As we move into the holiday season, we’re pumped up at B-Boy Productions! Part of it is just because there is a genuine shift in the atmosphere. People tend to get excited as we move into a time of family get-togethers and reflection on the past year. New holiday music albums are released, Starbucks holiday drinks and….holiday parties are thrown!
We’ve seen a resurgence of company holiday parties over the last few years which is a good thing. Why should these parties matter and why should companies do them? Here’s our top 3 reasons:
*IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO EMPLOYEES…that you, as a company, care. With the economy being erratic at times over the years, this gives employees a feeling that things are OK in their company world. It also shows that the company is willing to spend money, which could otherwise pad the company’s bottom line, to lift company morale.
*IT ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO LET THEIR GUARD DOWN…and just be them. It is t a great way to see how down to earth everyone is OUTSIDE the office. This also has been known to create bonding moments among employees alike. We hear these types of comments all the time in our holiday party debriefs with clients.
*IT’S HEALTHY TO CELEBRATE…how the year went. If it was a good, it’s easy to do. But even if it is a down year, there is still victory in what was learned through it. Management can use it as an opportunity to encourage employees to look foward to the following year. But most of all, it always good to celebrate your team.
With all that said, we don’t take these events lightly. We try to create an atmosphere that adds to those things and make the event one to remember. So what are some of our ideas to make these events stand out? Glad you asked!
*PROGRAM THE NIGHT LIKE YOU WOULD A PRODUCTION! This might seem silly at first but there’s a ton of truth in this. You want the night to have ebb and flow, encouraging guests to stay throughout the entire event. There is no “formula” or websites dedicated to holiday parties (like The Knot or Wedding which help wedding couples) so this is where we come in. Just a few examples of ways we try to keep it flowing:
– Don’t do all your raffles in the beginning or at end of the night
– Come up with creative ways to entertain during dinner (we have a ton of these things in our arsenal)
– Holiday entertainment should be more than just Holiday music
*ADD A PHOTO BOOTH! This is the perfect complement to your main entertainment. You can utilize this as guests arrive, during dinner and/or while the dancing is going on. The print-outs also make a great party favor for your guests to take home. Talk about letting loose and breaking down barriers; nothing does that quite like a photo booth. In our case, we have two types of booth styles and we also give you all the photos on a jump drive to use as you wish (blackmail possibly? ha!).
*ADD KARAOKE! This can definitely take your party to another level. It also can get people out of their shell pretty quickly. We’ve done “battle of the departments”, “women vs men”, and various other types of karaoke party competitions. You also may find some hidden talent within your company (and some amazing YouTube material to post). If you’ve never had this at your party, you don’t know what you’re missing!
*THE RAFFLE MUSIC! If you’re not careful, the raffles can suck all the energy out of the room (accomplishing the exact opposite of what you’d think would happen). Why? Because there is no musical help here. The average DJ just waits until this portion is over and then resumes with the holiday or dancing music. In some cases, the raffle can take 15-20 minutes. Talk about a buzz kill (pun intended). We utilize “audio stingers” during each raffle pull and as winners make their way to the stages. These are short 10-20 second pre-produced clips of songs (typically the hook) like Dancing Queen, Respect, Movin’ On Up, Jeopardy Theme, Sexy and I Know It, Roar, etc. and we play off the vibe of prizes being raffled and those who win them. We have about 100-200 of these ready to go and we can fire them at any time.
*WALKING MUSIC! At most company holiday parties, the CEO or someone on the management team gives a few words either as a welcome or in the middle of the night. This is a great opportunity to honor him or her with some “walking music” as they make their way to the stage. Think about the Oscars. There’s always walking music as speakers make their way to the stage. The song choice can range from comical (Rocky Theme, Superman Theme, I’m Too Sexy, etc.) to serious (instrumental music).
*GAMES & SKITS! I know what you’re thinking…these will be CHEESY! Well, surprise, the ones we do are not. These can run the gamut as we’re constantly adding new and fresh games and skits to the mix. Everything from “Holiday Trivia” to “Celebrity Sightings” to “Build A Snowman” to “Name that Guitar Riff” – this is just a small snippet of what we can do.
At the end of the day, our goal is to have company employees be able to forget what’s happening in their world with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and just enjoy one another for the few hours we’re there. If we do it right, we’ll have helped create moments that will be talked about for years to come. Let us help you do that. Contact us for availability.