Corporate Holiday Parties are Back in Full Swing Again
Themes are big for corporate holiday parties which draw their inspiration from some non-holiday looks as the Prohibition Era and rustic farms.
By Randy Southerland
Hotels, restaurants and other venues are celebrating a return to the holiday party by companies large and small. While corporate merrymaking largely vanished during the recession, celebrations are now back in full force.
In fact, the holiday party business has increased by about 20 percent over the last four years, according to Kim Pollard, corporate sales manager at Bold American Events, Fifth Group Restaurants’ catering and events business.
“Every year has gotten better as far as holiday parties are concerned,” said Pollard. “The shift has been in the type of party. Where I think they used to be very formal, the trend seems to be more about the overall guest experience. There’s a lot of fun themes that are involved now.”
Hotels, as well as event companies, are experiencing an increase in booking as companies get ready for the holidays.
“The last couple of years have been really good for holiday parties and I think obviously we’re right in the prime booking window,” said Tim Dahlen, general manager at the W Hotel Buckhead and chair of the Buckhead Hotel Council. “The inquiries that we’re getting right now are very consistent with the leads that we were getting last year. Actually slightly more than what we were getting last year and it was a good year.”
After several years of pared down parties — or even none at all — companies are once again staging events that are on a par with pre-recession times. In keeping with the lessons of the downturn, they are also trying to get more for their money.
“I think they’re being very thoughtful about how they spend their money,” said Dahlen. “They’re looking for something that’s not the biggest or the most ornate or over the top event as much as it is something that’s more of a memorable experience. They want something that’s more authentic and genuine.”
Creating that memorable event includes both unusual themes as well as interactive features that allow attendees to be more creative.
While some companies still opt for the formal dress up affair with a sit down meal, others are hosting parties that may not even look like a holiday party at all.
Themes are big. There are the popular casino nights, but once you’ve done one a particular them, company party planners are often looking for something new and different to top last year. “We had one client doing a Game of Thrones theme,” said Pollard. “We’ve had ton of clients do the 1920s Prohibition. That’s been a big one over the last three years.”
In a real departure from formal evening wear, flannel and blue jeans are also a popular theme.
“The rustic barn look has gone over really well,” said Pollard. We even had a client with a high-level executive who ended up hiring a bluegrass band. They all wore jeans with flannel shirts and they loved it. They did that last year and now they’re trying to come up a different theme where they can still wear jeans and be causal. In the past they had a very formal seated dinner.”
Food stations with foods ranging from tacos to Chinese cuisine to ice creams are replacing the sit down dinner and even the buffet. These stations let guests do their own.
“It used to be like you’d have a carving station nor something like that with a chef carving a nice roast beef,” said Dahlen. “Now it gives everyone a chance to create your own.”
Companies want the event to be memorable and that makes them open to out-of-the-ordinary features. Bold American Events created a free-standing white wall with squares covered by curtains. As guests arrive a hand extends out from the curtain with a drink.
“It’s a little shocking, but they love it,” said Pollard. “It’s an element of surprise as guests walk in. It’s interactive and fun.”
It’s not just the creative companies such as advertising agencies that are opting for some non-holiday looking themes for their parties. Accounting and law firms, and construction companies are mixing it up with themes and unusual additions to the venue.
In a sign that companies are willing to spend more money, the one-stop shop that handles the entire affair from start to finish is once more in vogue, she said.
Parties are seen as a reward for hard-working employees, as well as a way to raise a company’s profile and say “we’re a fun place to work.”
This story originally appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Nov. 8. 2016:
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2016/11/08/holiday-parties-back-in-full-swing.html
