11 Tips to plan an unforgettable office holiday party
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Miriam Pereo del SolSenior Events Specialist at TravelPerk
For fear of stating the obvious, let’s not get into how office parties are great for team building, morale, and bringing employees closer together. They've always been one of the perks employees look forward to the most.
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One of the first things we hear as newbies at TravelPerk is “You won’t believe what went down at last year’s holiday party”. And everyone has a different story to tell. A huge part of our company culture is this drive and desire to get together in person, whether that’s for professional meetings, casual drinks with our colleagues, weekly all-hands, or a seasonal bash.
The holiday season is extremely busy for corporate events, and event spaces tend to get booked up fast (especially the good ones). Getting a jump on all the other companies' planning parties is a must. But early planning is about more than just getting the right venue. There are a lot of moving parts when in event planning, and it’s important to have all your ducks in a row well in advance so you can get to everything.
Don’t be shy! Repeat yourself as many times as you need so that your message really sinks in. Employees tend to be extremely busy towards the end of the year, so a lot of the time, the information you share can be overlooked. It’s also really important to have a place where all the details are available for everyone to consult at any time. At TravelPerk, we use Notion as a centralized hub for information of this kind. We also open up relevant Slack channels for each event and have a dedicated email address so people can ask questions when they need to.
This is one of our key pillars at TravelPerk. You’re building events for your community, so let them be part of the organization and involve them in your decision-making process (where possible, of course). Let them share their holiday party ideas, tell you what activities they want to participate in, when they’d like the party to take place, or even what goodies people might find cool. This time around, we got the whole company to vote on a theme.
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… And that’s not a joke. Whether you opt for funky food trucks, a swanky sit down meal, or a DIY potluck, food is one of the most important things attendees will remember after the party is over. Seriously. This year, we selected a few people to attend a tasting session and pick the best menu available. It was a really fun appetizer for the main event with people from across our different teams. It ended up being a great opportunity for them to mingle and get to know each other—not to mention, try some really delicious food. We are based in Spain, after all.
Yes, that is just a fancy way of saying organize group activities. The whole point of events like these is for people to step outside of their usual, day-to-day range of interaction. We want them to meet new people, build new relationships, and create positive memories with their colleagues. A surefire way to do that is through a few short icebreaker party games. People will let their guard down and meet people they might not normally have the chance to work with.
OK, so it’s really easy to get carried away. Event planners who tell you otherwise are lying. You want to organize the best corporate holiday party for everyone, and it’s very tempting to go crazy and let yourself be carried away by all the incredible options available on the market. But establishing a clear event budget and sticking to it is essential. It’s going to act as your guiding compass to building the right kind of party for your company. It will show you what you can do, and set limits to what you can’t.
Let's face it: hosting holiday parties is a costly undertaking! While there are tonnes of benefits to getting everyone together, you will only truly reap these if employees have a good time! As we have already discussed, there's zero point in planning to dance the night away if your teams would prefer a delicious, high-end dinner.
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If your party plans require your teams to hit the road, you should take advantage of various corporate group travel discounts. From reduced hotel room rates to deals on airfares and ground transportation, if you are moving multiple team members, it might be time to call in the experts.
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Remember Monica Geller’s mental checklist from Friends? Yeah. Do that. Only write it down. Keep a detailed schedule of the party, with everything that will happen clearly outlined at every step of the event. Not sure where to start? Our 19 step corporate event checklist breaks down everything you need to ensure your holiday event is a roaring success!
Skip the photo booth and hire a photographer and/or a videographer, budget permitting. People love to look back on events like these and remember the fun they had! Oftentimes, they’re too busy enjoying themselves to take their own photos, and even if they do, there’s nothing more fun than seeing candid photos of yourself taken by other people! Not to mention this will help further reinforce your company culture.
Ask for help when you need it! It feels like we’re stating the obvious here, but people don’t always do that. Planning an event is a lot of work with many obstacles on the way, and you do not need to do everything alone. Rely on your team to help you. No one is an island!
Miriam Pereo del SolSenior Events Specialist at TravelPerk
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