An office party doesn’t need to be a swamp of boredom and forced socialization. It can be all the opposite and serve as a situation in which you and your staff truly loosen up. With the right kind of vibe, you and your whole team can have some honestly good fun and possibly bond in whole new ways that create lasting friendships outside of work itself.
Now let’s get down to several tips, tricks, gift ideas and organization tactics for hosting an office party that’s the real deal in being enjoyed by everyone invited and remembered for years to come.
Logistics & Timing
For your office party to be kickass, it also needs to be practical and accessible for everyone involved. What this means is that several logistics and timing points should be kept firmly in mind for organizing it. These include essentials such as the following:
Convenient timing: There’s almost no way to organize a holiday party that perfectly fits absolutely every team member’s schedule, but you can at least schedule it for a time and date that’s least likely to cause problems for the majority of your staff.
In order to pull this off, keep the date of the party away from the holiday dates in which most staffers are likely to want for family time. And in terms of the hour, sure, the party is probably going to run until late into the night, but at least get it started at a reasonable time of night, that isn’t too late or too early.
Getting there and away: Whether you’re going to have your party at the office itself or some other venue is a thing you need to decide well in advance and plan ahead for. This means giving everyone clear instructions for how to arrive and where if the party is somewhere else. It also means helping your staff with the basic logistics of arriving and leaving: If you know that the location is a bit distant, send out clear directions, also for public transport.
Also, if your staff is going to drink at the party, a great idea would be to set up transport options for getting them all back home. Uber credits, taxi vouchers or even pre-arranged designated drivers for teams of staffers are all useful options.
Another idea you should try out for keeping your employees and guests punctual is a gift giveaway with cool, unique items for anyone who arrives on time or before a certain hour. This could be a great way to prevent a party that starts kicking into gear only when it’s just a bit later than you’d like.
Location, Location, Location
Office parties held in the very same place where everyone works each day might flow well enough, but they might also just be a reminder of work but disguised as fun. For this reason and a few others, it might just be a good idea to host your office party somewhere different from the office.
Depending on your budget, the location could be a restaurant that you’ve reserved in advance, an event salon or the VIP areas of a bar that’s accessible to everyone on your staff. It could also be someone’s home or even an outdoor venue if the weather’s nice enough.
Whichever place you choose, make sure that it’s within easy reach of the majority of your employees and that it can be safely used to really let loose, have fun and hang out together comfortably.
Drinks, Snacks and Goodies
No party is worth mentioning attending if it doesn’t come with a decent amount of alcohol, good food, snack-worthy goodies and all kinds of cool gift swag included in the night’s menu. If you’re hosting the party for your staff, these are all things that you should pay for and have available up to a certain budget that you can handle.
Don’t skimp on these expenses either. Having an office party in which you also force your entire staff to spend plenty of their own money just to have a bit to eat or a few drinks is not a great method of keeping things memorable. Instead, offer at least enough alcohol for the right level of social lubrication to get started. As for food, at the very least cover snacks and some great appetizers as starter fare for the afternoon or evening.
Your party’s food and drinks policy will obviously also depend on your budget and staff size:
If your office team is truly large and numbers in the dozens of staffers, then obviously you’ll have to focus on a party that’s organized more for mass appeal and being cost effective among dozens of staffers. If on the other hand, you’re hosting an event for a small office team of your closest staffers, let the small number of people let you spend a bit of extra on each of them.
This means inviting your teams to an especially good event dinner or being particularly generous with unique gifts for each employee.
Giveaways and Cute Gifts
No party is complete without giveaways, gifts and all kinds of fun swag that livens the night up and makes things just a bit more exciting.
For your party, you should organize giveaway tote bags or customized backpacks that come with plenty of awesome goodies. By this, we mean making your gifts about things that go beyond simple candy, snacks and trinkets.
Instead, invest in promotional swag bags and gifts loaded with goodies that any adult can appreciate. Gourmet kitchen accessories, unique outdoor wear, household tools and so many other small but interesting gifts like that can all be great ideas for a swag bag that’s actually worth wanting.
To liven things up even more, hold competitions and games during the party in which participating team members can win something cool enough that it’s worth a bit of fun competition.
Great examples include gift certificates for dinner at a gourmet restaurant, bottles of fine liquor, wine or champagne or awesome electronics and audio accessories. There are many theme and gift ideas you can go for when it comes to gifts, giveaways and prizes on holiday party night. The main limitation is your budget.
What you can be sure of is that any gift you give will be all the more memorable if its genuinely useful, lovely, tasty, long-lasting or uniquely personalized.
Personalized presents for a memorable night
While unique and useful or lovely gifts are an excellent way to liven your holiday party up and give your staff some fun memories, few things will be quite as memorable as a selection of completely personalized gifts for everyone, or at least for your closest team members.
There’s no rule about having to give these out at an office party, but if you do, you’ll almost certainly make those who receive them at some point during a relaxing night feel appreciated.
If you know your individual employees’ needs and preferences well enough to pick and choose the exact items you want to give each of them, then Bagmasters has no shortage of fantastic ideas for just the right presents for just the right people.
Some affordable but memorable ideas include any of the following:
Have an employee who just moved into a new home and still needs a household accessory or two? A large bamboo cutting board with silicone grip and accessory cutting wheel for pizzas and flat breads is a great token of appreciation that shows your consideration for their new home.
Or what if one of your team members just loves their BBQ cook-outs on the patio over some beers? Well, how about a five-piece Grill Master Bamboo BBQ set that’s guaranteed to remind them of your holiday party every time they toss on some steaks or burgers? If you’d like something a bit more elaborate, Bagmasters also has plenty of other options for BBQ and picnic lovers.
Maybe some of your team members just love their outdoor adventure time and lounging around a fire during camping tips? Well, show them your appreciation with a Koozy Kamp hammock that’s sure to please when they lay back for a quick nap on one of their vacation outings.
A final word on awesome holiday parties
Holiday parties are all about giving your staff and team something memorable and interesting to take home with them after a relaxing night of leaving the worries of work behind. This can be a memory of a good meal or a great night of games, or more concretely, a pile of unique presents that they can enjoy for a long time afterwards. The Bagmasters catalogue has got you firmly covered on that last category with its enormous selection of custom and specialty gift ideas for any kind of office or holiday party.
