how to plan an office holiday party
OUR GUIDE TO HOLIDAY CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING
This article will detail ten key steps to planning, organizing, and hosting a great corporate event for your next holiday party!
The holiday season is approaching, so it’s time to roll up our sleeves and begin planning for the corporate events ahead. There are holidays and festivities, plus end-of-year celebrations and conferences on the horizon, which can be challenging to manage. This is why we have devised a quick and easy way to plan your next virtual corporate event or holiday party; our foolproof 10-step guide!
As our teams come together, we can focus on boosting morale, finding opportunities for employee engagement, and celebrating all the great things we have accomplished and everything to look forward to. Get ready to be able to focus on team building, networking, and building culture throughout the season instead of worrying about the ins and outs of your next event. Ultimately, that’s what matters most!
Sometimes, bringing in the experts is the best thing you can do for your and your team’s sake, so get in touch today with a KraftyLab virtual event specialist, and let’s plan the ultimate holiday party together.
1. Do Your Research
Before you plan your event, you must do your due diligence and research the convenience of your event. We know the last quarter tends to be chaotic, and we want to avoid adding pressure by choosing the wrong week, day, or time to host our event. Check with different departments about major deadlines or upcoming projects to ensure your event won’t clash and/or interfere.
2. Establish The Basics
Once you have the go-ahead, it’s time to sort out the basics. A location, time, and date must be established, considering international teams/different time zones. For virtual/hybrid events, determine any software needed and the platform you will use. Please ensure this event is scheduled during the work day and sort out any logistics, such as clearing schedules for a while! Assuming you have an allocated budget, break down that budget into subcategories, considering all fixed and variable costs, things like activities, entertainment, food, gifts, etc.
Then, think about your audience. Is this a company-wide event, a management-only, or a department-only event? Will members of different departments be here? This will help guide your planning based on different demographics and dynamics. Finally, you can figure out your theme! Will this party be a holiday celebration, a team gathering, or a fun theme? Figuring out the theme will also help determine any decorations, invitations, etc.
3. Talk To Your Team
Now that you have the basics sorted let’s talk to the team! This is your opportunity to listen to your colleagues and ensure they have input into your event. After all, they are who this event is for! The easiest way to guarantee your colleagues not only show up but are involved is to let them have a say! Run the theme past them to ensure it’s aligned and hear them out. Listening to feedback about prior events can also help navigate the planning process and give you ideas for improving this event.
4. Plan Your Activities
Your teams have said their piece, so let’s plan the event. Based on the event requirements and the teams’ needs/wants, you can narrow your game and activity options, entertainment, and/or guests. Now, you can reach out to different vendors and service providers and find out which best suits your team and your event. For larger events, consider the idea of a multi-experience event to give your teams’ a larger range of options so everyone can enjoy the event.
5. Make It Exciting
An agenda is very important, and ensuring it flows, including breaks and transition periods, will help ensure the event is successful. Once this has been established, consider how you will elevate your event. Will you be sending out gifts or PR packages? This is a great chance to provide your teams with new company swag and some little treats they may enjoy. When in doubt, a gift card is always appropriate and appreciated! Alternatively, you can plan a surprise, such as a fun game or great entertainment like a music act, magician, stand-up comic, etc. A fun photo booth or a competition stand would elevate any event!
6. Inclusivity
Part of planning a great event is ensuring everyone can enjoy it! Behind the scenes, this may look like broadening your vendor catalog, seeking small businesses, or a diverse panel of speakers and entertainers. During your event, choosing an accessible venue and one that supports those with reduced mobility is essential. If your event features food, you must offer widespread catering to include vegetarian/vegan options and halal and kosher options.
If you are hosting a happy hour as part of your event, be sure the bar is offering non-alcoholic beverages, and make it fun by including some themed mocktails, so nobody feels left out! If some of your colleagues choose to drink, you must ensure suitable transportation from the office/party venue to get everyone home safely!
7. Send Your Invites
Your event is all planned out, so it’s time to promote it! Regardless of your invitation method, you must communicate all appropriate details to your teams in as many ways as possible. This may look like sending a direct invite to their inbox, posting itinerary/details on your communication channels, promoting it on social media, and setting it up on the shared team calendar!
Be sure to let the team know that attending parties is OPTIONAL, but getting an RSVP is essential to cater your event accordingly. Also, giving your teams a closer look at the itinerary will help them gauge your event and encourage attendance if they see something they like.
8. Engage your audience
As your event date approaches, you must plan for the fine details. How will you ensure your colleagues feel comfortable and engaged during the event? After all, parties often mean colleagues from different departments meet, and they may not have much in common right off the bat. Ensuring you have conversation starters ready, like trivia or icebreakers, will help ease your teams into the event in a low-key and easy way.
You can set up an award ceremony to get your team hyped for the event! Create an online poll and allow teams to vote on fun award categories, including team and individual awards. This is also a chance for them to select the prizes they want, i.e., movie tickets, dinner-out vouchers, and e-gift cards. In the end, all attendees should have goodie bags to guarantee everyone will take something home!
9. Host a great event
At last, your event is here. All your hard work will finally pay off as you watch your team have fun and connect. Your teams will be entertained with great music and live acts; they will play games, get crafty, eat and drink, and get to know one another. If your team is up for it, take some pictures; they would create an awesome momentum to remember this event.
10. Debrief
In the days after your event, reach out to your team and ask for their input through a quick and easy post-event survey. Let your team tell you what was a success, what could have been improved, and even any total failures/missed opportunities. This information should be anonymous to guarantee your team feels comfortable being honest and, hopefully, give you high-quality feedback to influence future events or corporate parties.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We hope this list has helped you feel a little more confident about planning your next holiday party. Our team is ready with a whole holiday catalog for you, so connect with a KraftyLab event specialist today by calling us at 551-430-5384, sending an inquiry, or scheduling a call. We can’t wait to help you plan your next event!
ABOUT KRAFTYLAB
KraftyLab is a leading corporate event planner, providing virtual team-building activities across the US & Canada. Our focus is on providing fun and engaging activities and games wherever your team may be!
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