As the holidays approach, our minds are cluttered with the many upcoming things we have on our to-do list. Likely included on that list are holiday gift shopping, decorating, traveling to see friends or family, celebrating at the many get-togethers you will be invited to and the numerous other events and tasks that come along with the holidays. While many of these are fun and things we look forward to, they are also time consuming and it’s not long before the entire holiday schedule has been completely booked up. However, if you own a business, you need to make sure you are reserving enough time to plan a very important holiday event—your office holiday party.
Some business owners make the mistake of thinking that hosting a holiday party for their employees is not all that important. After all, everyone else is just as busy as you are, wouldn’t it just be easier on everyone if they had one less thing to attend? However, this is the wrong mind-set as your employees likely view the yearly holiday party as a way of you showing them they are appreciated. Even if you try to appreciate them throughout the year in other ways, canceling the holiday party for the year is unfortunately sending the message that they don’t matter enough to host one.
Your holiday party does not have to be extravagant and it does not have to take hours upon hours to plan. To show your appreciation to your employees, you must simply plan something that everyone will be able to gather at and enjoy each other’s company.
Whether you plan to host a lavish or modest holiday party this year, keep these points in mind:
–Be as generous as your budget allows.
Employees have worked hard for you all year and they are looking for a show of appreciation. However, if you’re company has had a tough year, you might think about making the event more low-key as your employees might wonder why none of them got raises and yet you could have a huge, extravagant blow-out event at the end of the year.
–Think about hiring entertainers to help break the ice.
It can be a band, a DJ, a magician, a local choral group or anything else which can cover for those awkward silences which are bound to occur at the beginning of the party. Another great idea is to have a photo booth at your event. You can rent a photo booth and have it onsite so your employees can have a ball getting in and taking goofy shots. Not only will this be great entertainment for your employees, but they will also get to take home some fun keepsakes in the forms of photos!
–Have enough food.
A hungry stomach leads to a cranky employee. If there is one thing your guests will probably be talking about once the event is over, it will likely be the food! Depending on the number of guests you have, your location and your budget, the food might come from a number of different sources (caterers, the location itself might serve food or you might even decide to do the food yourself if this is one of your strengths). The important thing to remember is that you need to have enough and it needs to be of good quality.
–If you will have alcohol at the event, plan ahead.
The last thing you want is for one of your employees to have an accident or be picked up by the police after your party. If there’s going to be drinking at the event, be safe. Have a cab company’s number handy or, better yet, have a couple of people on hand who won’t be drinking and will be able to give rides home for those who need it. If you really want a fancy event, think about having a limo pick everyone up for the party and drop them off afterward.
–Hire a professional party planner if you’re planning a big event instead of wasting your staff’s time.
A party planner has all the right connections in the area and should be able to plan your party more effectively, efficiently and successfully than you or your employees can.
–Have a DJ.
If you’re having a larger party, consider having a DJ to provide some music and help move the party along. A DJ can help you plan games, play music everyone can dance to and fill in any ‘dead space’ that might occur during your party.
Unique Party Ideas
Have it at a fun location
“Allow The Corky Canvas to host a unique holiday party that your colleagues won’t soon forget,” says Angie Bergren with The Corky Canvas. “Socialize, eat, drink and paint a masterpiece that everyone will get to take home at the end of the night! We’re able to accommodate up to 40 people with all materials provided and you get to pick which painting we will feature the night of the event. We can even create a unique painting just for your event! We book events any time of the day! Our bar serves wine, beer, sodas and can accommodate any other requests. Companies are welcome to have a cash bar, distribute drink tickets or host an open bar. You’re always welcome to bring in your own food or have it catered as well. We promise to get even the most artistically challenged in the bunch to break out of their “right brained” shell and let loose. Our fun, upbeat atmosphere will be the talk of the office for months to come!”
Bowling alleys also make a great place for company parties. “Bowling is America’s number one participation sport,” says John Lositio from Sun Valley Lanes. “It’s a fun activity that anyone can do, regardless of age. Your employees get to socialize, eat, drink and have a great time, all in one place. Depending on the size of the group, we normally recommend a six-week lead in making a reservation. Large groups of 100 or more should make reservations 2-3 months in advance. Our peak season is from November-April, so availability can be limited during this time.”
“Bowling centers make a great space for company parties because we have the space for groups large and small and we also have food and beverages on site so that we can adjust our service to your guests on the fly,” adds Jennifer Davis-Korn with 48 Bowl.
When it comes to making your party unique at a bowling alley, John Lositio has a few suggestions. “Anything out of the ordinary usually goes over well. We’ll play fun bowling games and have contests throughout the night as well as give away prizes. We’ve even had mascots walking around, costume contests, and magicians here during private events! We are fortunate to have an area-exclusive scoring system that allows us to play games with the bowlers during the event. We’ll be happy to throw in a few team-based bowling games to help increase team chemistry within an organization. In addition to the bowling, your staff can enjoy billiards, air hockey, darts, shuffle board, and many other games in our game room and lounge!”
“Some of the best parties we’ve seen utilize amenities like our stereo system (groups often bring their own music or emcee), Glo-Zone bowling (lights out, glowing ball, pins & walls), and our computer scoring system’s ability to play different games (like 9-pin No-Tap or Red Pin) while your guests bowl,” adds Jennifer Davis-Korn. “Often companies will award their employees for striking when a color pin comes into the rack or will hold actual competition with pre-assigned teams. If you give us line-ups ahead of time, we are happy to program them into our scoring and host a mini-tournament for you, complete with scoring results.”
Having your party at a bar is also a great idea because there are plenty of activities and action going on, so your guest are not likely to get bored! “Brewsky’s books parties up to 200 at all locations in Omaha and Lincoln,” states Jim Mumgaard with Brewsky’s. “Our catering menu is online and there is no space rental fee. Decorating is allowed, as is cake or dessert brought in from off premises. Also, each Brewsky’s location will be decorated for the holiday season.”
Cappy’s is also an excellent party spot as they now have a party room that can be reserved for your group with its own bar. Depending on the night you have your party, Cappy’s has anything from live music to poker and there will always be something for your guests to do!
Consider having it at your home
Depending on the type of event you’re planning, you might want to consider having a more intimate gathering at your home. Having a holiday party in your home is good for small gatherings, usually not more than 20 people. This is a great way to strengthen your relationships with your employees as you are inviting them (and possibly their families) to your home and have them meet your family. If you like entertaining, you can decorate and cook yourself, or if you’d rather just enjoy yourself and mingle with your employees, you can bring in professionals to cater and decorate for you. Another good idea if you don’t have much of a budget is to have a pot luck. Ask each employee to bring a side item, dessert or main dish and you can all taste each other’s favorite holiday dishes. For entertainment, you can still bring in a speaker, carolers or other traditional holiday entertainment, or you can just make it about getting to know each other better and hanging out in a non-work setting.
If you don’t have a large home or are planning on having a large gathering, you can also consider renting a tent for the occasion. Don’t worry about the weather, either, as heated tents are available and would make for a fun and out of the ordinary experience for your guests. If you are considering renting a tent, you’ll probably also need to rent equipment such as chairs, tables, linens and other items. Make sure you are reserving your tent and equipment early as these are likely hot items as the holidays approach and you want to make sure you get the items you want.
Remember, if you are having guests to your home and are serving alcohol, you are responsible if anyone has an accident. Make your party a safe one and plan on having rides home for anyone who needs them. Since this will likely be a more intimate event, you could consider having someone picking all of your guests up before the event and dropping them off afterward (if you have a child in the house who has his or her driver’s license, this is an excellent job for them) or you can work with a limo company to provide rides for the evening. This allows your guests to relax and enjoy themselves without having to worry about driving and also lets you relax as you know that everyone will be getting home safely!
Have beautiful decorations
Depending on where you have your party, you may be allowed to bring in your own decorations. If you are having your party at a location that allows this, consider working with a business that specializes in holiday decorating. What better way to get everyone in the festive mood then to have them walk into a ‘winter wonderland’ complete with Christmas lights, a tree, poinsettias and other festive décor. The best part? They’ll even take it down and clean everything up with the party is over!
This is an especially good idea if you’re having the party at your home. Consider having the party early in the holiday season and have your home decorated for the party and for the holiday season at the same time. Simply let your decorator know that you don’t want everything taken down until after the holidays are over.
Have unique entertainment
Consider some fun entertainment at your party, such as a hypnosis stage show. “A hypnosis stage show is an interactive show and best presented to an audience of 50 or more adults who are there to experience hypnosis,” says Jeff Martin of Lincoln Hypnosis. “It is best as a ‘stand alone’ entertainment. I supply all my own props and music and when I appear on stage, I give an informative and entertaining presentation on what the audience has come to experience—hypnosis! After several interactive demonstrations of imagination and suggestion in harmony, I will ask for volunteers and choose those volunteers who are most suitable to be hypnotized to participate in the show. Show length varies from 45 minutes for a short show to 1 ½ hours for a full show. When the show is over and the participants have returned from their imaginative state to reality, they have had all the restorative benefits equivalent to a full night’s sleep and are feeling great!”
Other ideas for entertainment might be live music, comedians, magicians, motivational speakers or just some fun interactive games that everyone can play to break the ice and get to know each other better. Remember, the entertainment does not have to take up the whole night, it should just be something to get people talking and to provide a little break in the visiting and eating that will be going on.
Party ‘Musts’
No matter what type of party you are considering, there are just some things that need to stay consistent to make your party a success. They include:
Great food and other refreshments
It’s unlikely your party is going to be successful if all of your guests go hungry or thirsty. Working with the right people is the way to go when it comes to providing your guests refreshments. The gold standard, of course, is hiring a quality caterer to come in and do all the work for you. Great caterers will bring in inventive and delicious food, set it up, serve it (if you want them to), refill it if necessary, then clean it all up when the party is over. What could be better than that? Whether you’re looking at appetizers, a light meal or a full banquet or sit-down dinner, caterers can help you ensure that everyone will be satisfied with the food.
Another fun idea with food is to have a dessert buffet. Dessert buffets can be anything from brownies or cookies to ice cream makers, cotton candy, decorative jars of candy and more. Basically, they can be customized to any type of event or theme you may have in mind. Think of finishing up your night with candied apples, hot chocolate and apple cider…that will leave everyone with a great impression!
Make sure everyone is on the same page
When planning your party, make sure everyone is on the same page for what type of event it will be. For example, you’ll want guests to know if it will be a dressy or casual event as you don’t want guests uncomfortable if they feel they come in improper attire. Also, make sure people know who is invited. Some company holiday parties are for employees only, while others encourage guests to bring a spouse or other guest and still others are family-friendly with children welcome. This should either be stated on the invitations or be talked about in company-wide meetings so that everyone is able to properly plan.
Take time to recognize employees Remember, this isn’t just about everyone having a good time. This party is being held for a reason: to thank your staff for all their hard work during the year. Shortly after the party begins, you should take some time to get everyone’s attention and let them know how much their hard work and dedication has meant to you this year. If you have some statistics or facts (how much sales are up, that you were able to expand this year to a larger location, etc.), this is a great time to talk about it as your employees are the ones who helped make it happen.
Plan early
It’s very important that you plan your holiday party early for a number of reasons. First, you want to make sure you have first choice of the locations, entertainment, caterers and other professionals you want to use. Second, you want to give your staff plenty of time to get it into their calendars and prepare for it. Now is the perfect time to get everything planned and booked so that you don’t have to worry about it as the holidays approach and to avoid the holiday rush.