When the warm rays of summer turn into a chilly frost, there’s usually only one thing on everyone’s mind — the holidays. If you work in the corporate world, the holidays can bring new cheer and excitement to the office, especially when it comes time for the annual office holiday party.
If you’re in charge of planning the company holiday party this year, you may not know where to begin. These tips will show you how to plan a corporate holiday party that’s festive, fun, and on-brand with your company’s culture.
Why Host a Holiday Work Party?
A holiday party is more than just a formality of the season — an inclusive and lighthearted gathering does much more for work morale than you may realize. If you’re making the pitch to start having holiday parties at work or you aren’t sure of the benefits of a corporate holiday event, here are some notable reasons:
Improve Company Culture
Regardless of how long you’ve been in business, you can’t underestimate the power of outstanding company culture. People work harder for causes they believe in, and a holiday work party is the perfect environment to demonstrate to your employees how much they’re appreciated and what your culture is truly about.
Major office events put your team’s happiness first, which builds invaluable rapport.
Boost Morale
Sending the last year off with a bang is a great way to wipe the slate clean going into the new year. A fun, festive event will leave your teammates with a higher opinion of the company so when they come back to work after the holidays, they feel empowered to do better.
Holiday parties also create a setting for your employees to get to know one another on a personal level. It allows for cross-department networking in a friendly and relaxed environment.
Express Your Gratitude
Your employees are the backbone of your company. Without them, it’d be impossible to find success in the business world. Along with year-end bonuses and paid time off, you should gift them a holiday party that shows your gratitude for their dedication to your mission
4 Tips for Planning a Company Holiday Party
How do you have a successful holiday party? These tips will help you plan a holiday celebration the office will talk about all year round:
1. Decide on the Type of Holiday Party You Want
This first decision will set the stage for the rest of the event. Depending on your company’s size and budget, you have several options to choose from when deciding the type of holiday party you want to host:
- In-office: Having your work party in the office will ensure the highest attendance and lowest cost for the event. However, you’ll likely have to put a planning committee together to ensure you have the right decorations, catering, and other features for the party, so your team may have a harder time relaxing and getting into the holiday spirit.
- Dinner or happy hour: Renting a small room in a nearby restaurant or bar for a dinner or happy hour requires minimal planning and a modest budget. Let the venue take care of the food and drinks while you and your team enjoy the atmosphere and have fun. Note that you may have to coordinate transportation for employees to ensure everyone gets home safely.
- Formal event: For companies that had an outstanding year, a large celebration may be in order. Although the budget will be higher, a grand celebration can be a truly special way to ring in the end of the year. With live entertainment and complete catering, everyone will make sure to RSVP to such an unmissable event.
2. Start Planning Now
It’s never too early to start planning your holiday party. If you’re looking to rent out a space to host the event or hire musical entertainment and other vendors, you have to start the planning process as soon as possible. Ideally, you should have your brainstorming sessions in the summer, so that by the fall, the details of the event are solidified.
3. Set a Realistic Budget
Before you place a dollar amount on the event, you need to consider just how much planning goes into creating an office celebration. Take into account the individual allotments for the venue, transportation, food, alcoholic beverages, entertainment, and company gifts. By looking into each category, you can estimate how much the company is comfortable spending on every detail.
Try surveying your employees on which elements matter the most to them. Maybe more people would prefer to spend the money on food than entertainment, so you can reduce the budget in that way. Understanding what your team wants to see at the party will help you construct a suitable budget.
4. Add a Personal Touch
Even if you’re renting out an event space, it’s a good idea to add a personal touch with decorations that will elevate the atmosphere. Consider the following:
- Lighting: The lighting of an event will set the mood for the evening. While soft lighting speaks to an elegant and classy affair, flashing colorful lights tell the room that it’s time to party.
- Flowers: Whether you’re hosting your party in the office or at a local hot spot, flowers are a beautiful and refreshing addition to any event. Whether you strategically place a few bouquets throughout the space or invest in an exquisite display, fresh flowers are a modern way to decorate for a holiday celebration.
- Decor: When it comes to the holidays, you can’t go wrong with ornaments, garland, wreaths, and candles! Traditional holiday decorations will always set the mood.
Holiday Party Checklist
How do you plan a corporate holiday party without a complete checklist to guide you? For your convenience, we’ve created a general overview of all the most important steps to curating a memorable holiday extravaganza:
- Choose a venue.
- Choose a date.
- Set a budget.
- Plan the menu.
- Decide policies for adult beverages.
- Plan transportation to and from the event.
- Plan the itinerary.
- Send out invitations.
- Book the entertainment.
- Choose a company gift to hand out.
Create a Memorable Holiday Celebration With Help From Mahir Floral & Event Designs
Planning the ultimate corporate holiday party starts with an event designer you can trust to deliver on quality and style. The in-house botanical experts at Mahir Floral & Event Designs will give you individualized attention in creating custom luxury floral arrangements that will captivate your guests and add new levels of glamor and elegance to your event.
Learn more about our event services to see how we can help. Contact us to start your custom order today!
