Hey, summer is just starting and no one wants to think about December – but it is time …
Planning a corporate event is no easy task, with all the small details to look after and a bunch of possibilities to explore. Add to all that the hassle and trouble of choosing between corporate Christmas party entertainment ideas and event service providers, and the planning becomes nothing less than a nightmare for the organizer!
An employee just been assigned the task of planning and organizing a corporate event is sure to find himself in a tight fix, with the challenging task of ensuring the success of the event. Planning a corporate Christmas party is a difficult task, and an employee with no idea where to start has lost the battle even before it began. The trick is to be focused and plan out the event to avoid any errors on the big day.
When you have to plan the corporate Christmas party …
Here are some company Christmas party tips to make your event a success:
Choose A Suitable Venue
The venue is the most important feature of an event. The organizer needs to explore and select venue options based on the crowd magnitude, nature of the event and any preferences of the company executives.
The event can be hosted in a large conference hall, auditorium, formal or casual venues and even within the office premises. The capacity and condition of the chosen venue needs to be according to the predetermined needs of the event, so that a well planned and organized Christmas party can be held without any problems.
If the company seeks to hold a more formal event, a proper reception venue is the ideal choice. While if a small company wants to host an informal party, it can be easily organized on the company premises. A large family informal event can be held either at an indoor or outdoor venue for added fun.
Explore Decoration Options
Christmas decorations are a must to inspire the holiday spirit in the event participants and foster a relaxed and joyous party environment. Both indoor and outdoor party venues can be decorated to improve the ambiance and add value along with charm to the event.
If the corporate Christmas party is a family event, colorful decorations to attract children will be an added need. Suitable seating arrangement, lighting display, stage settings and all the other minor details will be chosen with an eye to the nature of the event.
Opt For Suitable Event Refreshments And Menu Options
Refreshment and menu options depend on the event being a formal occasion or an informal affair. A small party can have cookies and punch as a light fun meal. But in proper formal events, appropriate catering services are needed to satisfy the requirements of the occasion.
Choose A Full Blown Party Entertainment Option
To top off the event and make it a sure success, it is important to choose the ideal Christmas holiday party entertainment option. Some of the more popular ideas include employing the services of corporate entertainers, like standup comedians, magicians, ventriloquists, or musicians for dancing and a swinging ambiance.
These ideas are sure to assist in planning out a successful corporate event.
If you want to make your company Christmas party a successful event, then contact Tom Crowl for corporate entertainment ideas, and get a free no obligation event consultation!
Our corporate Christmas party is only a month away!
Christmas is fast approaching …
and everywhere is booked up!
Where are you going to hold this year’s corporate Christmas party?
Do not panic!
You still have 30 days to sort out this event. Although you may feel as though there is still a lot to do, you will soon notice that things come together very quickly!
So you have asked around at a variety of different venues and there is no availability.
This now means that you are going to have to hold the Christmas party at the office.
Ok, it isn’t what you originally wanted, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a great night!
To help you arrange a fantastic evening, we have put together some ideas that will make your event go off with a bang!
If you have an established relationship with a corporate entertainment provider, ask if they can help by networking.
Corporate entertainers and corporate event suppliers develop strong relationships with the best in their business.
They may be able to provide you with the names of entertainers that might be available.
In our office, we prefer to establish solid relationships.
The best way to do that is provide stellar service.
If Tom isn't available, or isn't the right for your event, he can recommend entertainers that will make your function a success.
By doing this, we know that when you have a great time this year, you will keep us in mind when you need entertainment again.
Even when recommended, still make sure you look at some video and reviews before you book.
The last thing you want is your entertainment to spoil the event.
2: What About Food?
There are no caterers that can organize your food in such a short period of time.
Do not worry!
You could always pop to the local supermarkets to pick up some food or you could ring around different restaurants to see if they could sort something out for you.
It doesn’t matter what food you do, as long as it tastes good and there is enough of it people will be happy!
3: Decorate The Office
You need people to feel as though they are not in work.
You can do this by simply decorating the office with Christmas decorations.
Buy a couple of Christmas trees and plenty of lights and your office will soon look a lot more like Santa’s Grotto.
4: Drinks
The best way to organize your drinks for the evening is by simply calling it a “Bring your own booze” event.
That way everyone will bring what they like and that’s one less item on the list you need to worry about.
5: Music
This one is simple. You or someone you know must own an I pod. Set up some speakers and hit shuffle.
That’s your music for the event!
If you cannot use an I pod, there are a variety of different websites you can get free music from. Hook your laptop up to the speakers instead.
All of these ideas are very easy to organize within a short space of time and I am sure that you will have no problems hosting a fantastic event.
The corporate Christmas party from hell.
They aren't supposed to be. Read on to find out how to avoid a Christmas Party crash …
The office holiday party
celebrates the season,
rewards employees and
builds the team.
In-office parties have become popular over the last few years. They are more affordable than an off-site party.
The biggest challenge is:
Making the party festive and exciting when held in the work place.
Here are our top corporate Christmas party ideas to make your event fun and rewarding.
1. The Secret Santa Gift Exchange:
Everyone pulls a name and purchases a gift for a co-worker. This is a traditional type of event that may be hilarious.
Set a spending limit and challenge employees to find outlandish gifts. If your office has a good sense of humor, this can be fun.
2. The Gift Swap:
Another style of the gift exchange, this creates a fun game. Everyone brings wrapped gifts and each participant gets a number.
The first person selects a gift and unwraps it. The second person has the option of opening another gift, or “stealing” the first. When a gift is stolen, the person without gets the option of stealing another, or opening a new gift.
To keep the game from getting insane, limit “steals” to no more than three. That way the same gift won't continue to get passed around.
3. The Ugly Sweater Contest:
We've seen some ugly holiday sweaters. Invite people to wear their gaudiest holiday outfits and hold a contest.
Offer a prize for the person who wears the ugliest. Perhaps they could win a clothing store gift certificate.
At the very least you could give them fashion advice. These ugly sweaters and outfits will create laughs and break the ice.
A fun way to start any office holiday party.
4. The Cookie Swap:
People become Betty Crocker during the holiday season. You'll find co-workers bringing baked goods to work to share their creations.
Why not use this idea to launch your holiday party? It takes care of providing refreshments.
Plus the leftovers create a great way to swap recipes and build food friendships.
5. Door Prize Bonanza:
Everyone gets a ticket and throughout the party random numbers are called. Creative prizes can make the bonanza more fun. Lunch on the company, an extra day off, a better parking space or other affordable perk can brighten anyone's day.
6. Unique Entertainment:
Hiring a corporate entertainer is always a great office holiday party idea. The right entertainment can liven up your party and generate tons of fun.
Karaoke can be good for some laughs if you are on a tight budget. Other ideas include a DJ to play music.
The problem with music is it can drown out conversation. There is a wide variety of musical tastes too. Make sure to hire someone with a diverse musical library.
You may even want to consider a corporate comedian. They can poke fun at the business culture and get everyone laughing. Naturally Santa is always a great surprise guest at corporate Christmas parties.
If you event celebrates several holidays, you may wish to avoid the jolly elf.
So what do you think? Share your corporate Christmas party ideas with us by e-mailing Tom.
The holidays are fast approaching. It is already time to start scheduling the corporate Christmas party. Where did the year go? No use wondering, you've got to start planning early if you want a Christmas party to remember.
No need to panic though. Corporate entertainer Tom Crowl is here to help. From date to done, we'll cover each step of the job to make your life easier. Here are the basic planning steps to make your corporate holiday party incredible:
Decide On A Date
You may want to check around the office to get some input. Weekends are popular for hosting events, although weeknights can be easier to schedule. If you plan on a weeknight, be sure the event ends early enough everyone will show up for work the next day.
Will your event be a Christmas party? A Holiday Party? or a Winter Party? That can affect the date too. A corporate Holiday party should fit between holidays and you will need to make certain it doesn't fall on one. A Winter party can take place any time, including January.
Holiday activities fill calendars fast, so make certain yours is on everyone's schedule early. A corporate party with no guests won't go over well with management.
Timing Is Important
Will you be holding an after hours party? Luncheon events work well too. Although not everyone heads back to work. That is why one company hired buses to transport their workers to a corporate Christmas luncheon. Employees didn't have to worry about parking, or drinking. The company didn't have to worry about getting people back to the office.
Perhaps a happy hour right after work would work well too. Depending on the style of Christmas party you are planning, these options should be considered.
Find A Venue
Now that you have a date and time, you need to choose a place to hold the party. Your office is a budget friendly choice, but only if it is big enough to party comfortably.
If you've got a small company, the party could be held at the home of the boss. Local bars could set aside space for your group when having a happy hour. Some companies even hold their office parties at bowling alleys, giving them a team building fun activity.
For larger groups, hotels and conference centers are a good place to check. Does your company have any hotels they work with on a regular basis? Talk with the person in charge of scheduling travel arrangements for your company. They may have a hotel contact that can save you money on space rental and catering.
Creating A Menu
Will you need to have food catered? Or will your event be potluck? From a cocktail hour to a seated meal, every event's food requirements will be different.
Appetizers are fine for a happy hour. For longer events, “real food” is usually served. Will drinks be a part of the plan? If so, an open bar can make budgeting tricky. Some companies offer drink coupons with a cash bar beyond the initial service.
Will deserts be on the menu? Chocolates, pies, cakes and other sweets add to the budget. Talk with your caterer about options to get the most bang for your buck.
One last menu note: plan for dietary restrictions. Kosher, vegetarian and gluten free options should be considered.
Don't Forget Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment
You want employees to celebrate the holidays, and entertainment lives any event. People remember two things about most parties, the food and entertainment. So don't skimp on your corporate entertainer!
There are tons of live entertainment options. For Christmas parties, Santa can make an appearance. Of course, putting a hat on the boss and letting him or her hand out bonuses is a good option too.
Business comedians can also liven the party by personalizing their act. Using current office and industry trends, employees will take the laughter back to work. This is a great way to relieve stress and help people relax.
If funds are tight, karaoke may be a good entertainment option. Hold your own Star Search and find the voice in your office.
Make sure to contact your entertainment choices early. The holidays is a busy time and schedules fill quickly.
Announcing The Event
Once the details are in writing, get the announcements out right away. Put the date on the office calendar and make sure everyone knows to hold the date.
You may focus on smaller details once the foundation of your event is in place. There is still a lot to plan, but napkins, place settings, centerpieces and door prizes are the window dressings. With the major pieces of the puzzle in place, the rest of the parts will fit together with ease.
Are you in charge of corporate holiday party planning? The next product launch event? Maybe you are looking for trade show booth ideas. Coming up with the right mix of theme and entertainment can be difficult. You don't want to repeat the past and you don't want a boring event.
Trying new corporate event services can be scary.
So what direction should you take?
Corporate comedian ventriloquist Tom Crowl has been in the business of making people laugh for over 30 years. He has worked almost every type of live entertainment event you can imagine. Tom has met and worked with top corporate entertainers, talent agencies and event planners in the business. And now he provides that expertise in a free, no-obligation corporate event services consultation.
If you want a corporate comedian to create interaction with your guests, Tom may be a perfect fit. If he isn't, his rolodex of event entertainers will begin to spin and he will make recommendations. Tom can even put the act in touch with you so you don't have to play phone tag or talk through a third party vendor.
Do you need more than one entertainer? Or several styles of live entertainment? We can recommend talent agencies that have proven their value to both clients and entertainers.
The Interactive Experience
Think of your function as a thrill ride. You want people to anticipate your event. You want them to view it with great expectation. There must be excitement and adventure that leaves everyone talking. In the end, you want them to line up for the ride again. This attention to detail sweeps people into your message and gives them something to remember.
Involving your guests takes corporate events to a new level. This attention to detail must be built in during the planning phase. Interactive corporate entertainment can play a huge part in the ride. Imagine bringing your people on-stage for unique experiences. These memories last a lifetime and give guests a shared bond that establishes camaraderie.
Lets collaborate on your corporate entertainment ideas. We can help you create an unforgettable event. From event planning help to other corporate event vendor services, Tom will work with you to make sure your needs are met.
Many hands make light work. Keep this proverb in mind if you've been tasked with planning a corporate Christmas party. You can't do it by yourself.
Plan The Party:
Form a party planning committee. Work with your employer to come up with a plan to encourage people to join the committee. Can the committee meet on company time, and can refreshments be served during the meeting?
Be Proactive: You'll want to include people from all departments, if possible, to get a mix of expectations and tastes, as well as keeping petty grievances to a minimum.
Budget:
Plan the venue, food, and entertainment first since this is where you'll be spending most of your budget. Your plans for all three need to work well together. Does the venue have the sound system and stage your entertainer needs? Will there be a raucous wedding, with a rock band, in the next room that will drown out the magician that you've hired? Does the meal need to be complete before the entertainment starts because the entertainer will be interacting with the audience?
Be Proactive: Visit the venue and look at the layout as well as the area that your company will be using. In addition, consider if it will be easy for employees to get to the location.
Don't assume the restaurant can meet your expectations. Discuss your party ideas with the manager. If you want the meal to be concluded in one hour, the manager can tell you if that is possible.
It's A Party:
Yes, the company is having a party, and everyone will be in a festive holiday mood and ready to have fun. But with any company event, it's a good idea to have activities that build camaraderie. You can create team spirit with a mix of Christmas games.
Be Proactive: The entertainment can include some fun team building activities. Consider hiring an entertainer with an interactive show, one in which employees are included.
Decorations:
Decide if Christmas decorations will be used. Employees may be willing to make decorations or donate decorations they no longer use. Remember that decorating can be as simple as creating a fun party atmosphere by adding uplights to cast mood lighting on the walls.
Be Proactive: You don't want to be stuck with a truckload of decorations after the party. Put a “you win” sign under one chair at each table. That person wins the table centerpiece. Find a home for other decorations, perhaps donating them to a charity after the party.
Gifts:
No one wants another company mug. Give employees a small gift such as a flash drive. It's gender neutral, practical, and something that most people will use.
Be Proactive: Anticipate the type of gift that makes employees roll their eyes. If the item will have a company logo on it, make it small. Or instead of a logo, give an item that represents the company. If your company manufactures guitars, give everyone a guitar-shaped flash drive.
Prizes:
You'll need prizes for games, and you may want to award them for other activities. As with the gifts, employees don't want cheap items with a huge company logo on them. Give something of value that employees will be happy to receive.
Be Proactive: You need to decide how to best spend the money you've been given. Would employees rather have chicken to eat and expensive prizes or steak and non-monetary prizes? Most likely, winners would be happy if they could leave work one hour early on a Friday, wear jeans for a week, or park their car in the best spot.
Arrive Early:
Get to the party before other guests to put up decorations, put prizes on a display table and complete any other task that must be done. Decide, when you are planning the party, if you need a few people from the planning committee to help you.
Be Proactive: Make sure the party area will be available when you plan to arrive. If you need 2 hours to set up decorations, you don't want to find out the hard way that you don't have access to the area until an hour before the party.
Remember:
You'll need to decide, possibly with your employer's input, if it would be best to refer to the company's party as a “holiday party” instead of a “Christmas party.”
If you are planning your corporate christmas party, contact our office now for a no-obligation corporate entertainment consultation. We can help you plan a party to remember!
