The New Year is just around the corner, which means preparations for it should begin now. Despite the fact that the New Year is considered to be a family holiday, the celebration of the corporate New Year has not yet been cancelled. We spend most of our lives at work, so the work team becomes our second family, which is why celebrating the New Year holiday with colleagues is an integral part of our lives.
How to properly prepare a New Year's corporate party? What kind of entertainment program should I hold? What New Year's table to prepare? How to decide on gifts for colleagues? All about this in this article.
Components of a New Year's corporate party
As a rule, most corporate New Year holidays are held on the 20th of December. All preparations begin with determining the venue, the New Year's scenario, the New Year's decoration of the New Year's meeting place, and the purchase of corporate gifts.
Office decoration
If a corporate holiday is planned in your office, then you need to take the office design seriously. Let it be a beautiful New Year tree (live or artificial as desired) and New Year's tinsel. Just don't overdo it. New Year's office decoration should still be done in a certain business style. You can also offer your colleagues a competition for the most original office design. You can give good champagne as a gift.
Budgeting
Perhaps, where you need to start preparing for the New Year’s corporate party is by drawing up an estimate of the costs of holding the holiday. If the New Year's corporate party is paid for by a company, then the officially drawn up estimate must be approved by management. If the new year will be at the expense of the employees, as is usually the case in small companies, then you need to decide on the amount that each employee can allocate.
The estimate should include expenses for:
. New Year's table;
. New Year's gifts for colleagues;
. Christmas tree and office decorations;
. other expenses
In general, in the estimate you must indicate all the expenses that will be associated with the New Year's corporate party.
Menu creation
The New Year's table is probably the most favorite part of the New Year's holiday. If the holiday is planned in the office, then identify those responsible for preparing the New Year's menu. You can order festive dishes for the New Year's table in a cafe or cook yourself by purchasing food and bringing ready-made dishes. The New Year's table may consist of:
Cold appetizers;
. Canapés of various types;
. Salads;
. Hot dishes;
. Fruit desserts;
. Drinks (vodka, cognac, champagne, mineral waters, juices)
Prepare plastic dishes, New Year's napkins, New Year's candles, as well as New Year's decorations for the festive table with the symbols of 2010.
Buying gifts
Corporate gifts to colleagues must follow strict guidelines. Corporate gifts should be universal, not too expensive and not too cheap. For example, you can give souvenirs with the symbols of 2010, decorative candles and candlesticks, New Year's toys, and notepads.
Congratulations to employees
Congratulations to employees need to be thought out in advance. Will it be solemn on the eve of the New Year's party or during the New Year's feast. It all depends on a well-thought-out New Year's program.
As congratulations you can use: New Year's humorous toasts, poetic congratulations, song congratulations. You can think over your New Year's corporate cards or specially designed New Year's scrolls with which you will congratulate your colleagues. In general, there is room here to work out your imagination.
New Year's program 
To make the corporate New Year interesting for everyone, think over an interesting New Year's program. Various corporate event scenarios can now be downloaded on the Internet, or you can come up with them yourself. To do this, conduct a survey of your colleagues about what style they would like to see on New Year's Eve.
The New Year's program may consist of:
. New Year's competitions;
. New Year's draws;
. New Year's scenes;
. Song performances;
. New Year's dances.
Each company celebrates the New Year differently, but it is still worth remembering that the New Year's corporate party should last 2 - 2.5 hours. This time is enough for a feast, entertainment, congratulations and presentation of gifts.
Have a fun corporate party and a good new year!
Speaks: Victoria Malashevskaya - Head of HR Department, Logistics Division, MTI Company
Our achievements already include two corporate events dedicated to the New Year and the “Birthday of Business - we are two years old” holiday. Our logistics company employs both workers (in warehouses) and managers, so when organizing and holding events, we try to take into account the interests of both groups of employees. Well, it is clear that without setting a goal, it is pointless to hold any event - it is simply unclear how to evaluate its success in this case... Therefore, even before starting preparations for the corporate event, I ask the question: “For whom and for what are we going to organize the event?” Here are the possible answers:
For what?- Team building, communication in an informal setting, the opportunity to meet colleagues, an interesting vacation.
For whom?- In logistics, the ratio of men and women is 9/1, while 70% of employees are representatives of blue-collar professions. This means that the format of the corporate holiday should be appropriate:
- active games (bowling, billiards, football, sports, paintball, karting) plus
- festive table: high-calorie “men’s” menu (lots of meat or fish dishes) - of course, within the budget; what is important is that we order alcoholic drinks in minimal quantities.
Even before the start of preparation for the event, we make sure to ask the employees what format of the corporate event would be interesting to them, and we make sure to take into account the opinion of the majority. We choose the venue - a restaurant, bowling club, etc. so that it is convenient for all employees to get there; most often we are “tied” to some metro station. We choose the date taking into account the work schedules of various departments. If the budget allows, we order the services of a presenter; if funds are limited, we allocate one or two employees who will play the role of “toastmaster”.
Then, to avoid overlays and punctures, we carefully plan the event. As an example, here is our holiday program:
After the event, we always publish a wall newspaper where we post the most interesting photographs. The HR manager’s work on the corporate holiday ends with a survey of employees about what they liked/didn’t like about the event.
Based on our experience, we can give our colleagues the following recommendations:
- It is advisable that the total duration of the event does not exceed five hours.
- The program should include two or three types of games, taking into account the possible interests of all employees.
- The official part of the event should not last more than half an hour (including speeches by leaders and awarding of the best).
- The location of the holiday should be chosen so that it is convenient for everyone to get there.
- The date of the event is agreed upon taking into account the work schedule of different departments.
- It is advisable that the requirements for the dress code (too formal, or, conversely, masquerade) do not scare people away from the event.
- HR department employees need to follow the regulations and control all organizational issues (for us HR people, a corporate holiday is work).
What to avoid:
- The format of the event is a festive table and a disco (banal and boring).
- Large quantities of alcoholic drinks.
- Venue of the celebration and menu designed for VIP visitors.
Speaks: Oksana Tolkacheva -Marketing Manager Samsung Electronics Ukraine Company
A good corporate New Year is, first of all, an opportunity to communicate in an informal setting with colleagues and partners. On New Year's Eve, everyone wants to plunge into the festive atmosphere and high spirits. This means our task is to create this atmosphere.
To do this, you need to carefully prepare the concept of the event, think through everything to the smallest detail. In our company, it is customary to invite specialists to organize celebrations - we believe that professionals do their job best, so we invite an event agency. In the brief, we describe in detail everything that we would like to see at the event, and then carefully consider the proposals of the agency’s specialists - we make sure that the script is “customized” to our concept, all the details meet our wishes and quality criteria.
We don’t have any “force” to participate in a corporate event; usually people look forward to each such event and are intrigued by what will be offered to them this time. The most active employees are happy to take part in competitions, and those who just want to relax at the festive table enjoy the atmosphere of New Year's fun.
In our corporate culture, New Year's Eve is an expression of gratitude from managers to employees for their excellent work, so sufficient budget is allocated for this event. We are proud that our company makes efforts to make every New Year's event easy, fun and memorable.
Speaks: Daria Prokhorenko - HR department specialist at 3M Ukraine
In our experience, the most important thing in organizing a good corporate event is to carry out all the preparatory work in a timely manner. It is advisable to involve the employees themselves in the training process: people “by definition” evaluate what they are personally involved in as “good and correct.” However, here the principle of voluntariness must be observed: one cannot impose “forced joy” on colleagues. In any team there will be interested creative HR assistants who you can count on (at the same time, preparation for the holiday should not distract them from their work processes).
At least half of the success of an event depends on the choice of venue. Everything is important here:
- place: location and size of the hall, its decoration, kitchen, table arrangement and thoughtful little things (greeting cards/invitations, mini-souvenirs, music);
- organization of the holiday itself: skill of the host, strict adherence to regulations, pre-prepared games, prizes, etc.
People are pleased with gifts, recreational opportunities, a variety of events...
What else is worth considering: not all teams can hold a corporate party on a day off - this is a time when many people would like to be with their family and loved ones. Therefore, if the company’s corporate culture does not imply an “almost family” atmosphere for the holiday and the opportunity to invite relatives to the holiday, management should not “force” people with “obligations.” In the event that for some reason a corporate event can only be held on a day off, you cannot force people to take part in it! Such “concern” may even offend employees.
But if you manage to interest people in the idea and involve them in organizing the event, the holiday will turn out wonderful!
Speaks: Tatiana Gorbatyuk - Chief Specialist of the HR Department at Nemiroff
New Year's holiday is a very important event for any organization. For people, this is a joyful New Year's Eve, and for the company, it is an opportunity to help employees from different departments (and even countries) get to know each other better, communicate in a relaxed atmosphere, sum up the results of the past year and voice plans for the future. At the same time, of course, the official part should not take too much time, because this is a holiday, not a work meeting!
It is important for us that the corporate event is based on an idea directly related to the history or activities of the company. At Nemiroff, the concept of the New Year's holiday is kept secret: employees learn about upcoming surprises literally a few days before the event - when they receive personal invitations.
A holiday for us is not a random event, it is part of a motivation program, so we approach its preparation very responsibly. According to established tradition, a few weeks before the New Year, the whole team decorates the Christmas tree. Everyone brings their own Christmas tree decoration and hangs it on a branch with their own hands. The result is a very bright and lush Christmas tree - a real “corporate masterpiece”!
The New Year's atmosphere helps people feel like a united team. We want everyone to have a good memory of the event, so each employee receives a video about the New Year as a gift.
And last year we also gave a gift to the children of our colleagues - we held a pre-New Year party for them in Kyiv. It's hard to say who had more fun - the kids or the adults!
Speaks: Oksana Ananyeva -And HR Director of MAN Truck and Bus Rus LLC (Moscow, Russia)
The main secret of our company: you can organize a memorable, positive, corporate event that unites people only on your own. The script must be written by the employees themselves (or by professionals, but always with the involvement of “Man’s” ideas, for example, playing out some kind of work situation). It has been verified more than once: if festive events are left entirely to event agencies, the employees are not “involved” - they remain simply spectators. By and large, in this case the event is no different from a group going to a concert.
We are organizing a holiday just for ourselves: we want to laugh at jokes that we understand, see our colleagues in an unusual stage role, perform fun tasks that evoke the brightest positive emotions... Which means we cannot do without our own script. The only “external” influence that is allowed (and necessary!) is the services of musicians and the host. With him, we thoroughly play out the entire script, select actors from among the staff, rehearse...
Scenario plan for the festive corporate event “MAN - 250 years”
| Program number | Speakers |
| Greetings and congratulations | CEO |
| Presenter: “Today we are all gathered...” | Host of the evening |
| Quiz “250 - how it was” | Host of the evening |
| Head of department, ensemble |
|
| Who comes to visit on New Year's Eve | Ded Moroz and Snegurochka |
| Poetry competition (New Year, Snow Maiden, Santa Claus) | Ded Moroz and Snegurochka |
| Congratulations and musical break | Head of department, ensemble |
| Dance number | Children of our employees |
| Congratulations and musical break | Workers, musical ensemble |
| "We are from MAN" | Stage production, mythical heroes, participants - MAN employees" |
| Musical pause | Musical ensemble |
| The final part of the evening | Host of the evening, Father Frost, Snow Maiden, participants in performances and performances |
Organizing holidays is a good tradition of our team; we have people who are willingly involved in the preparation of corporate events. As HR, I know these people (that’s what I call them: our event group), I count on their help. For example, some are responsible for the menu - they compile a list of participants, orient themselves in terms of placement in the hall, the list of dishes, others - for organizing competitions, others - for costume design, etc.
Of course, independent preparation adds hassle, but our holidays fulfill their original role: they bring people together in the joint experience of a joyful event. And the main result is that our employees will receive exactly the event they are waiting for.
Speaks: Natalia Nazarchuk - Head of Training and Personnel Development Department at TG Vega
The main asset of the Vega Telecommunications Group is our employees. Moreover, for us these are not just “duty” big words or the rules described in the Corporate Code. It is thanks to people and the atmosphere they create that our own style of conducting all corporate events is formed. In TG Vega it is customary to celebrate professional, calendar, and spiritual holidays. The most important and favorite events for us:
- Company Day (more precisely, the day when more than 40 independent enterprises united into the Vega TG);
- Communication Day is a professional holiday for most of our employees;
- and, of course, New Year.
Our New Year's holiday is special: we haven't celebrated it on the same day for a long time. The festive feast is preceded by a whole string of events that have already become traditional for us. Such “distributed” events (without focusing on the “main New Year’s party” as the “highlight of the program”) have shown their HR effectiveness. They really increase people’s involvement and motivation, help develop communications, and create a positive mood in people. The team spirit itself encourages employees to show their creative potential!
I’ll tell you how the New Year celebrations usually take place in the Vega TG.
The first sign (given the season, more precisely, a “tit”) is the announcement of a corporate New Year’s competition for the best New Year’s video or photograph. The imagination of our “directors”, “videographers” and “actors” is inexhaustible: every year the competition works become more and more “advanced”, the actors become more relaxed and talented, the camera work becomes more innovative and original, and more and more festive props are used ! The fruits of the creative inspiration of the competition participants then decorate the corporate portal and the walls of our offices, giving everyone the mood of a New Year's fairy tale.
Then managers of internal corporate projects, whose work is aimed at developing innovation, proactivity and increasing the involvement of our company’s employees, join the pre-holiday marathon. Their contribution to the creation of the event is the ceremony of awarding the best and most active participants in the projects of the outgoing year. The winners in various categories are awarded certificates and memorable prizes, and sometimes even given “titles” - “Idea Generator of the Year” or “Mr. Creativity”, “Miss Congeniality”!
The smell of “Christmas tree and tangerines” first appears in our offices on the eve of Catholic Christmas - when employees of administrative and economic departments begin to decorate their work areas. People are happy to get involved in the pre-holiday activities and exchange congratulations - first of all, with the employees of the Western Branch. And then miracles begin: in the evenings, work spaces turn into “Christmas workshops.” Thanks to burning candles, the smell of oil paints, fresh straw and wax, the 21st century office is completely transformed! We checked: there is nothing better to increase team spirit and mood than such evenings. Last year, master classes on wool felting, straw weaving and decorative painting of Christmas bells were such a success that we began to hold similar events in all branches of the company (and on the eve of other holidays).
In the pre-holiday bustle, we don’t forget about business achievements: the heads of all functional departments report on the work done and the results of implemented projects. The CEO sums up the results, congratulates the employees and talks about Vega’s plans for the next year.
The last working days of the year (except for the rush of completing projects and closing the financial year) are filled with pre-holiday chores, which are very reminiscent of the worries of an ordinary Ukrainian family: we exchange congratulations (homemade cards, dozens of wishes in corporate mail), prepare surprise gifts for colleagues, receive guests , congratulations to our partners and clients. Last year, this happened to the sounds of Christmas songs and carols, with which a children’s group, organized by the National Academic Folk Choir named after Grigory Verevka, came to visit us….
Well, and directly on New Year's Eve - the ceremonial end of the corporate event: a banquet! And always with the traditional signs of the New Year's table - champagne and Olivier, tangerines and chocolate souvenirs...
Our team knows how to relax creatively - “to the fullest” and with pleasure! And it doesn’t matter at all how large the budget is allocated “for the event.” After all, as popular wisdom says, “it’s not “where” (and especially “for how much”) that’s important, it’s “with whom” that’s important!
Speaks: Olga Bredikhina - HR specialist at the British Council in Ukraine
Since our organization unites speakers of two cultures - Ukrainian and British, we usually celebrate Christmas and New Year at the same time. Corporate events turn out to be memorable and keep us warm all year long! For several years in a row, we have been organizing a Christmas festival in mid-December, which includes a bright palette of events:
- Children's Day in the office is a holiday for the children of employees. Our little guests will enjoy entertainment, gifts, a Christmas tree and, of course, congratulations from Santa Claus.
- Open charity events. For example, an exhibition-auction of employee products - the proceeds from the sale of handicrafts are donated to orphanages, or gifts for disabled children who are brought up in boarding schools - we collect them as a team.
- A popular game among the team: Secret Santa: our colleagues give each other pleasant surprises, but no one knows from whom the gift was received.
- Traditionally, our employees are invited to a Christmas party at the British Ambassador's residence, where they are treated to traditional British cuisine and merry dancing.
- Mandatory corporate events in the office (parties). The themes chosen for them are very different: for the last few years we have been organizing costume parties - in Ukrainian style, in the style of British cinema of the 1930s and 40s, as well as casual style. We gladly attend corporate events, because this is a great opportunity to communicate in an informal atmosphere and have a lot of fun!
As a rule, everyone is involved in organizing events; we have no “coercion” whatsoever. When preparing, we make sure to take into account the wishes of employees regarding the date, location and “idea” of the holiday, so that the event itself is perceived only in joyful tones.
Speaks: Olga Karasevich - project manager of LLC "Agency "Anchor SV"
Why waste time and money on corporate events and celebrate the New Year “in the crowd” and not with your family? For me personally, these questions were a mystery for a long time, and “celebrations” at work were associated with children’s matinees...
But our company has developed a tradition - to prepare all corporate events on our own. Therefore, in 2008 I had to try on the role of an organizer. Only then did I understand: making a holiday together with colleagues with whom you experience difficulties and successes every day is great! We got together, wrote a script, discussed for a long time - what, how, when and why. I won’t say that everything was easy and simple: sometimes I had renegade thoughts: “Isn’t it easier to give all this trouble to professionals?” But such an “event” would not really become our holiday... I liked it when my ideas were accepted, and when the next “brilliant thoughts” were killed, the enthusiasm evaporated somewhere... The common task helped to overcome the “decline of spirit”: to give myself and others pleasure and joy!
We especially love New Year, so preparing for it is a real big project, which involves our entire team, from the assistant to the director. At first, I remember, it was a wonder that “the director himself” was bothering with such trifles. But over time I realized: it is joint work and creativity at the planning/preparation stage, and then the direct experience of the holiday that develops us and unites us into a single team!
Like any organization with its own history, we have “unspoken” rules. One of them is strictly observed: do not talk about work at the holiday table! Therefore, we temporarily forget about everyday work - they are not in the script, nor in the surroundings, nor in the gifts...
We work in a “complex” business - everyone is required to have erudition and deep knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, so it’s difficult to surprise my colleagues with anything. It’s not easy to come up with a surprise and it’s not easy to impress... so organizing a holiday for us is a creative, multi-level process. How do we cope? Of course, there are secrets: for example, a magic folder, which is replenished with new ideas year after year - all employees can add their “butterflies” to this piggy bank at any time. All this creative “stuff” is taken out of storage in the fall, when we begin to think about what to surprise ourselves with for the New Year. Would you say it's early? But we don’t need to deliver an urgent project by the deadline, but create a festive event - here not only the result, but also the “process” itself is valuable! Our creative “cheat sheet” is like a lifesaver... Thanks to the accumulation of “creative capital”, we are constantly improving - growing both as actors and as directors. And at the stage of preparing gifts, the creative impulses of our employees simply know no bounds!
And yet the main condition for success is motivation; For us, the “leading motives” are co-creation and the desire to please colleagues.
Agree, creativity without a system does not guarantee triumph, so we also learned to structure the creative process (see work plan in table).
Stages of holiday preparation
| № | What we do | Result | Example |
| We choose a “motive”: we spy on something in life, take something from books, folklore, traditions of other civilizations, invent something ourselves... | Performance: | “For life and fun” is a moral instruction about the creative search and depth of everyone. The joy of new discoveries |
|
| Determine the main topic, choose an idea | Various options for implementing an idea (after all, one option is boring, isn’t it?) | “Party with the Mafia” in the style of the 1920s and 30s of the twentieth century |
|
| We compose the “framework” of the event: we outline the general silhouette and draw out the details of the scenario | A holiday concept that everyone loves | 1. The holiday was called “Alice in Wonderland,” although our version was different from the author’s. We had the Wise Jew, the Crazy Professor, the Fairy, the Executioner, the Rabbit and Sherlock Holmes. The intrigue revolved around the search for a lost gift for directors. Everyone independently chose their role and thought through the embodiment of the image (within the framework of the general scenario) |
|
| We establish management “frameworks” (controlled by an assistant) | Responsible persons | Plan - standard |
|
| We evaluate everything that is done according to the following parameters: | If everything is OK, we begin rehearsals. | The “boring” fairy tale was supplemented with humorous inserts |
|
| Completion of rehearsals (about two weeks before the holiday) | Total budget (including menu) | ||
| Preparing gifts: | Benefits (would like to receive) or | ||
| Let's celebrate | Fun, togetherness |
The festive event itself can be divided into “performance” (a theatrical production with actors and spectators) and “solo” congratulations. After the end of the performance, the division into “actors” and “spectators” is canceled, and everyone becomes the host in turn: he congratulates his colleagues, pleases them with an interesting competition or an outdoor game for everyone. For example, a task is proposed: according to the neighbor’s description, draw a picture with your eyes closed; or - make a cocktail from improvised materials. Do you think this can't become a mini-performance? How!.. Just like reading poetry “with interpretation” and guessing riddles “for a prize”. Directors also never leave us without a surprise: they secretly prepare their own performances, trying to surprise and amuse.
With this approach to organization, there is always the opportunity to flexibly adapt to any surprises, organically weave improvisation into the fabric of the holiday plot, and captivate everyone with fun!
Admiration and joyful faces are the greatest reward for the organizers! Everyone wins: the holiday, surprises, and fun!.. But “on the way” to the New Year there were many more gifts: the discovery of new talents, the joy of creativity and the pleasure of teamwork.
Speaks: Natalia Timorina - MCIPD, HR Director, McDonald's Ukraine
Probably, every company creates its own “recipe” for an ideal corporate holiday, including the New Year. What it should be depends on the specifics of the business, the corporate culture, and the goals outlined by management.
At McDonald's, corporate events are one of the important tools for creating a positive atmosphere in the team. It is she who helps people maintain friendly relationships and recharge themselves with energy for fruitful work throughout the year. We hold events for all 7 thousand employees twice a year - in winter and summer, and we invite families to the summer corporate holiday (not only restaurant directors, but also ordinary office employees).
To prepare important events, we always form a team of representatives from different departments, which chooses the theme of the holiday, the host, and thinks through the program. For example, we entered 2010 dressed as dudes, and celebrated 2011 “on a farm near Dikanka.”
In general, we have already developed our own tradition of celebrating the New Year. On the morning of the holiday, an official general ceremonial meeting takes place: we sum up the results of the outgoing year and present plans for the future. And in the evening there is an informal celebration where employees have fun and enjoy friendly communication. By the way, it’s customary for us to celebrate the best employees and sum up the results of motivational programs at the party. Public recognition of merit is an excellent motivation for further effective work.
New Year's Eve itself is truly a special holiday for our employees: it is the only night of the year when not a single McDonald's establishment is open! On December 31, restaurants close at 19:00, and on January 1 they open at 10:00, which we always warn visitors about in advance.
Speaks: Lyudmila Sirik - Head of the recruiting group at Miratech
I think that in any festive event, especially a New Year’s corporate party, it is important to create a festive atmosphere. From the very first minutes, employees and guests should be “charged” with positivity! Personally, I really like it when animators work at the entrance to the hall - they greet guests, conduct comic quizzes and mini-competitions, hand out New Year's paraphernalia as prizes (Santa Claus and Snow Maiden caps, firecrackers, streamers, "cartridges" for soap bubbles). Ideally, the host should involve guests in communication from the moment they appear in the hall/corridor. It would seem like little things? But such “trifles” are what create the aura of a New Year’s fairy tale! The employees are imbued with the feeling of the holiday, jokes and laughter are immediately heard, people’s mood rises right before their eyes!
It is equally important to decorate the room beautifully. We always discuss the design of decorations and festive table settings with the administration of the restaurant or catering company. And after the official part of the program, we distribute firecrackers, sparklers, streamers to people - and turn on incendiary music. In such an environment, they have a lot of fun, fool around, and immerse themselves in the fabulous atmosphere of the New Year.
Speaks: Anna Dzyuba - Head of Internal Communications Department at life:)
For employees, any corporate event is, first of all, an opportunity to communicate in an informal setting. We fully support such a positive aspiration, therefore we develop various formats of corporate communication. In our company, for example, there is the DreamTeam initiative - anyone can take part in organizing informal meetings, celebrations, hikes, trips, games.
In addition, every Friday we hold Happy Fridays - mini-corporate parties (“corporate parties”). Everyone gets together - informally communicate over delicious food, watch and discuss interesting films together... Our practice shows: the format of voluntary informal events (in a variety of forms - it all depends on the imagination of the employees!) turns out to be much more effective in terms of team building than large-scale ones crowded corporate events held once or twice a year.
In our opinion, in large companies (more than a thousand people throughout Ukraine), general events should be timed to coincide with particularly important corporate events. For example, this year we gathered all our employees from different regions of the country in Kyiv to celebrate the “birth” of a new communication platform - “World of Communication”. But New Year and Christmas are rather personal events, so for many years now we have been celebrating these sincere, warm holidays in an intimate, “family way”.
Therefore, not all of our New Year's events are entertaining. As a company with an active social position, we are more focused on charity than large-scale shows. Moreover, this is not a requirement “from above”, but the wish of the employees themselves, who share the company’s views, to always implement some socially important initiative on New Year’s Eve. For example, during last year's holidays, we organized a “Charity Cookie Fair” in which everyone could take part. Some employees baked and brought cookies, while others could buy and eat them :). The money raised from New Year's baked goods was donated to orphanages, which the company sponsors as part of the “It's So Easy to Help!” charity program.
On the eve of this New Year, we are planning to hold an electronic “Charity Crafts Fair”: each employee will be able to put up for sale (on the corporate network) any of their “works of art”. The proceeds, as in previous years, will be transferred to sponsored orphanages.
We are glad that our innovations in organizing memorable events have taken root in the company. The new format allows you to joyfully celebrate the holidays with colleagues and help children who need warmth and care.
The women's team is a multifaceted and ambiguous phenomenon. Representatives of the fair half of humanity do not always treat each other as beautifully as they look. No matter what field women work alongside, it is always difficult for them to find a common language and maintain a friendly atmosphere. Meanwhile, the team must work and work effectively, which is practically impossible in a situation of hidden confrontation and mutual hostility.
The leaders of such lovely “serpentariums” know well how difficult it can be to help women work together as one team. It's difficult, but it's possible.
A festive corporate holiday is one of the effective tools of modern team building. It will help women treat each other more warmly and improve the work environment. Carrying out collective entertainment events brings a lot of positive results, the main condition is that the event should bring positive emotions and, if possible, all employees should participate in it. But where to start?
Event format and venue
Everything will depend on the format of the planned event, from the venue to the clothing of the participants.
First you need to understand what you want to get from the event. And this is a fundamental question, the answer to which must be answered by the team leader, who is often the initiator of the event.
We will suggest the most common motives:
- The desire to have fun with the whole team, get a great mood and vivid memories;
- Desire to unite the team to work effectively;
- The desire to reconcile a divided team;
- The desire to hold a corporate event simply because “I have to”;
- The desire to organize a corporate party for “yourself.”
As you look at this list, try to evaluate your motives with an open mind. Let's immediately talk about the last two motives.
Holding a corporate event based on the “must” motive is stressful not only for the company’s managers! The feeling of obligation is very quickly transferred to all employees, who immediately begin to have “good” reasons of various kinds, ranging from family circumstances, ending with employment, illness, and so on.
And in the latter case, the corporate party is built around the leader, according to his wishes, tastes and whims, and the employees become a kind of retinue or even a mask for the event. This cannot be hidden, and already at the stage of preparing the event, hostility will form, which will certainly find its way out in the most impartial and unpredictable form. And the tense mood and flattering smiles of the employees at the event itself certainly will not please the manager, who in his thoughts wanted to be the center of attention and adoration.
The above motives are obviously “pathological” and will not lead to anything good.
If the motives for the corporate event are sound, its success will depend only on your desire and following the recommendations below.
Site selection
An old team, in which employees have known everything about each other for a long time, will most likely need a more varied entertainment program, which means that a room with a lot of free space should be chosen as a venue for the event, allowing for a variety of competitions, games, shows, invite artists and so on.
A young, energetic team may find it boring to hold such an event in a restaurant, but the prospect of holding a corporate event while solving a complex quest or relaxing in a spa complex may be to their liking.
Well, if the hobbies and interests of all team members surprisingly coincide, then the format of a restaurant gathering with wine and gossip can also suit everyone and leave the warmest and most positive impressions.
Organization of women's corporate event
The answers to the above questions are only a small but important part that lays the foundation for a memorable event. Next, let's touch on the organization.
Any festive event should bring joy and not burden its participants; this is the only way to achieve a good, light mood. Do not try to oblige anyone from the team to organize an event and think through the program, otherwise, after the corporate evening, new topics for gossip will appear in your team, and they, of course, will concern the organizers. There will also be those who were offended, who wasted their time, and instead of gratitude they received gossip.
We advise you to focus on choosing a good presenter who will not only host the event, but also help prepare it! This can be an energetic, charismatic man who can easily lead a female team, and the latter will gladly follow him.
Or an experienced woman who knows all the intricacies of the female soul and will easily become a friend for each participant.
Women's corporate event style
There are simply no questions about finding a style today. Human imagination and the desire to have a great time simply know no bounds, which is why a huge number of different themes for corporate events have appeared in the holiday industry today. The editors of eventspro tried to find the most suitable topics for a women's company:
- Hawaiian corporate party
- Stylish corporate party
- Pajama corporate party
- Pirate corporate party
- Cowboy corporate party, wild west
- Marine corporate event
- Hippie corporate party
- Gypsy corporate party
- Corporate event in the style of "Disco party"
- Corporate party in retro style
- Corporate event in English style
- Karaoke - corporate event
- Corporate event in the style of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Of course, this is not a complete list of topics, but it is sufficient to raise a serious question about the desired style for all participants in the event.
Choosing an outfit
Determination of the venue, format of the corporate event and its style solves the most important question for every employee - “what to wear?” A loose uniform is suitable for a picnic, an evening outfit is suitable for a cafe or restaurant, and a Disco party outfit may be suitable for a holiday in the office.
Treats and entertainment
Now to the table. To make the holiday relaxed and in high spirits, prepare light alcoholic drinks. Strong ones will be inappropriate in our case, and may even aggravate internecine tension. The golden rule of any corporate event is that it is better not to drink enough than to be blushing in the morning. Our goal is to get rid of embarrassment and have fun. We also choose simple snacks. Ideally, a buffet table with catering elements will be set. Your employees will not want to spend hours sitting at the table and having conversations over a large plate of meat. Wines, low-alcohol cocktails, canapés, salads, sushi, fruits - there is plenty of it. It would be great if it was possible to create a background music. Women love music and will willingly dance or sing karaoke.
To ensure that the event does not turn into boring gatherings at the table, but helps to unite even the most unsociable employees, it is advisable to prepare an interesting entertainment program for a corporate event. Depending on the occasion in honor of which the celebration is being organized, think about the manner in which the action will take place. Whether it’s the New Year, March 8, or a significant date for your enterprise, try to fit thematic elements into the script. Fun competitions will help you with this.
eventspro offers some basic creative examples. Each of them can be changed, supplemented and adjusted to the style of your event.
“I won’t make it home”
Make a snake-shaped path of pins on the floor. Skittles can be replaced with drinks in liter plastic bottles. Divide the team into two teams. It is advisable to collect them from “opposing” ones; in a competitive game form they will come closer together faster. Participants must go all the way, touching a minimum number of pins, while blindfolded. Whichever team has the most pins left wins. Award the winners with homemade medals “for sobriety”, and give the losing team incentive prizes, for example, “anti-hangover” pills (in any case, someone will need it tomorrow).
"The Princesses and the Peas"
The idea of the competition is to identify the real princess in the team. Several small objects are placed on the chairs (an eraser, a pen, candy, any small thing that is at hand). The items are covered with a soft scarf, handkerchief or towel. Then each participant is asked to sit on a chair. Its task is to determine the number of objects by touch. Whoever names the closest number is the real princess. If some ladies have the same results, increase the number of “peas”.
"Morning in a gypsy camp"
Throw many different items of clothing into a makeshift box. Anything will do. From an unnecessary bra, sock, hat or work uniform to a plastic nose, cap and large beads. Turn on the music and pass the box around in a circle. When the composition stops abruptly, the participant who has the box in her hands must, without looking, choose a piece of clothing for herself and put it on. The one who is dressed the most wins. The condition of the competition is to keep your clothes on for 30 minutes.
“Sing, little light, don’t be ashamed”
Most women love to sing. Especially at the table. Use this in a script. And you will be surprised how many untapped talents are working next to you. So, dividing into two teams, discuss the theme of the songs, for example, children, animals, winter or flowers. Teams must take turns singing a fragment of a song based on the theme. Whoever lasted longer and sang more songs won. Tell the contestants that they can cheat a little and prove that the song “Murka,” for example, is about cats and nothing else. It will be more fun this way.
Which of these entertainments is right for your company is up to you to choose. The main thing is to try to involve all participants in the celebration. Then the positivity received at the corporate party will smoothly flow into the following days. Learn to have fun and enjoy your holidays.
Preparations for the New Year are open! Have you noticed that the retail chain has prudently placed artificial Christmas trees between the potatoes and herring in jars? And marketers think right! And just like that, the buyer, maneuvering between the arranged Christmas trees and hanging tinsel, will grab something from the New Year's paraphernalia.
And you, dear ladies, how is the preparatory process organized? Probably, a rumor went around the office, which restaurant was rented for the banquet? You see, even the bosses are not asleep, and you? Are you still successfully getting used to the image of the “night priestess”? It's time to get in shape! Moreover, just losing a couple of extra kilos will not get rid of it; your appearance requires attention, from your shining hair to the toes of your festive shoes. By the way, at the banquet itself, it also doesn’t hurt to adhere to certain rules in order to have fun yourself and so that in the morning you don’t be upset by the consequences of your previous fun.
The main points of preparing and holding a New Year's corporate party
FigureIt is clear as day that a thin cow will not become a doe, but a “fat cow” is not pleasing to the eye either. Before choosing a diet (and there is still time for the express option to work, just avoid extremism in the form of 2 weeks away from salt, water, fat, proteins and toxins in addition) and the type of physical exercise, put on an outfit prepared for the celebration and determine zones that are supposed to catch the admiring glances of colleagues. These are the areas where you should focus your efforts; some will need to tighten up their butts, while others will need to take care of their biceps and triceps.
Hairstyle, manicure-pedicure
Vitamin complexes, proper nutrition, masks, lotions, compresses (which can be prepared at home) - this whole complex will give your hair and nails a healthy shine. It is recommended to make an appointment with a beauty salon master now, since there is a chance that on the pre-corporate day there will not be a free hour for you. And it is not recommended to experiment with a free, but unknown hairdresser and manicure.
Leather
If possible, take a course in a cosmetology salon; if this is not available, then folk methods can help. Again, direct the main blow to the parts of the body exposed by the festive outfit and, of course, the face. Pay attention to your elbows; in winter, the skin on its bend is often dry; to moisturize it, it is recommended to lubricate this area with a rich cream every day; burdock oil also helps, which should be rubbed in for a couple of minutes. For those who want to flaunt an artificial tan, but have not had experience with special sprays and creams, it is better not to risk it, since you can easily achieve a simple leopard shade.
At this point it is advisable to mention makeup. Again, on inflamed or unkempt skin, it may not look so great. If you plan to use the services of a makeup artist, then you should also make an appointment with him in advance. When creating your own art, follow the established rules - the emphasis should be either on the eyes or on the mouth and do not forget that it is better to “under-salt than over-salt.”
Cloth
The main thing is comfort! Even the most trendy outfit will look ridiculous if you feel uncomfortable in it, as if in heavy armor - after all, you can’t hide your emotions. Also not suitable is an option with a bodice that is always sliding down, which will have to be secretly constantly returned to its original place. If a democratic dress code is allowed at the evening, then your usual trousers with a tunic will look more advantageous than an evening dress that you are not used to wearing.
Naturally, the dress is always relevant. For those who have not had time to part with all the excess fat, an A-shaped model, secured under the neck with a stand-up neck, is better suited. Slender birches can experiment; a corset with a full skirt looks advantageous on a thin frame.
As for the color. Probably, it’s still better not to chase fashion and not to choose the colors that the symbol of the coming year “loves,” but to stick with what suits your face. By the way, black is out of fashion, and it suits almost everyone. In addition, it goes well with many shades.
Accessories
Just like with makeup, don’t overdo it with jewelry. There should be only one New Year tree at a corporate party - artificial or from the forest, which modestly decorates the room in a corner, and does not sit at the table, eating and drinking. It is optimal if the set of jewelry consists of a maximum of 3 items.
It is also not recommended to overuse perfume. There should be a subtle aroma coming from you. Firstly, launching a gas attack even using Chanel No. 5 is simply indecent. Secondly, you will be in a closed room and it is quite possible that someone may simply be turned off by your perfume, especially since such parties are always associated with the consumption of food; you must agree that an unpleasant aroma accompaniment is inappropriate for you.
Shoes
Dancing is expected, and if the prospect of looking like a limping grasshopper doesn't appeal to you, then choose nice but comfortable shoes.
Banquet
The eyes are ashamed, but the stomach is happy. It's about portion sizes and pieces. The toastmaster is an unpredictable person and can give his word to you just at the sweet moment of your enjoyment of the taste of a hefty piece that has just been put into your mouth. As a matter of fact, it’s generally an unpleasant sight to see swollen cheeks like a hamster’s.
It is clear that when entering a loft restaurant (for example), a program is brewing in your soul not only to feast on culinary masterpieces, but also to drink a certain amount of strong drinks. With this amount you should not let your guard down. In general, it is difficult to keep track of the number of glasses thrown into the mouth. Also, you shouldn’t “save your appetite” for a banquet the day before; many ladies make this mistake. On an empty stomach, intoxication may occur after the first glass. And in general, you need to have a snack before and after toast!
Mood
Away with all sad thoughts about work, noisy neighbors and high prices. There’s nothing you can do about it anyway, and it can ruin your mood. And don't count calories! This should have been done earlier. And today, task No. 1 for you is to relax and have a blast (of course, within the bounds of decency; if you don’t have close cooperation with your boss, then he’s unlikely to appreciate your pinching his butt). New Year is like a birthday, only once a year - have fun from the heart!
Homecoming
As a rule, this kind of celebration does not end in children’s time, and you will probably be a little “drunk” and even with a gift from the company, so it is advisable to take care of your safe delivery home in advance. Therefore, it is recommended to warn your relatives that they will need to pick you up from such and such a place on such and such a day or enter into your phone the numbers of taxis serving your area.
If most of our contemporaries associate summer with a vacation - the sea or traveling on a tour package, then as soon as we hear about winter, we immediately imagine the New Year holidays and. Celebrating the approach of the coming year among colleagues, subordinates or superiors, as well as with business partners, is a tradition that even those who do not particularly enjoy various kinds of celebrations do not refuse. And what, in fact, could be more anticipated and somehow magical than the New Year?
It is necessary to arrange a corporate holiday so that it is memorable, fun, and even unusual in some ways. If you are at a loss with how to approach organizing a corporate event, the Banquet Master will be happy to help you. Our specialists have extensive experience behind them; they have a lot of original ideas suitable for celebrations of any format. And if you already have some ideas, they will certainly complement them and bring everything to life in the best possible way.
True, in this important matter the first question will not be where to start preparing for the holiday, but when. So, when should you start thinking about it? Event industry specialists are unanimous in their answers: the sooner the better. Of course, within reasonable limits. So, it is quite possible to think over the general concept and format of the celebration, say, in October or early November. At the same time, you should decide on the number of participants and, accordingly, the location of the holiday. All these issues are interconnected, since a small holiday for a dozen employees is unlikely to require the same program as, for example, a massive corporate party for 100 or more people. In the latter case, the holiday program should be universal, suitable for people of different ages and areas of interest. It is unlikely that all participants in a crowded celebration know each other well. This means that you need to think through the corporate event so that they don’t get bored, dividing into “interest groups.” The holiday should not turn into a simple absorption of treats with the occasional toast. Although, the banquet menu will also need to be given a lot of attention. It is discussed with the administrator of the establishment whose banquet hall or venue you are booking for a corporate event. In November, it is not only possible, but also necessary to make a choice, since pre-New Year events already start in mid-December, and there are plenty of people who want to hang out with colleagues, so
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