Organizing corporate parties

Corporate holidays are not only an effective means of rallying employees, but also an excellent way of emotional release. Being an integral part of the organizational culture, they stimulate the collective spirit of the company and serve as one of the PR tools.

Organizing corporate parties

Organizing corporate parties

However, the organization of a corporate event can hardly be called a simple and easy process. This is real work, the fruits of which are the grateful smiles of employees. So, how to hold a corporate party, so that it goes well?

How to start a corporate event

Before holding a corporate event, it is necessary to go over all the pros and cons of such event. Let's start with the pros.

Firstly, an informal environment that is different from everyday work, which encourages employees to communicate, develop and strengthen friendship. This helps new team members to quickly feel part of a friendly environment, which is very important, since the overall productivity of the company depends on communication. Secondly, the company's employees can relax and get a huge boost of positive energy, which is achieved through a well-organized entertainment program. And, finally, a corporate party is one of the best tools to use to relieve stress and tension that accumulates during the work process.

However, do not forget that in addition to the pluses, the corporate also has a number of cons:

  • Significant financial costs, which are not limited to the organization of the snack table and competitions. This includes outfits, hairstyles, makeup, paying for a taxi from home and back, and other expenses.
  • Responsibility for corporate organization. In order for the holiday to be fun and memorable, it needs to be properly planned, otherwise the evening will be boring and uninteresting. As a rule, 1-2 people are appointed responsible for organizing a corporate party, who haveto spend a huge amount of time and nerves on creating a festival, which not everyone will agree to do.
  • It is important to take into account unforeseen situations that will leave far from positive memories of a corporate event. Therefore, no one canceled attentiveness during the holiday!
  • The presence of alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a lot of undesirable consequences such as rudeness, fights, etc.

Despite such a number of disadvantages, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of being in the circle of your colleagues, especially if you need some mental relaxation. The main thing is to organize the corporate party in such a way as to protect yourself and other employees from undesirable consequences as much as possible. Let's look at how to hold a safe and memorable corporate party.

How to hold a corporate party: doing it by the book

Like any other event, a corporate event can be formally divided into stages, each of which will include its own mini-plan. Next, we give an example of a corporate event, breaking it down into key moments, with a detailed description of each.

Stage 1. Gathering of guests (40-60 minutes)

This is, perhaps, one of the most important stages of a corporate party, since it is at this stage that guests usually immerse themselves in the holiday atmosphere. While everyone is gathering, the arrivals may get bored, which should not be allowed, because we want to have a fun and unforgettable corporate party. Therefore, at this stage it is important to occupy those present. For this, for example, a photo session in costumes (if the corporate party involves a masquerade), unobtrusive music in live (instrumental and/or voice) performance, snacks, etc. are well suited. For background music, you can invite a DJ. You can also gradually begin to acquaint guests with the program and the general atmosphere of the holiday, distributing leaflets with a script or lottery tickets, and all sorts of objects needed for a corporate party. At the initial stage, the main thing is not to "go too far" with entertainment, otherwise guests can quickly get tired, and then the whole evening will go down the drain.

Stage 2. Official part (30-90 minutes)

The goal of a corporate party organizer at this stage is to help the management convey important information to the team and keep the attention of employees for a sufficiently long time. Corporate parties are not a place for strict reports on work. Save your guests from boring and long official speeches, limiting themselves, for example, to the awards ceremony (prizes)and words of congratulations from the management. If the official part is the key moment of the corporate party, then it is necessary to dilute it with various slide shows, videos, concert performances, so as not to lose attention and, with it, the positive mood of the team. Often these days they beat corporate shows and performances, which is not only fun, but also perfectly connects the team.

Stage 3: Entertainment (90-180 minutes)

What competitions to hold at the corporate party is the main question at this stage. The entertainment program should be not just fun, but also well-planned so that each of the contestants feels like part of the team. It often happens that guests refuse to participate in corporate games. This happens if they are not "warmed up" enough. Before moving on to competitions and collective games, it is better to let those present enjoy the music of artists on stage or organize a couple of interesting performances that will set the team in the right mood. It is important, again, not to overload the corporate event with contests and performances. Remember: they are needed only to fill the pauses in the celebration, to create an atmosphere of celebration and lightness among the guests.

Stage 4. Free communication/disco (90-180 minutes)

Communication at a corporate partyis one of the most important points, which, oddly enough, also needs to be thought out. This stage depends entirely on the nature of the event as a whole. If it is more official than entertaining, then it is better to put light music on the background and allow employees to chat with each other. If the main goal of thecorporate party is to "have a good time", then arrange a disco for your colleagues. But do not overdo it with dancing and provide for small breaks.

Stage 5. Farewell / closing part (15-20 minutes)

The corporate party is coming to an end, and the guests need some time to switch from an energetic state to a calm one. This is well facilitated by smooth music, gradually fading away. At the end of the corporate party, you can use a small fireworks display or light sparklers (depending on the nature of the holiday). Then the need for direct notification of guests about the end of the event will disappear by itself.

What Not to Do as a Corporate Leader

Often, managers themselves make mistakes by taking part in competitions at corporate parties. The director of the company must always remain the head of the event, whether it is a festive event or a normal working day. It should not be allowed for management to participate in competitions with the entire team on a common basis. Then, most likely, employees will prefer the victory of their boss. Therefore, the best role of a leader at a corporate party is the role of a fair judge who will award prizes regardless of personal sympathy for somebody.

In addition, team building is best planned so that each of the participants has time to try everything. This means that all employees must somehow feel the taste of victory. Even if there is such a team that is unlucky throughout the evening, it is necessary to "bring it" to victory at least once.

Finally, it is especially important to consult with the company's employees before choosing the theme and venue for the corporate party. If this is not done, you risk being branded as a self-confident egoist among colleagues. The team should feel its importance in the process of organizing a corporate party. To do this, for example, you can conduct a small survey that will help you better know the preferences of colleagues.

How to hold a New Year's corporate party: 3 options

How to hold a corporate party for the New Yearso that it remains in the memory of work colleagues for a long time? New Year's celebration is perhaps one of the most fun and colorful holidays in any company. It is very important to create such a script that will include many interesting contests and original games. They will help guests relax as much as possible.

A New Year's corporate party can be themed, costumed or classic. Let's talk about each in more detail:

Thematic

As you might guess, the main criteria for choosing a theme in this case will be the choice of subject.

It can be:

  • story;
  • cartoon;
  • winter;
  • New Year;
  • travel.

The first option is considered ideal in the sense that it will fit perfectly into any team. There will be no problems in choosing characters and costumes. What is a New Year's fairy tale without Santa Claus? Guests will also have to dress up in various costumes of fairy-tale characters and, perhaps, even learn some roles if this moment is included in the corporate party scenario. We select a few more fairy-tale heroes - and the corporate party scenario is ready.

Thematic corporate party "cartoon" is similar to a fairy tale. The only difference is in the costumes and that the script will replicate the selected cartoon.

The theme of travel is not the most common, but also a very interesting option in order to hold a bright and unusual corporate party. You can think of some kind of hero who travels around the world and visits one country after another. A great option for those who want to learn more about the culture of other nations.

As for competitions, they must be positive. Of course, the competition should fit the theme of the corporate party. For example, the competition "Magic Chest": a box with things of fairy-tale characters is passed in a circle from hand to hand. As soon as the music stops, the one with the chest in his hands takes out the first thing that comes across and, putting it on, tries to guess who it belongs to. Such a corporate competition is perfect for an event with a fairy-tale theme. Or another game built on the same principle: "Musical chairs." We arrange chairs in a circle so that one of the guests has nowhere to sit. Under each chair we put small gifts such as a ballpoint pen or notepad. While the music is playing, the guests run around them. As soon as the music stops, everyone tries to sit on the first chair that comes across. This option can be considered for the theme of travel.

At the end of the banquet, Santa Claus and his elves come and present awards and gifts. You can organize a small photo session, and then invite everyone to the table.

Costumed corporate party

What is the difference between a costumed New Year's corporate party and a themed one? It's an interesting and original idea. In addition to the unusual decoration of the hall, the guests themselves must thoroughly prepare for the holiday and come not in ordinary outfits, but in specially selected banquet themes. You can even put security guards at the entrance to the hall, which will check guests for an invitation card to the corporate party.

A New Year's corporate party is best held in a restaurant, cafe or office, if the size of the room allows. In any case, you will need to spend some time for decorating the interior.

As for corporate contests, fun outdoor games and small competitions are perfect here. For example, a costume contest (defile) could be interesting, where each of the guests will be able to demonstrate their outfit and even talk about the idea of its appearance. The best option is entitled to a small prize, so it is worth stocking up on gifts in advance. You can also hold a New Year's corporate party in the form of a round dance at the beginning of the holiday. During it, each of the guests will have a great chance to show off their costume. Then move on to active festivities. Or, suppose a dance competition that can be combined with a disco. In addition, dances at a corporate party can be paired, where you must definitely include a white dance (where the ladies call out a gentleman to come to dance with them). Couples are usually matched by costume. A special spectacle is a flash mob, which is best held in the middle of a corporate evening, when the guests are already fully warmed up. Use a few New Year's songs, tunes and various motives so that there is a New Year's atmosphere. The "Let's Decorate a Christmas Tree" competition involves the participation of two teams, in each of which it is necessary to choose one person who will play the role of a Christmas tree. The rest of the participants will decorate the Christmas tree with tinsel, rain, toys, etc.

Of course, a costumed New Year's corporate party must necessarily include a competition for the best costume, the winner of which will become the owner of the main prize.

Classic corporate party

By definition, it is already clear that a classic New Year's corporate party implies a traditional celebration with a smart Christmas tree in the middle of the hall, Santa Claus and his elves, and entertaining contests. To hold such an event, you only need a fun scenario, a Christmas tree, a festive buffet table, and gifts for contests.

To hold a classic New Year's corporate party means to involve all employees of the company in the event. The main persons of the holiday: the presenter, Santa Claus. As a host, you can appoint any active work colleague or hire a toastmaster (this is not the best option, since the whole point of a classic New Year's corporate party is a holiday among work colleagues). But it would be nice to entrust the role of Santa Claus to the leader if he has a good sense of humor and can not only command, but also amuse. So employees of the company will be able to get to know their boss better.

Gifts for competitions can be purchased at the expense of the company or collect the required amount by the team. There is no need to buy expensive souvenirs, sets of ballpoint pens, notepads, notebooks, etc. are enough. Do not forget: you are planning to hold a corporate party, not a group competition.

Scenario for New Year's corporate party

How can a commercial director rally the team and relieve tension between departments.

In almost any organization, there is a confrontation between the "working" and "service" divisions, the front office and the back office. For example, the accounting department does not like the sales department: they require an extract, do not submit reports on time, and bring money without any paperwork. A New Year's corporate party is a great way to turn the tide and establish friendly ties with related departments.

A common format of a corporate party, when a company simply rents a restaurant, invites entertainers and Santa Claus, is not suitable for team building. People, who did not connect, will be connected by nothing, but the restaurant. Employees will still get together with people they communicate with daily, that is, they will cluster together by department. Even at one large table, the staff will be seated in departments: accounting on one side, salesmen on the other. If separate tables are arranged, then there is no unity at all. The entertainers will most likely put on a game of some kind, invite employees to it, almost certainly from different departments, but even is unlikely to unite them.

That is why it is necessary to look over the other option: to prepare a corporate party scenario in such a way as to ensure the closest and longest contact between departments that it makes sense to make friends with.

Preparing for a corporate party:

In many collectives, the preparation of concerts is practiced: the chief accountant sings poems to the accompaniment of the supply manager playing a guitar, while the marketer shows magic tricks. Employees enhance their image by showing colleagues their hidden talents. But this option is not suitable for team building.

We can create a fairy tale. Instead of a concert, add a general performance-game to the program of the New Year's corporate party. Use the scenario of a folk tale taking into account the specifics of the company, for example: the Reaper of the customs office imprisons Coca-Cola-Claus (substitute your product and mascot), and Ivan from the logistics office, with the support of the Wandering Merchant-accountant, as well as the evil spirits of the Wicked Salesman of the West and General Secretary the Gray help him out. In the course of the dramatization, the participants offer each other riddles and tests, including the performance of the same concert numbers.

The scenario is written by one department, but the roles are distributed to the maximum number of participants from different departments. You can even immediately give a list of roles so that employees choose the ones they like.

After preparing a rough performance plan, it is necessary to conduct at least one rehearsal, discuss costumes, and plan exits with other participants. Thus, the game and informal communication start earlier: the process of team building has already started. In addition, during the course of the tale, participants can offer each other various contests and tests. Employees can come up with them themselves - for example, Ivan can decide to be his own character with his own special task, or you can come up with standard teambuilding tasks. Games can be reported to the director of production, but not to the participants. Thus, no one will sit with a stone cold face because they know what's coming, surrounded by colleagues; it will turn out to be a team game with representatives of different departments.

Now, we add humor. As a separate program of a concert or an element of a general performance, a series of "mutual sketches" can be added. Each department can have a bone to pick with another department. At a New Year's corporate party, an excellent opportunity to let off steam, as well as a visual demonstration of problems, can be scenes in which, for example, the sales department shows its vision of the marketing department, and marketers, on the contrary, show salespeople. It is very funny and useful to look at yourself through the eyes of colleagues.

Examples of corporate contests:

  • How to put together your company style. On an A4 sheet, print your company logo and cut each image into small pieces. The task of the team is to collect the logo as quickly as possible. The team that correctly assembles the logo faster than the others wins.
  • Who steals. Two teams participate in this competition: 5-6 people in the witness team, and 2-3 people in the detective team. The essence of the competition: you tell that a certain (just the word certain, without any details) crime has occurred in the company, and you have its witnesses. Detectives can ask questions about what happened that have two possible answers: yes and no. In fact, there is no crime, and the witnesses answer the detectives' questions, guided by the following rule: if the question ends in a vowel - the answer is "yes", if it ends in a consonant - "no". Detectives, of course, will come up with an interesting story, but they will only win if they understand how they are being fooled.
  • Protecting ourselves from competitors. Each employee is given a joke survey sheet, in which several abbreviations are written, the meaning of which is known only to the presenter. The employee's task is to add a line from a song or poem to each abbreviation. You can use the following abbreviations, or add your own: NPC - net profit of the company; SM - sales manager; WGWYLTR - What gift would you like to receive. At the end of the game, the host reads out the abbreviations and lines from the songs that were inserted by the employees.
  • Superadvertisement. Each team has 15 minutes to come up with an advertisement that would help your company increase sales, customer loyalty and improve the company's image next year. The winner is the team whose advertisement was the most striking, spectacular and fun.

Representing company partners at a corporate party

It makes sense to invite a few partners and loyal customers to the New Year's event: the commercial department can compile a list of these people. Thus, the legendary "Vladimir from Perm, who is still waiting for his shipment" and "Simon, the supplier" will become closer than ever in the back office.

It is better to break the rule about being able a family member or friend (often you can bring another person with you to a corporate party), because in this case, company employees will pay much more attention to relatives and friends, than to their colleagues.

In addition, "distractions" must be eliminated. For example, if there is free Wi-Fi in the corporate party area; ask the administration to turn it off. Thus, none of the employees will sit alone on the sidelines with their phone.

How to continue communication at a corporate party

Usually, after a relatively short formal opening, open communication begins. At this moment, actual team games are needed: arrange a billiard or bowling tournament, you can even go outside and build a snow fortress. The main thing is that the teams are organized in advance.

The main goal is to plan a corporate party in such a way that there is no desire to leave it for as long as possible. Accordingly, it is necessary to take care of the delivery to their homes in advance and inform the employees that they can be taken out of the corporate party at any time and to anywhere in the city.

How to prepare an opening speech at a corporate party

The New Year celebration is one of the few opportunities to speak to subordinates in an informal setting. To look decent, prepare your speech in advance.

First, formulate the main idea and purpose of the message. Ask yourself the question: "What do I want to convey to the audience?" remember: for employees to become interested, the topic must correspond to their interests and desires - what awaits your company in the new year? What are the challenges facing the company? How will this affect the performance of employees? Secondly, prepare a speech plan: logical and structured, with main thesis being well structured. It is desirable to make the plan on 1 sheet of A4 format. The first phrases of the speech should not be in a serious tone. Its main task is to attract the attention of the audience, to ensure that everyone tunes in to the speech. For example, use the technique "when I was driving here to you ... / just yesterday I witnessed one situation / a story happened to me ...". This attracts attention due to closeness and, accordingly, relevance, relieves tension at the beginning of any performance. The best and most successful improvisations are usually planned in advance, although they may be presented as suddenly born. Do not skip on compliments to subordinates, especially well-deserved ones. All year long you demand from them submission and a high level of efficiency. The New Year is a great occasion to thank everyone who worked for a common result.

Manager's mistakes at corporate events

The first mistake of a manger at corporate events is participation in competitions and events on a general basis. This does not always lead to the maintenance and strengthening of the director's authority. On the contrary, the contestants will prefer his victory to their own. Therefore, your best role is the referee-judge, who will distribute prizes in such a way that all employees see his sympathy for the team, without preferences for individuals. To do this, be sure to recognize the work of all employees.

Secondly, it is necessary, by dividing everybody into teams at different stages of the event, to make sure that by the end of the corporate party everyone performs the same task. Before the announcement of the results of the competition, it is important that each employee feels the taste of victory, even if the team with which he started the corporate party lost in something at first.

And finally, it is very important, when choosing a theme and venue for a corporate party, to consult with employees. You can conduct a survey so that everyone has a sense of belonging to the event and the responsibility lies with everyone, not just the management or HR department. Then the employees will not speak negatively about the organization of the event, because they took part in it.