Keys to Planning a Great Company Holiday Party
/It’s that time of year - lots of shining lights, champagne, goodwill, and office parties! I’ve been asked by many friends to help review and consult on their company holiday party plans and even though it’s getting late in the season, here are my tips and recommendations for planning a party that’s fun, on-brand, relevant to your attendees, and budget-friendly.
Know Your Demographic
Before you even start looking for a venue and brainstorming ideas, make sure you have a solid grasp on the demographic that’ll be attending your event. For instance, if you’re working for a tech startup where the majority of attendees will be trend-conscious millennials, you’re going to want to think of a very different experience than if you’re working for an established bank where the typical demographic is conservative and middle-aged. The demographic of your event will influence everything from the venue you select to the timing of the party, any activities, music and the food served. My husband works for a food delivery tech start-up, and their holiday parties are notorious for starting late and going late into the night and utilizing locally trending food trucks for late night eats rather than traditional caterers.
Plan with Diversity and Inclusion in Mind
Along the lines of knowing your demographic, make sure you’re planning inclusively. I always advocate giving people a “plus one” to these events, but always advise against planning a seated dinner because that can make people who don’t bring a +1 feel self-conscious seated without a partner. It also makes it harder to plan for flexibility, which also takes into consideration people who may not be able to afford child care for a long period of time and can arrive and depart the party at the time that works for their family. You can also consider giving ride-share and childcare vouchers to make getting to and from the event more affordable to your employees. Make sure that your entertainment is not offensive to any of your attendees, and that you’re considering all dietary needs when menu planning. When hiring vendors, consider diversity. For example, hire both male and female bartenders, and consider a mix of ethnicities, ages and races when hiring your photographer, DJ, and catering team. Having diversity baked into the fabric of your event will help make all demographics feel represented. Also be mindful to not make anyone uncomfortable. While having Santa Claus come to the holiday party may sound like a fun idea, it can make some with different religious practices feel uncomfortable, so err on the side of neutral when it comes to religious holiday connotations and references.
Consider Theme and Venue
Choosing a theme for the event can also help unite people and make standard holiday parties more creative and engaging. Stuck on a theme that applies to all? Try a decade in history. Asking everyone to dress up in 80’s or roaring 20’s attire can make a boring holiday party a little more interesting and also more inclusive. You can also look for an out-of-the-box venue to match the theme. Try a jazz club, speakeasy or a roller-rink to make the party unique!
Think About What Your Giving Back
Holidays are all about giving, so I always encourage building in a give-back activity or initiative into holiday parties. It can be as easy as having everyone bring a book, toy, or warm coat to donate, or can be an activity that everyone does together, like building bikes, teddy bears, wrapping gifts, or “health kits” to donate to local shelters. One year, for my team’s small holiday offsite, we decided to adopt several families that had lost everything in the Napa fires and fulfil their holiday wishes. We divided our team into smaller groups, gave each the wish list and a budget, and let everyone spend three hours shopping in downtown San Francisco for gifts for their family. We then enjoyed cocktails and appetizers while wrapping the gifts. It was a great way to give back and also a great teambuilding activity. When planning a corporate event, also consider the vendors you hire. At my company holiday party this year, I specifically selected a caterer that uses only organic and sustainably sourced products. The food was beautiful and delicious, and also had a minimal negatiec impact on the environment.
Focus on Just Three Things:
There’s limited time at holiday parties, and people generally want the opportunity to socialize with as many people as possible. Limit the time you spend on over-thinking the activities, and focus on the top three things that you think are important to people at yoru company. For instance, if they really care about great food, make sure you hire an excellent caterer or have an out of the box creative culinary experience (live action, food trucks, make-your-own treats, etc.) If alcohol is particularly important, consider pouring more budget into that area and bringing in an interactive component (champagne tasting and pairing is fun and festive). Music can be a great way to add a memorable aspect to the event. Consider a surprise solo performance, live jazz band to kick off the night, or even a comedian if the atmosphere is right. If activities are important, plan one or two fun experiences to entertan guests. Photobooths or photo-ops are a great idea because they offer a way for guests to interact at the event, and also provide a memento of the event, especially since people tend to dress-up for holiday parties. Remember, at the end of the day, geusts tend to remember just three things at any given event, so pick your three areas of focus and prioritize your budget and time!
Budget Saving Ideas:
The end of the year is often a time that companies want to give back, but are also mindful of cost-saving strategies as budgets are max’d out. If budget is particularly tight, consider a day-time event and position it as “family friendly”. You’ll save considerably on food, booze, and venue rental and also win many people by giving them an evening back! You can also consider post-poning your holiday party until January. Venue rental rates drop considerably after the holidays and it also gives people something to look forward to in the new year. Consider limiting options for food and beverage, but make them higher quality options. For instance, I had a budget for my wines but really wanted to make sure we had a good sparkling option. So I convinced the caterer to give us a great sparkling option, and just remove on of the white wines that was going to be offered. You can also cut back on expensive florals (nobody remembers these anyways) with fun, edible centerpieces like candy and confections that double as desserts.
In short, employing some strategy to your office holiday party planning can make the difference between a success or a flop. I’d love to hear about your successes (or areas for improvement) - send me your best holiday party stories!
