Despite COVID-19 shutting down almost everything in the world, certain things are so ingrained into our society that we couldn’t possibly deal without them. One of those is the always-memorable corporate party, and with many businesses requiring that their staff be vaccinated and boosted (barring underlying health concerns), some businesses are thinking that it’s safe to return to this element of working in an office.
As such, it’s time to plan the best party possible so that you end up being the talk of the town. Read on to learn about all the things you need for your corporate party to be perfect.
Activities
Your party is going to end up being super boring if you don’t give your employees anything to do while they’re there. Gauge interest in fun activities such as a donut board, photo booth, or even a karaoke machine. There are many other options out there as well (especially if you’re on a budget), but your employees aren’t going to want to stand around chatting for the entire length of the party.
Additionally, you hopefully know your employees well enough to know how they’ll respond to certain activities, so change up your ideas to fit your people. Whether that’s turning on a movie in the background for the less talkative individuals to enjoy or preparing some contest revolving around the food… personalize the party for your employees.
Also read: Compliments for Employees and Teammates
Decorate the Space
This will depend on how much time you have to prepare, but even a boring old office room can turn into a great party area if you put enough time, effort, and energy into it. Add in fun and colorful decorations and balloons if you’re going for a lighthearted theme or stick with golds and blacks if elegance is the way you want to spin it. Enlist help if necessary, so that you’re not the only one doing all the work.
Additionally, look into lighting options to change the space even further. You’re trying to transport your employees away from the office and into a corporate party, so the space has to look the part!
Custom Food Serving Products
If you want to throw the perfect corporate party, you should make sure to have custom food serving products on hand. This can be anything from the plates to the utensils, to the napkins, or even the tongs, spatulas, and other serving utensils.
You can show off these custom food serving products and customize them with your business logo or even fun phrases and in-office jokes to keep the conversation amongst your employees alive. Make sure to stay away from anything offensive – of course – but you could even poll the employees about things they might want to see on custom food serving products.
Doing so will not only give them a laugh at the actual party, but it will also increase your relationship with them by proving that you’re listening to their wants.
Tailor the Event to Your Employees
You could Google and find a list of the best ways to throw a corporate party, but your party will only be perfect if you manage to do something that your employees will enjoy. You can also have your employees help with the event and doing this can also be a great way to increase engagement for the party.
If your employees put work into the decorations or food procurement, they’re going to want to enjoy the result of that effort, too. Not only will you be lowering your workload, but you’ll be increasing the enjoyment for your guests at the same time.
Get Good Food
Your corporate party will be an absolute bust if your food isn’t up to snuff. Your employees may not say it to your face, but they’ll be thinking about how the food you served was terrible and they never want to eat it again.
Food is also a communal element that allows people to bond and communicate around, so if you have bad food, you’ll be removing an element of conversation and relaxation from your employees, which is the exact opposite of what you want to do to plan a perfect party!
Ensure that you take dietary restrictions and preferences into consideration and go from there to choose a high-quality food that won’t make your employees refuse to ever go to another one of your parties again.
Also read: Trending Gifts for Your Office Colleagues
White Elephant/Gift Exchange
If feasible, you can implement a White Elephant or a gift exchange for your employees. Most people like presents, although many can find it nerve-wracking to have to select something that isn’t “lame” or “cheesy.”
If you want to help these nervous souls out, you can set the White Elephant gift to a theme and a budget that everyone has to stick to. This can help keep people from feeling as if they were cheated out of a good gift, or that they should’ve tried harder to procure an expensive one.
Keep the good vibes and feelings alive through gift-giving but prevent bad blood and negativity by enforcing limits on it, as well.
