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Depending on the size and location of your business, you have lots of options when it comes to hosting your holiday get together. We will cover the basics based on whether you are having a party at the office or having it outside the office. Here are my best corporate Christmas party ideas and things to consider when planning it.
Corporate Christmas Party Pre-Planning:
Making sure you have the specifics in place before you go into the details is the first place to start. There are a few things you need to check off your list before the fun of a creative office Christmas party can occur.
What is your Corporate Christmas party budget?
Decide if it’s family-friendly or adults only.
- Your office may be one that is full of families, and the holidays present a bonding time for everyone.
- If your staff is mostly DINKS (double income, no kids), then having a few small children running around can create a less-than-chill night for those without kids.
- Choose which will be better for the whole group or decide on a “no children after [specific time]” style event.
- This age-group will ensure your night goes smoothly, and everyone enjoys themselves.
Office Party or Outside of the office?
- If your facility is large enough to house the event, this is a great way to have company Christmas party ideas on a budget.
- Without the extra cost and headache of renting a gathering space at the holiday season, you have given yourself plenty of room to plan a creative holiday office party.
- On the other hand, by choosing an outside location, you do not have to worry about the logistics of things like:
- Decorations for a corporate holiday party event
- Someone cleaning up after the office party has taken place
- When at an event space, food will be kept at correct temperatures and refilled by staff.
- If you utilize a brewery or winery, you can have everyone cover their drinking tabs to keep within your company Christmas party budget.
How many people will attend?
- It is good to have an approximate number of attendees for your seasonal gathering.
- You may have a small company holiday party that you know everyone by name, and the break room table will suffice for food setup.
- If you have a larger group, then knowing the number of people will be crucial to planning your company Christmas party ideas.
Corporate Christmas Party Ideas: At the office
I say that just because it is at the office, doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. There are creative office Christmas party ideas that will make the event pop!
- Gingerbread House Making Party
- Crafting and food, this is a great way to bring everyone together at a small office Christmas party.
- You can choose to have the gingerbread house making be individual people, teams, or even a competition.
- You may need to rent tables and chairs for the event as a crafting area will be necessary.
- Make it even crazier by having a marshmallow catapult war after (or during if you like a lot of excitement) they are built.
- Casino Night
- Casino equipment is available for rent if you wanted to get different games like a craps table or roulette wheels.
- Usually, games that are from a rental agency include the dealers for the games, a choice of how many game options you’d like, and tutorials for those that are unfamiliar with games and rules.
- Most of the packages include 2.5 hours of gaming, which is a decent amount of time for any party.
- Carnival Party
- A carnival-style party is perfect for an office that does have a large number of families that will be in attendance.
- Consider fun rentals like a cotton candy machine, snow-cone maker, and popcorn popper.
- Inflatables can be rented for indoor use if the weather seems to dictate the location.
- There are so many styles of games to rent to entertain your employees for hours on end.
- Crepe Party
- Instead of a traditional potluck, consider a crepe party.
- Encourage your attendees to sign-up to bring either a savory crepe creation or a dessert crepe.
- Crepes are fancy, thin, pancakes that you stuff with all sorts of tasty fillings.
- There can be crepes that have decadent meats and vegetables for a dinner version.
- Creating fruit and custard-filled crepes will provide a dessert option.
Food Trucks
- When you live in a temperate climate, food trucks can create a fun catering option that brings people together.
- Depending on the size of your group, you could invite multiple food trucks to be apart of the event.
- Food trucks are becoming more exquisite with their menu options. This ain’t yo’ momma’s taco truck. The culinary spectrum of these vehicles allows you to choose one that has all dietary choices taken into consideration.
- Create a beautiful holiday scene outside with bistro tables and lighting.
Corporate Christmas Party Ideas: Entertainment Options
- Hire a Comedian
- Your local comedy club will have a listing of comedians in the area that you can contact if you have a budget.
- Decide on if you want “clean comedy,” “PG-13 comedy”, or if “anything goes” is your party style.
- Hire a Magician
- A basic google search can help you find magicians for hire.
- Contacting a party rental store will also give you leads to great area magicians.
- Karaoke
- I love getting my friends together for a night of singing old favorites
- Not everyone loves singing, but people love watching. There should be a right mix of both at your event.
- Music DJ
- If space allows, it is nice to have someone playing music for you as opposed to someone’s Pandora playlist with ads (we’ve all be there).
- You may need to rent a dance floor if you do not have the appropriate style flooring for the event
- Live Band
- When it comes to corporate events, I prefer to look for a band that does “cover music.”
- A “cover band” will provide guests with familiar songs that they will enjoy all night long.
- Especially if you are going to have a dance floor, it is best to have music that people will want to boogie to.
