During summer time in Hong Kong, having a boat trip is a very common activity to do and it is probably the best way to spend your summer afternoon in a boat while drinking & eating, socializing, sunbathing and play some water activities such as wakeboarding, banana boat, jet ski and many more.
The idea of planning your own boat party can be fun but at the same time, it can also be challenging. Personally, I had lots of fun and stress but on the brighter side I have learned a lot on how to plan a boat trip and I also have to face some difficulties, particularly when it comes to budgeting. It's been 4 years that me and my boyfriend Ryan has been organizing a boat party and each year we gained and learned something new.
Here are some tips on how to execute your own boat trip:
Tip #1: Find a reliable and good boat company
There are plenty of boat company that provide boats for hiring but you need to make sure that you pick the right one and if it's up to your budget. During the peak season (April-August) is probably the most expensive time to rent but some boat company provides a reasonable price, while the non-peak season can be a lot cheaper. You can plan your boat party 2-3 months ahead of the date of your trip to inquire about boat rental. The boat company that we have rented for the past 4 years are Sea Lagoon, Vikings Charters, Hong Kong Yachting and Hoi Fai Boating. I would highly recommend the last 2 company. They have much more options for boats, water activities and reliable.
Tip #2: Choose the suitable and nice boat for your party
If you want to go for the standard boat and not expensive, you can choose the Chinese White Junk or the Wooden Junk. They normally cost between HK$6,000-HK$15,000. If you want to go for a luxurious boat, it will be expensive around HK$16,000-HK$25,000. While they are some boat company that provides a big yacht or a cruiser with slide and jacuzzi, which will cost around HK$20,000-HK$30,000. The speedboat and water activities are upon request with extra cost included. It normally costs around HK$2,000-HK$2,500 (during weekdays) and HK$3,000-HK$3,500 (during weekends). Most of the boat company will require a 50% deposit as a guarantee for your booking and the balance should normally be paid 1-2 weeks before your trip. Be sure to have your payments ready for securing your boat and for the balance, if you missed the deadline, the boat company have all the rights to release your reservation.
Tip #3: Pick the right date
Picking the right date is the most important of all. During the weekends, it will be more convenient for people who work in offices as they always get weekends off but weekends will be expensive compared to the weekdays. It will all depend on who you are inviting and when are they available. Asking people around when is the best time will be a great idea but bare in mind that the last decision is always going to be on you, as organizers you have all the right to chose the date.
Tip #4: Choose the best destination for pick up/ drop off and which beach to go to
Some boat is cheaper to rent if the pickup/ drops off point are located in Sai Kung, as most boats come from there. But you have to consider the transportation, whether it will be convenient for your guest to transport to Sai Kung. Alternatively, you can choose the pickup/ drop off to beat Central Pier No. 9 or No. 10 (this is where normally you get pick up for boat parties). For the boat destination, Sai Kung is obviously the best place to go to but it will be far coming from Central Pier. I would highly recommend going to Clear Water Bay, Repulse Bay or Stanley Beach. If you can't decide on where to, you can simply create a survey on your event page (Facebook) and let your guest choose where they prefer to go.
Tip #5: Sort out your budgeting on boat expenses, food & beverage expenses and other expenses
Taking a lot of time budgeting your cost on boats and expenses for food & beverage is probably the first thing you should do before announcing your event. You need to sum up all the total cost and break-even it with at least 80% of the total number of guest.
For example, The total cost of the boat is HK$20,000 and the total number of guest are 40 people. Instead of dividing the total cost to 40, you need to divide it into 32 (80% of 40 people). The reason for this is to avoid losing money. There may be some people who may cancel (especially when not paid). Once you have reached 32 people (paid) then you won't have any problem. It will be a sure thing that you do not need to take out your own money to pay out the remaining cost if you didn't have enough people.
It is always up to you whether you want to add extra cost for your own profit or you can chose to be honest and do not charge any extra cost. After all, you have work hard to organize a boat party and a little bit of profit wouldn't hurt.
Tip #6: Plan your marketing (make a timeline)
Although the boat trip is not for business purpose but it is also a wise choice to have a marketing or implementation planning. You will need to sort out when you will need to start inviting people and when they should be handling out their payments. You may also create a promotion for big group discounts to attract people and a few advertisement of what beverage or activities you are going to provide them on board to make the people interested.
Sample for marketing plan to attract people
Sample for marketing plan to attract people
Tip #7: Make an event page and start inviting people
By creating an event page for your boat party is probably the easiest and convenient way to spread out the event. Facebook will be the best choice, since everybody uses Facebook. Always bare in mind that you need to make the event fun and attractive.
The event banner I created for our 2016 boat party
Tip #8: Start collecting the payments
You need to know when to ask people to send their payments and what will be the easiest and convenient way for them to send the payments to you. I would suggest through bank transfers. I will not suggest "cash on the day" as people can always cancel the last minute and you will have no time to find any replacements, hence you will lose money. "Cash on the day" should only be allowed when it is a last minute invite/ inquiry or when you think you can trust the people then why not.
Tip #9: Make a list of food & beverage and plan when to buy it
Keeping track and listing down the food & beverage that you need for the boat party, unless you are going to order the food & beverage directly from the boat company, then there is no need for you to keep a list for this part. I would also recommend you to list down the prices of all the products that you have purchase for your own record. Making a timeline on when to buy the items will also help you to organise yourself and to make sure that all items are already on hand.
Tip #10: Track down records on who's coming and who have paid
Making a guest list will give you an easier life to know who's confirmed and who has paid. This will be also help you on your boat trip day to know who's present and who's missing in the group.
Tip #11: Inquire a van for rent
If you have plenty of stuff to bring to the boat party such as, trays of food, beverages and other stuff, you should definitely hire a van. I would suggest "Go Go Van". You may inquire and a quote from their website.
Tip #12: Remember to remind everyone about where to meet and what time to meet
Take some time to post something on the event page at least 1 week before the trip, 3 days before the trip and a day before the trip. Believe me, people actually forgets the information on where to meet and what time to meet, so a friendly reminder to your guest will be nice. You need to advance the meeting time to at least 15-30 minutes early. For example: the boat arrives the pier at 10am, you will need to ask everyone to meet at 9:30am and remind them that boat will leave exactly at 10am sharp. For this, majority of the people will not come late.
Tip #13: Be there extra early
As an organizer, being early is a must. You should be the first one to arrive, arriving late can be quite embarrassing to your guest.
Tip #14: Check your attendance and you're ready to board!
Before boarding, make sure you check your attendance, in order to make sure that everyone has arrive and call the people who haven't reach the meeting place. Remember to always accommodate and entertain your guest. Be a good host and people will surely come back for your next boat party.
The downside:
I can name a lot of downside for organising a boat party. The stress will always be there, looking for people to come to your party and asking for payments can be quite stressful as well as executing your food and beverage menu. Just always be patience and don't lose control of yourself. If anyone decline your invite, don't be too bother and don't get mad, there will be other people who will be more willing to come, don't worry!
What to avoid:
Try to avoid losing money, it is not fun having to use your own money to pay off the remaining balance on the boat expenses. You have to make sure that your budgeting is well-planned and that everyone who has come to the boat party have paid.
The good outcome:
Although organising a boat party can get pretty stressful but after you see all the happy faces of your guest, all your hard work will be all worth it. Once you execute a successful boat party, you will gain yourself a reputation of hosting an awesome boat trip and the people who has been in your party will most likely come to your next boat trip.
Yours Sincerely,
Michelle Chan
