Company Holiday Party Ideas

Company Party Venues

Figuring out the right venue to host the company holiday party can be difficult. Use your budget and the expected attendance as a guideline. Places tend to book early and fast during the holiday season, so getting a place secured as soon as possible is important. Consider the pros and cons of each venue before choosing it to host your event.

Banquet Halls

Companies with over one hundred employees may find that renting a banquet hall is the only option. A number of local hotels and convention centers have halls available for reservation, often seating anywhere from fifty to five hundred people at a time.

Banquet halls may require you to use their catering services and charge a minimum amount of money, no matter the head count. However, they often have large spaces available, a diverse menu, and take care of clean-up themselves.

Restaurant Rental Rooms

Small to medium sized companies can use rental rooms at restaurants. This creates a more casual atmosphere and offers people a chance to mingle more intimately. Restaurant rooms are perfect for buffet-style meals or for offering sit-down dinners. However, the speed of the kitchen depends on the amount of customers. Parking may be a problem as well, depending on where it is situated.

Company Halls

Planning a party with a tight budget may require you to use a meeting room or hall in your company’s building. Not only does this free up money for other parts of the holiday party, but allows people to head straight to the party after work.

Attendance may be down at parties held in your company building, as people may be ready to go home and stay away from the office once the workday is through. It also may keep people from getting to know each other, as they may feel more formal while still at the workplace.

Company Holiday Party Ideas for Food

Planning your holiday food menu for a company is an important task. If the food is not good, people will leave early and the money spent will be wasted. Be sure to have tasting sessions in order to choose the best items.

A diverse menu is best. A formal sit-down dinner is nice, but not always in budget. Therefore, consider these alternatives:

• Buffet style family dishes, like pot roast and chicken
• International foods buffets, with Chinese, Mexican, Thai, and American dishes
• Cocktails and appetizers
• Dessert buffets

Companies located in warmer parts of the country during the Christmas holiday season may opt to have their party at a local park or outdoors. Making this a family potluck picnic helps keep costs low and assures a wide variety of foods. The company could provide meat, condiments, and drinks.

The time of day your party is held will factor into the kind of food you serve. A party held right after work may simply be cocktails and appetizers, while an evening affair should offer more hearty dishes.

Details Matter

Because the company holiday party ideas you come up with may reflect on your position within the company, you want to be sure to have the details worked out beforehand. Even if it is not part of your job description, you want to make a good impression on your bosses and co-workers when planning this party.

Entertainment

Entertainment is one such detail that should not be ignored when it comes to the party. A live band or DJ can provide great adult party entertainment for employees and their significant others. Magicians and comics can provide more informal entertainment at parties where the whole family is invited. Get recommendations and check references before booking, and double check your reservations the week before the party.

Decorations

Decorations can be as simple or as extravagant as you wish. If you want to decorate the space yourself, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. Simple icicle lights lining the room with garland around doorways, and holiday bows around chair backs can create a festive mood without going over the top.

Rented halls can sometimes provide decorations. Be sure to find out if they are included in the price, or what the cost of having them set up and take down rental pieces would be. This can save you time during an otherwise busy season.

Christmas Gift Exchange

Companies often use the holiday party as a time to exchange final “secret Santa” gifts for those who chose to participate. Additionally, the boss may choose to hand out bonuses or employee gifts at this time. If so, the staff may want to present their boss with their present at this time.

Planning the corporation’s holiday party is an important task. Think of the party as a big “thank-you” to everyone who has spent the last year working at your company and plan accordingly.