Over the past few years, more and more companies (big and small) have started acknowledging the benefits of office parties, and that is great.
An office party is a great way to meet some new faces, get to know your other colleagues a little bit better, bond with them and, of course, have much fun. A party at the office can be organized once a month or once every few months.
No one sets out to plan a dull corporate party where everyone is checking their phones every two minutes to see how much longer it will be until they can excuse themselves from the event. Rather the goal is to create a memorable holiday party.
Despite event planners’ best intentions, many parties fail to hit the mark with their audience and which people forget as soon as they step out the door. If you are the head of the organizing team, then you want to make sure that the office parties are those type of events that your colleagues will not only talk about days before they will happen but after they are over as well.
What can you do to set your party apart from the rest and create an unforgettable experience for all involved? Keep reading to find out.
1. Incorporate an Unexpected Activity
Party games are an excellent way to get your guests to mingle and show off their personalities. But if you want your event to be unforgettable, try to think outside the box when it comes to the games you pick.
One idea you could try is to create new versions of classic party games by adapting them to the theme of your event.
Here’s an example: for a New Year’s Eve holiday party, you could have your guests play What Lie? but with a fun twist.
Traditionally, the game is played by each participant sharing three statements from their personal life (two truths and a lie). The rest of the group is left to guess the lie.
To make it more appropriate for a New Year’s Eve event, though, you could ask guests to only share statements that refer to the past year’s highlights.
It’s these types of unexpected activities which leave fun memories behind, the kind which will make your party stand out from the rest.
2. Want a Memorable Holiday Party? Book High-Quality Entertainment
Spruce up your Christmas party and give guests something to talk about by booking high-quality entertainment.
Corporate events, office parties or any events that are being organized can make a difference if they bring in an entertainer. This can mean so many different things, from stand-up comedians to magicians, motivational speakers or acrobatic performers.
We all love going to different shows, so why not bring such a performer to your upcoming office party? For your colleagues, it is going to be a new face, something funny they’ll laugh about, a good story that they’ll tell later on to their friends outside of work.
Here are a few suggestions of memorable acts you can’t go wrong with:
- Celebrity impersonator. Jeff Tracta is one of the most sought-after celebrity impressionists available for hire today. His celebrity impressions were one of the most exciting moments from America’s Got Talent, and your event guests can be the next to see Jeff’s incredible talent in action.
- Mentalism. Mentalists are performing artists, magicians, or entertainers who appear to be “psychic” and entertain using highly developed mental feats like telepathy, telekinesis, and mind-reading. They accomplish this by using a combination of misdirection, theatrical trickery, mental mathematics, keen observation, and sophisticated sleight to perform mind-blowing and jaw-dropping performances that leave their audiences in a state of shock. An award-winning entertainer, Eric Dittelman, will mesmerize your event attendees with a spectacular mind-reading show that puts them in the spotlight. Eric also recently appeared as a guest on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Penn and Teller: Fool Us, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and was featured in “Entertainment Weekly”, “Rolling Stone” and even “The National Enquirer.”
- Music Band. An explosive music band such as Blue Jupiter will energize your guests, leaving them talking about the show long after it’s over! Or book a non-stop all dance repertoire featuring the best of 70’s disco, 80’s rock, 90’s Pop, and the hit songs of the new Millennium. With 7 lead singer/dancers and 95 dazzling costume changes, Alter Ego puts on a show like no other.
- Comedy acts. People will always remember the moments in which they laughed out loud. So why not book a top clean comedian like Marty Simpson to delight your guests with the best self-deprecating clean comedy? Or hire a hilarious and attention-grabbing comedian and emcee like Wayne Cotter. Wayne’s clean comedy is perfect for any event that is in need of a vivacious entertainer. As said by Jay Leno, Wayne is “one of the funniest comedians working today.” Wayne hosted the Fox series “Comic Strip Live,” was seen in feature films Spy Hard and The Aristocrats, and has countless appearances on David Letterman and Jay Leno.
- Live event painting. Visual art has always been the perfect method of encapsulating a moment. With a live painter you can watch your holiday party through the eyes of an artist as they capture the energy and emotion of your party on a canvas. Using brushes, paint and a canvas, event painter Heidi Schwartz captures your special event as it takes place. The charm and elegance of a live painter create ambiance, entertainment and provides guests with a topic of conversation. This is the perfect way to commemorate your annual Holiday celebration.
- Hire a Magician. Everyone loves good magic! Regardless of the setting, magic stage show, walk around magic, comedy magic, close up tricks, or High-Tec magic, our magicians, will leave your audience spellbound and astonished with long-lasting memories. Best of all, they can entertain all size audiences from significant events to small intimate gatherings. The magic of Eric Jones has been featured on Penn and Teller, America’s Got Talent, Masters of Illusion, and on Comedy Central. As a corporate entertainer, he performs some of the most spellbinding illusions imaginable that leaves the audience mystified.
- Hire a comedian. Who doesn’t need a laugh during the hectic holiday season! Fill your holiday party with laughs and energy while creating memories. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to book a stand-up comedian, ventriloquist, comedy magician, musical comedian, or a celebrity comic; we can help! Jeff Allen has appeared on Showtime, Comedy Central, VH1, HBO, and Dry Bar Comedy. He is a favorite with corporations that want to provide top-shelf comedy while knowing that the entertainment will appeal to all present and be totally appropriate.
3. Personalized Party Favors
Don’t underestimate the power of a well-picked out party favor when it comes to having a memorable holiday party.
Send your guests home with a gift that will remind them of all the fun they had at your event. What you pick is up to you, but we recommend keeping these best practices in mind:
- The party favor should go with the theme of your event. For example, an elegant tree ornament is an appropriate choice for a Christmas party. You can even engrave it with the date of the event to make it extra special.
- It should be something which everybody can enjoy (foods that contain ingredients that many people are allergic to should, therefore, be avoided).
- When in doubt, pick something useful. A champagne opener may not be the most creative gift out there, but whenever one of your guests open a bottle of champagne at home, they’ll think of your event.
4. Have a Signature Holiday Party Cocktail
Serving a signature drink that ties in with the theme of your event can be that extra touch, which shows guests that you went out of your way to create a unique experience for them.
Work with a bartender to create a customized cocktail that feels festive and which captures the vibe of the event.
The color of the drink, the glass it’s being served in, are some elements that can be customized to create a memorable holiday party. So, you can get creative with it.
5. Get People Together Around a Noble Cause
One of the best ways to get almost all your guests together is by incorporating a noble cause into your holiday event. A charity will raise the overall value your employee perceive. It will make them feel more important, thanks to the emotional factor.
Scout your local community and see if there’s any greater cause your company can help.
You will notice your employees will feel more connected after the party because they have come together to support a noble cause.
Want more ideas?
We know that sometimes it can be hard to find innovative ideas when it comes to entertaining people. If the next office party you are planning lacks some spice, then you might consider hiring an entertainer.
We hope that these ideas have inspired you and that you are eager to try some of them out. For more inspiration, we also encourage you to check out this article to discover a few unique party ideas which are going to wow your guests.
The Grable Group has a wide selection of performers you can choose from. To find more information about our entertainers or how to hire them, you can contact us by using this form.
