Corporate event planning takes quite a bit of finesse when it comes to holiday parties. You want to appear as though you splurged for your team, even when your budget is tight. After all, it’s your chance every year to offer a final big thank you for everyone’s hard work. To create a welcoming environment where more guest involvement is encouraged, we’ve put together the must-haves we recommend you artfully include for your holiday party.
Open Bar and Good Food
A sad buffet with wilted lettuce, congealed gravy and questionable turkey does not a holiday party make. Your food and open bar have to set the tone for your generous nature while letting people know your corporate event planning skills are top-notch. Either choose a venue that knows how to provide a killer holiday spread and open bar, or make sure your caterer understands the emphasis is on good food and good times for your holiday party. Consider creating a signature holiday cocktail to make things special and to get the party started on the right note!
Rock the House
Dancing is always welcome by most guests at holiday parties. You can either hire a band or take the DJ route. The point is to have music to keep things upbeat and seasonally charged. Christmas music always gets people into the spirit. It also provides elegant background music during the cocktail hour. Once dinner is over, make sure you include good dance music that will keep the party hopping. And always have the classic holiday dance tunes people love at holiday parties like “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.
Photo Booth & Props
A photo booth or photo wall is an ideal way to get people posting their attendance at your killer holiday party. Depending on your company culture, consider allowing people to post your Instagram or social media pages. Provide fun costumes so people can ham it up. You can also consider having a bunch of Polaroid cameras so people can take old school photos and post them on a wall for everyone to view. Also, a photo mosaic wall is the latest in image technology. It creates mosaics in real-time from various sources like Instagram, Twitter, and your on-site photo booths to build a massive image from afar using all the tiny images of the night.
Party Games
You can’t let boredom set in at holiday parties. Games provide entertainment as well as ways to get guests involved. There are endless game possibilities when planning corporate events from favorite TV game shows to casino themed games and oversized Jenga and game boards like chess. Choose some holiday-themed prizes and be sure to have at least one really higher-end prize to encourage anticipation.
Free Transportation Home
You want everyone to have a good time, but also make sure everyone is safe. Always provide free transportation home whether it is designated drivers or an on-call taxi service/Uber. Adding these holiday party must-haves to your corporate event planning checklist will pump new life into your seasonal festivities this year.
Save the Date® Offers Comprehensive Corporate Event Planning Solutions
At Save the Date®, we understand that planning corporate events can be overwhelming. Whether it’s your first time or if you just could use a hand for your holiday party, our event planners can help. We would love to provide solutions for your holiday party. There’s no obligation; just call us at 212-333-3283.
