Holiday parties are a chance for event planners to reach into their bag of tricks to celebrate teammates one last time before the ball drops at Midnight. And while the party will feel like all fun and games for attendees, it will be anything but that for the organizer. Among the trouble is that timing really is everything for the year-end festivities.
“Everybody is planning their holiday party in the same two weeks of the year,” notes Valerie Bihet, VIBE’s Director & Visionary with more than 25 years’ experience planning corporate events.
You don’t need to be an economist to know that when demand rises, availability drops and prices increase.
Don’t worry – it’s not too late (yet!) to plan the perfect end-of-year celebration for your team. Here are seven tips to get you started:
1. Pick a Refreshing Theme
Storytelling is crucial for creating the type of interactive event your teammates want. The right theme sets the tone for the whole night.
“Winter Wonderland” and other traditional presentations are evergreen, but unlikely to make the same sort of impact as say, a Venetian ball.
“[For one client] we hired professional dancers with elaborate ballgowns and traditional old world costumes to make it feel like they had been transported back to the 1800s,” Valerie explained.
Another way to approach the theme is by tapping into culture trends to build from.
“It’s like when I worked at Disney – you look at what’s trendy,” Valerie says. “This summer, we had ‘Bridgerton.’ There was the Summer Olympics and ‘Emily in Paris.’ Everybody is still talking about all these things.They would be very good theme selections.”
Fairy tales and 1990s pop culture are other trendy options, she says.
“It’s about creating a visually impactful atmosphere,” Valerie adds.
2. Work Within Your Budget
Before you get too far along with your theme, see how far you can go with it before your CFO turns into Scrooge. The first step is calculating how many guests your budget can accommodate.
“Everything depends on your budget,” Valerie says. “You need to align what your budget is compared to your vision. You really need to define if you will go with a plus-one or not plus-one. This is very important because if you had plus-one the year before, and this year you don’t, communication-wise, you need to manage it appropriately.”
3. Find a New Home
The easiest way to refresh a holiday party is to host the event at a new venue. Reach out to restaurants, hotels, and independent venues that recently opened.
Not only are they less likely to be already booked, but the party then becomes a chance to introduce attendees to a new experience close to home.
Chicago, Orlando, and Miami are examples of three cities that have added French-themed venues that would work well if you use a Paris theme for this year’s party whether you go with ‘Emily in Paris’ or Olympics as your inspiration.
For planners, a new venue also opens the door to creativity, a present unto itself.
4. Stay Flexible with Dates
Given the short window before a holiday party goes from an anticipated event to an inconvenience, you need to be realistic when setting a date.
Many companies with hybrid models don’t require workers to come into the office on Fridays, so consider a middle-of-the-week gathering to avoid disrupting regular routines and keep your attendees’ schedules free for their own private parties with friends and families.
Valerie suggests one way to bypass such challenges is schedule the office celebration for after the New Year.
“Your team won’t care, believe me. When it’s the last two weeks of December, they are thinking about their Christmas shopping and what they have to do to prepare for their Christmas vacation. Moving to the new year takes some of the stress away.”
5. Keep the Party Moving
Play off your theme to take attendees on a journey – one that does not end at a round-table dinner that’s so loud your guests can’t hear each other. Photo booths are a popular activation, especially if attendees are dressed to match the theme.
“Everybody is thinking about the Instagrammable moment,” says Valerie.
Food and drink stations add an interactive element that keeps the conversation going. Take advantage of what your venue offers.
Topgolf (golf) and Pinstripes (bowling), for instance, have naturally built-in entertainment through games. Scavenger hunts and raffles other activities to maintain engagement.
“They prefer to have more flexibility to go to meet people to mingle than to be stuck at a table for one hour and a half,” Valerie says of holiday party attendees.
6. Treat Coworkers as Clients
The best way to throw a great bash is to maintain your regular mindset as a planner who needs to wow customers – in this case, your customers are your coworkers. Add special touches to award winners like sending a limousine to take them to and from the event.
Be sure to cater to your attendees’ tastes and diets – provide vegan, vegetarian, and/or Keto-friendly options, as well as mocktails for non-drinkers or designated drivers.
7. Stay True to the Season’s Spirit
Beyond presents and parties, the holidays are also a chance to give back to your community, says Valerie. Adopting charitable causes and donating leftover food to disadvantaged communities help your neighbors and the planet, but also align with your organization’s sustainability goals.
