First in a Three-Part Series: Great Ideas for a Fun, Frugal Holiday Party

09/07/11

What’s your company doing this year for a holiday party?

Holiday party, you ask? But the kids just went back to school and it’s not even officially fall yet! But the reality is that holiday parties take planning – and the time to kick off that planning is now. Otherwise, it will be December 1st and you’ll be left holding the wreath with little other resources.

The days of extravagant events that rivaled a Broadway show are over. In the first of a 3-part series, we’ll tackle the issue of how to host a festive gathering on a budget. In October, we’ll provide some tactics for coordinating a party that doesn’t clash with your company’s various religious/cultural influences. And November will bring you plenty of practical tips for avoiding the holiday party gone bad.

Part 1: Cutting Holiday Party Costs

If you’re considering canceling the holiday party entirely … don’t! Even in tough economic times, you’ll find that holding a low-key or low-budget celebration is better than nixing the event altogether. These year-end celebrations are an ideal way to boost employee morale, reward months of hard work and spread some holiday cheer.

In the interest of scaling down, the most popular cost-cutting strategies include:

• Not serving alcohol or limiting open bar hours
• Not using a caterer or outside party planning service
• Hiring a DJ instead of a live band
• Limiting the party to employees only
• Holding the party on a workday or near the end of a workday
• Holding a party in January when rates are less expensive than December

Trimming costs even further, more companies are choosing to hold parties at the office. If you go this route:

Set up “party central” away from workstations. To help create a non-business atmosphere, consider a large lunchroom, breakroom, the warehouse or even outdoors (for employers in warmer, southern states). It’s amazing what a few tasteful decorations (such as colorful tablecloths, festive centerpieces and twinkling lights) can do to change the mood

Play some lighthearted holiday games or activities. A holiday party is the time to kick back and have a little fun. The possibilities are endless: just search “company holiday party games” on the internet. Be sure to take some party photos of employees to display on the company bulletin board or on the intranet later.

Get creative with your culinary offerings. Keep food costs down by serving cold-cut platters combined with a variety of bread choices and salads, an assortment of specialty pizzas or, for a late-afternoon gathering, interesting appetizers. You could even have a “potluck” meal where each employee volunteers to bring in a different dish. Or think outside the box and organize a dessert party with cakes, cookies, pastries and fruit, served with coffee, tea and other beverages. Again, this could be a potluck event where employees contribute their favorite desserts.

Enhance the mood with music. Bring in a multi-disc player sound system to play popular holiday CDs, or tune your company radio to a local station or service that plays non-stop holiday music. Employees can get involved in this, too. Simply ask them to bring in their favorite CDs to share on the day of the event (as long as someone monitors the appropriateness of the musical selections and marks the CDs so they get returned to their owners).

Next month … Tips for a successful, non-denominational event that won’t offend various religions and cultures.