbook into a meaningful keepsake by having party-goers write down all the things they love about the retiree

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handwritten 67 reasons we love you signing poster retirement party guestbook alternative
the idea

bucket list suggestions

Ask guests to suggest experiences for the retiree to have now that they’ve retired

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'what's next?' bucket list suggestions cards and sign for a retirement party
the idea

‘through the years’ photo garlands

Create interactive party decorations by asking guests to bring their favorite pictures of the retiree to add to photo garland decorations

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woman hanging a photo on interactive photo garland retirement party decorations showing the retiree 'Through the Years'
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more retirement party activities

gray haired man in a suit standing next to a custom pinata of himself
friends watching a back yard retirement slideshow
gold balloon with 'Pop Me' handwritten on with a Sharpie with strips of paper with other fun facts printed on
individual sheets of fun facts about the retiree clipped to string garlands and hung from a tree at a garden party
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