Six Ways to Host a Rockin’ Company Holiday Party

Six Ways to Host a Rockin’ Company Holiday Party

The last of summer has escaped us, and it’s quickly being replaced by the fall breeze that’s descended upon us. Before you know it, the holidays—dubbed “the most wonderful time of the year”—will be just right around the corner. ‘Tis the season for love, joy, and warm, good cheer, and tons of corporate events like holiday parties coming your way in Vaughan!

Once December rolls around, you’ll find your calendar packed with holiday parties and celebrations with family and friends, and even colleagues at work. In fact, the holidays are some of the most common time for company parties, and for resident party planners in the office, this is an extra busy time for you. Luckily, there are lots of things you can do for making this year’s party memorable and nothing like your regular break room activity. Use this guide to find a theme, set a budget, and stock up on party favours for a rockin’ holiday party, and give your colleagues one more reason to show up for work, thanks to a positive company culture.

Set the Date

Timing means everything to any event, but the holiday season is especially packed with parties and celebrations. Hosting a corporate event like a company holiday party requires setting the date well in advance to make sure that employees can attend, especially that this time is usually spent with family and friends. The last thing you want is to make it seem like the company’s holiday party is just another stiff and mandatory corporate event.

So, when’s the best time to host your office holiday party? With venues and vendors like caterers and open bars quickly becoming booked solid, consider the first or second Friday or Saturday in December. This gives employees ample time to spend time with family and friends closer to the actual holidays. Can’t get everything ready in time? Consider a New Year’s party in January instead to welcome the new year in high spirits and lots of excitement for upcoming projects and endeavours—and avoid the holiday rush costs.

Choose the Right Venue

Newsflash: the break room or the large conference hall on the top floor won’t cut it. Unlike other corporate events, memorable holiday parties require extra imagination. You’ll want to reward employees with a good time, and partying right next to their desks doesn’t exactly send that message.

Employees and their guests will appreciate being taken for a night out, whether to a banquet hall that’s fully decked in the holiday spirit, or unconventional locations like industrial lofts, theatres, and art galleries. The right venue sets the tone for corporate events, and for holiday parties you’ll want everyone to be in a festive mood.

Pro tip: when scouting for venues in Vaughan, make sure that your top choices don’t take up more than a third of your budget for the event. You’ll want to make sure that everyone enjoys sumptuous dishes, drinks, and entertainment, too. To get the best value for your money, make sure that your venue rental also includes furniture, AV, decorations, and staffing. This will eliminate the legwork and potential cost that go into outsourcing these logistics.

Holiday Entertainment

Unlike dinner parties at home, corporate events like company holiday parties need entertainment to keep the conversations and good times rolling. Depending on your theme or what employees tend to like, you can set up multiple booths that offer various arcade-style attractions, and book a band for dancing and singing all night.

Good Food and Fine Wine

What’s a holiday party without hearty meals and seasonal favourites like eggnog? Depending on the theme and the size of the event, you can decide between a full sit-down dinner, plated meals, a buffet, or a menu of curated finger foods—just make sure to stay within the budget and choose the best option that meshes well with what you have planned for the rest of the evening. Black-tie formal parties with a packed evening of fine entertainment and speeches may best be served with a full sit-down dinner with plated meals. Whereas, more relaxed and casual themes will do well with buffets and finger foods so guests can move around more freely.

As for drinks, open bars are always a huge draw for any party, but make sure to check company guidelines before going all out with the scotch and eggnog. The goal is to strike a balance between employees having a good time and keeping everyone safe, mainly because social host responsibility is a major legal concern in Ontario. Make sure to communicate alcohol consumption limits to employees, and at the end of the night, double-check with designated drivers or rides booked for going home in and around Vaughan.

Holiday Party Countdown

Like any corporate event, don’t forget to send out invites and save-the-dates to employees so you can get an accurate headcount and stay close to budget projections—and while you’re at it, consider e-invites instead to avoid paper waste. Just like you wouldn’t want to run out of food and favours, the same applies to the flip side: tons of food and beverage waste. As well, make sure that invitations have complete details, from time and venue, to the theme and a reminder for guests and their plus-one’s to RSVP.

Give to Each Other and Back to the Community

What’s the holiday spirit without some thoughtful gifts? Give guests party favours to bring home and forever remember this year’s party, or, for smaller companies or at the team level, consider setting up gift exchanges to promote camaraderie and build growing professional relationships. Just make sure to set a financial cap, or, to relieve pressure from shopping for a boss, consider a white elephant exchange instead for a more inclusive atmosphere.

With good spirits, it’s easy to motivate employees for the upcoming year. Host a rockin’ holiday party for your company in Vaughan, starting with the venue for your corporate event. Château Le Jardin offers a wide range of flexible venue options for just about any corporate event, including this season’s holiday parties. Call us at 1-888-529-8573 or contact us here today.

Myssah Singer
Myssah Singer
2023-12-26
Beautiful venue... amazing staff A++++ Rating
priyanka sood
priyanka sood
2023-12-24
Great service and ambience. The staff is very friendly and helps you whenever needed. Thank you for your help.
Ady iq
Ady iq
2023-12-24
Good food and atmosphere
Bleyder Martinez
Bleyder Martinez
2023-12-23
Awesome place