5 Ways to Liven Up Your Company Party
November 12, 2015
The holiday season is almost here! No matter what industry you are in, now is a great time to plan your holiday office party! You and your team worked hard all year, so you should definitely celebrate. Start by locating a nice venue nearby with enough space to fit your employees. As for entertainment, we’ve got a few ideas on how to keep things fun and exciting!
Come Up With a Theme
Picking a theme for your party instantly makes it easier to decide on food, venue, drinks, attire and everything else. A theme gives you a foundation and many opportunities to get creative. Consider planning your party around a TV show your staff is crazy about. Game of Thrones, the Office and Mad Men are a few examples of popular shows almost everyone knows about. Another theme idea is to poke fun at your industry, having everyone dress as something they do every day as a part of their job. Here is an example of what your marketing department could go as. You don’t have to make costumes mandatory for everyone, but if just a few people dress up, you’ll have instant conversation starters and a party atmosphere.
Give Out Awards
A holiday party is a great time and place for public recognition of your extraordinary employees. If someone is leaving your company soon, show appreciation for their hard work and give them a chance to say good bye to everyone. If someone’s 5th or 10th anniversary is coming up, give them a trophy or, better yet, give them a thoughtful, heart-felt or funny gift. Even if there are no special occasions or achievements you wish to celebrate, come up with a light-hearted award ceremony. Some categories may include “the most coffee cups consumed in a day” or “the longest time on the phone with tech support.” It’s a great way to get everyone recognized and appreciated as an individual.
Splurge on Food
Besides poorly selected music, bad food is probably the second major party killer. Food can be a great motivator too when it comes to party attendance, so don’t be cheap. Make sure there is enough and that it’s delicious. Ask your team about their favorite lunch or dinner places around town. It’s likely these places cater. Have clients in the food industry? Check if they can cater your party—they may even give you a discount or won’t charge you at all as a gesture of gratitude for your services. A considerate thing to do is find out whether anyone has dietary restrictions due to food allergies, religious beliefs or personal preferences. Make sure there is food they can enjoy.
Incorporate Contests and Games
Let’s be honest, contests and games at office parties can be rather dreadful and painful to watch. But not if you do them right! The key is to choose the right games that will appeal to most people and won’t exclude anyone based on their physical abilities or social awkwardness. Pick a few games that everyone could play without feeling that they are not fast, strong, smart, creative or funny enough for it. A few good examples are games that promote bonding and getting to know each other (such as 2 facts 1 lie or coworker trivia) or games promoting teamwork, such as a scavenger hunt.
Hire an Entertainer
The chances are, if you have a fairly large company, it can be physically impossible to get everyone to participate in the same activity, such as games and contests. In this case, it may make sense to hire a few entertainers to keep everyone interested and engaged. We are not talking about singers or belly dancers here, unless you manage to book the Black-Eyed Peas or some other star your employees are crazy about. However, a good comedian can help lighten up the mood. And a mechanical bull can be a fun adventure or a painless dare. Maybe you can have your own “wheel of fortune” or find a different game or reality show to reenact?
Whatever you decide, we hope your party turns out great! And if you choose to go with a Western theme or simply want to see how good of bull riders your team are, get in touch with Buckin’ Wild for mechanical bull rental in Maryland. We will even send a professional ride operator to make sure everyone is having fun safely!
