Ideas for office holiday party - 2014

Wondering why it is important to take the time to organize a holiday party? Through the busy season, it is important to slow down and find a way to say ‘thank you’ to your employees and show them how much you appreciate their hard work. The company holiday party is a great opportunity to include activities for team building, especially if part of your staff works virtually or is on the road throughout the day.

Exchelon Experiences said it the best: “No matter how you celebrate, everyone enjoys a fun and exciting company holiday party. This annual party boosts company morale, brings employees together on a more personal level, and is a perfect time to get away from the stress of everyday work life and just have some fun!”

7 things you need to plan now:

1. Budget: sit down with your accountant, financial director etc. to figure out a budget for your party. Evite.com has a really neat party calculator that you can use to help you estimate how much money you should put aside. http://www.evite.com/app/party/calculator
2. Date and time: think outside of the box. Most holiday parties are scheduled for after working hours. If you are hosting it in the evening, consider allowing your staff to bring a guest. Evening and weekend events tend to have lower attendance rate due to family obligations. A survey conducted in September showed that 72% of employees prefer the holiday party to be held during office hours.
3. Venue: first thing you need to decide on is if the party will be at the office or off-premise. Make sure you read below for more on this topic.
4. Theme: whether it be a color scheme or an ‘Ugly Sweater’ party it is important to decide on a theme. Throughout your planning you will incorporate it as much as possible.
5. Invite list: once you have a budget, it is important to review how many people you can comfortably invite. You can invite just employees or employee with a guest, full families and even invite business vendors, clients and other key people that you had relationships with throughout the year. This allows those outside of the company to put a face to a name of those they interact virtually otherwise. Usually, a holiday party is the first opportunity for your clients and vendors to meet the person on the ‘other side of the phone’. Personal interactions are priceless and this simple gesture can do wonders to your lifetime value of the client or vendor relations.
6. Invitations: decide if you are going to mail or email your invitations. Make sure you include RSVP date and if you will be hosting a gift exchange.
7. Food and Beverages: decide if you will be offering a full meal (buffet or sit-down) or a cocktail reception (appetizers, desserts etc). Take into consideration to potential allergies your guests might have. It has become more common to see a ‘nut-free’ snack table or a ‘vegan’ station. If you are offering alcohol, look into hiring a bartender – this will help in monitoring the alcohol consumption.

Things to keep in mind when you are considering your venue:
Office Party in your office:

• Try to find a space away from computers and phones. We don’t want your staff to check their emails in the middle of the party. This is their time to relax and mingle!
• Invest more in decorations as we want to transform your office space into a festive environment.
• Hire event staff to help with set-up, clean-up and anything in between. After you spent all of your time preparing for your party you want to make sure you are a guest and enjoy your team.

Off premises parties:

• If you have a large group banquet and catering halls offer great pricing during the work day. Evenings and weekends the price increases so keep this in mind when deciding on your location and timing.
• If your company has a smaller staff consider looking into a local restaurant. Luncheons or family style restaurants might be great options for a budget-friendly party.
• If you have a small staff, why not open your home and invite them for a dinner or an appetizer party. This allows for a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere that is sometimes hard to find in a restaurant setting.
• Looking for something totally unique? How about a road-trip? Hire a bus and go sightseeing, treat your team to a show, or drive through a light display. You can give out ‘survival packs’ filled with sandwiches, cookies and hot chocolate.
  

Entertainment Ideas:

• Pictures: pass camera around and ask everyone to take pictures. You can also set up a photo-booth for your staff to utilize throughout the party. We set one up for less than $100 (cost included computer software, printer paper, and photo booth accessories). Next year, you can put together a video and show it during the party. Throughout the year, you can use the images for your newsletters, social media campaign and team recognition.
• Awards: no matter how big or small your team is, giving out recognition awards is always a nice way to say thank you to your staff. Try making the awards unique such as: best dressed, funniest, best dancer etc. Two weeks prior to the event you can give out questionnaire and ask your staff to vote.
• Wine tasting: how fun is this one? You can hire a bartender and stage your own wine tasting. This is a fun event that everyone will enjoy!
• Hosting a game show is super fun. Some great ones are: Jeopardy, Who’s Line is it Anyway, Bingo, etc.
• Department competition: everyone loves a good contest. You can host a talent show, sing-off, karaoke, dance-off etc.
• Consider hosting a Secret Santa Gift Exchange, ornament exchange or Polly Anna.
• Combine education, hands-on-training, or volunteering along with the party. You can start off your day with team activities, trainings and end with a party to celebrate the accomplishments of the day.
• If you are inviting families, make sure to take the time to create a special area just for children. Creating a ‘child fun zone’ will entertain the little ones while the adults can have some socializing time to themselves. Have a table for arts-n-crafts, a photo booth, sport games, story time and bubbles are always a great hit. It would be a great idea to have an extra staff member assigned strictly to assist with the children area.

The holidays are a great opportunity for managers and owners to express their appreciation for all of the hard work their team does throughout the year. Your holiday party should be a reflection of your dedication to your staff so take the time to make it festive and unforgettable. Don’t forget to capture the magic of the party and celebrate the achievements of your team.

Our staff can help you with any event needs - from location scouting, vendor relations, sponsorships and giveways, and event staffing. If you are interested in finding out more information about our team of Personal Assistants we would be happy to schedule a complimentary meet-n-greet. Let us handle your event needs while you focus on your guests. As always, there are no minimums to utilize our services. Please note, on average it takes us 4-6 weeks to on-board a new client. Contact us early to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to go through our process. We look forward to hearing from you soon!