| THE SCOUT 11.02.09 9:00 AM |
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50 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Holiday Parties: Food, Gifts, Decor, and More
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 | MoMA's pop-up centerpiece
Photo: Courtesy of MoMA Design Store |
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1-3. Skip cupcakes for a fresh, high-quality sheet cake. Bleeding Heart Bakery in Chicago makes spice cake with apples, brown sugar frosting, and streusel; a half-sheet for $130 feeds 45. Mäni’s Bakery in Los Angeles makes an organic carrot-raisin cake, which costs $160 for a half-sheet and serves 65. Miami’s Yummy Cakes and More can make its chocolate explosion cake, with a half-sheet (enough for 65 guests) starting at $65.
4. A low-tech, high-impact way to serve shots is to create your own ice shooters with Pure Modern's Cool Shooter shot mold, available for $12.95 each.
5-6. Forgo the frat-party look and stash cold drinks in a stylish ice tub, like one from Broadway Party Rentals in New York, which rents for $30 and up. Or, to dress up a plain bin and keep things cool, Classic Party Rentals provides the 6 Velon chilling wrap (prices vary).
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RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, iStar Financial, Paul Wilmot Communications, The Economist |
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| NEWS 10.26.09 1:33 PM |
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Poll Results: Fewer Scrooges for 2009 Holiday Party Season
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Last December, canceled holiday parties were a popular industry conversation topic, but 2009 looks like it might be a bit more festive than 2008—at least according to participants in last week's poll. Almost half of our polled readers said that they're already working on a holiday party, and an additional quarter of them reported planning a low-key affair in the office. Another 17 percent say that the final decision hasn't been made, and just 11 percent of polled planners have had to cancel their fetes.
Since we're already thinking ahead, what do your event budgets look like for 2010? Let us know what you've heard by partipatipating in this week's poll, which is in the left column of the home page.
RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties |
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| NEWS 12.09.08 9:00 AM |
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BlackRock Turns Holiday Party Deposits Into Charitable Donation
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 | BlackRock's 2007 holiday party at Cipriani 42nd Street
Photo: Courtesy of BlackRock Inc. |
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FROM NEW YORK
With the economic downturn axing many a holiday affair this year, one company took advantage of what would have been a lost venue deposit to create a charitable donation—and a timely PR push. When New York-based financial institution BlackRock Inc. decided this fall to cancel its annual holiday party at Cipriani Wall Street, corporate events manager Susie Weisenfeld sought to find a way to utilize the nonrefundable deposit.
"These were already sunk costs, and there was money sitting there. Venue contracts are signed years in advance," said Wiesenfeld, who approached BlackRock execs with the idea of turning the deposit into meals donated to City Harvest. "They loved the idea, and so did Cipriani. Ultimately, the chef there was able to turn our investment into 800 meals."
Although Cipriani Wall Street didn't host BlackRock's holiday party last night, the venue's kitchen was still abuzz all day, cooking up three-course meals to be packaged in City Harvest's containers and refrigerated. City Harvest trucks were scheduled to pick up the meals and disperse them to three soup kitchens in Manhattan and Harlem this morning. And tonight some 20 BlackRock volunteers, including president Robert Kapito, as well as Cipriani’s wait staff and City Harvest executive director Jilly Stephens, will serve 400 meals to the Momentum Project at St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Media outlets like Fox News are expected to report on the meal service.
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RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, BlackRock, City Harvest |
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| NEWS 12.09.08 8:00 AM |
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CB Richard Ellis and Hearst Corporation Host Holiday Party for Retailers
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FROM NEW YORK
Commercial realtor CB Richard Ellis and Hearst Corporation may not being throwing holiday parties for their respective employees this year, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten to celebrate those who really matter during the economic downturn—potential clients. The New York Observer reported that the pair hosted a holiday event last night for retailers in town for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ national conference.
The publishing giant planned to open the doors to its Hearst Tower sky lobby from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for the expected crowd of 300, but there was just one catch: Guests had to tour the building’s vacant retail space before getting access to the party. Hearst and CB Richard Ellis, which markets the ground floor of Hearst Tower, hoped visiting representatives from retailers like Barneys New York, Anthropologie, and Chanel might take an interest in the storefronts that have yet to find tenants in the two years since the building opened. Then, maybe, they can do some celebrating of their own. —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
CB Richard Ellis, Hearst Corporation, Hearst, Corporate Holiday Parties |
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| NEWS 12.03.08 3:22 PM |
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Barry Diller Wants His Lavish Holiday Party
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FROM NEW YORK
When so many major corporations have canceled their 2008 holiday parties, the real surprises this season have been the institutions going ahead with original plans despite the flagging economy and poor third-quarter results. Media conglomerate IAC won’t tone down its December 18 event, and C.E.O. Barry Diller thinks the holidays aren’t the time to let the economy dampen spirits.
The New York Observer reports today that although details of the IAC holiday party aren’t yet official, it won’t be much different from last year’s in the lobby of its West Side Highway headquarters. The 2007 event included a dance floor, a photo booth, DJ, rented lounge seating, a well-liked buffet, and a chocolate fountain. An internal planner at IAC couldn’t be reached today to elaborate on what else 2008 might entail.
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RELATED TOPICS
IAC, Barry Diller, Corporate Holiday Parties |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 12.03.08 3:18 PM |
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Guest Column: Saving the Corporate Holiday Party—by Measuring It
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We don't usually run guest columns when people submit them. (Frankly, they're usually not that interesting.) But this one seemed especially timely and relevant. With events and marketing budgets on the chopping block this season, making the case for holiday parties is tougher than ever. Here, Howard Givner, C.E.O. of New York-based event planning firm Paint the Town Red, a subsidiary of Global Events Group, suggests that corporate planners document the traditional corporate gathering's return on investment in order to save their parties (and, ultimately, their jobs).
Spotted owls. Whales. Company holiday parties. Meet the latest member of the endangered species list. OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much. In the past few months in-house planners have fallen into two categories: people who have been asked to cut back or cancel their holiday parties, or people who are afraid of being asked to do so at any moment. It's like sitting through the movie Jaws and hearing that eerie music; you may not see the fin yet, but there's blood in the water and you know the shark is out there.
Although holiday parties are not the only events coming under budget scrutiny these days, they are among the hardest to defend, because most have little or no ostensible business purpose that planners can clearly articulate. Deep in our bones we know they're valuable in terms of morale, productivity, building relationships, rewarding workers for a tough year, etc. But we have a hard time putting that into words. Business executives know that if they cancel a sales meeting or a client conference or a product launch, there's a consequence, a risk of an unmotivated sales force not hitting its numbers, or clients more susceptible to poaching from rivals. But it's hard for them to see the consequences of nixing a holiday party. Planners need to make a case for keeping this event, and quick. Don't look to management to do this for you. Identify the purpose of the event and the perceived benefits and outcomes, and compare those to the amount of money your firm spends. This is your R.O.I.: return on investment.
Yes, R.O.I. That over-used and under-implemented exercise that was a philosophical luxury a year ago has now become a survival mechanism for defending the holiday party, and every other meeting and event you manage. Because it's not a far leap for someone to say, "Gee, with so many fewer events to plan (or none at all), do we really need all these planners?"
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RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, Measuring ROI |
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| NEWS 11.26.08 12:36 PM |
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Bauer Publishing Offers Holiday Party "Plus One" for a Price
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FROM NEW YORK
Gawker released a copy of an invitation to Bauer Publishing's holiday party, "Bauer on Broadway," last night. While the New Jersey-based magazine group may be one of just a few going ahead with celebrations, the event is strictly for employees only—unless, of course, those employees are willing to pony up the $175 fee to bring a guest.
Following the R.S.V.P. deadline of December 1, planners at Bauer will announce whether attendance will permit extra guests, and staffers interested in bringing a date will have the opportunity to pay the hefty price tag. The cost for the December 11 Broadway-themed covers food and drink at Weehawken's The Chart House and the chance to sing show tunes with a live band. And since advanced notice seems to be the theme of the celebration, song requests must also be submited 10 days beforehand. —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Bauer Publishing, Corporate Holiday Parties |
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| NEWS 11.17.08 8:00 AM |
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What to Expect at This Year's Corporate Holiday Parties
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As we close in on holiday party season, a pertinent question on many an employee mind is what the company holiday party will be like—provided there actually is one. In the past month, many businesses have announced massive layoffs, and several, like Viacom, CitiGroup, and American Express Publishing, have canceled their seasonal festivities. But others, such as Yahoo and NewsCorp, are still planning end-of-the-year celebrations.
For those companies going on with holiday parties, event industry vendors note that almost all hosts are scaling back on costs, as well as the number of guests, the amount of food, and the decorations. “In light of recent events, specifically what happened with AIG spending $400,000 on a junket, companies seem leery of indulging in anything not absolutely necessary right now,” says John Ierardi, owner of event production and design firm Event Energizers in New York.
But it’s not all potluck dinners and recycled bar mitzvah decor. Hospitality veterans like Walter Rauscher, the vice president of corporate sales and catering for Ark Restaurants, are still optimistic—although wary—about the current climate in the industry. “9/11 was worse for us for sure. I’m concerned, but positive,” says Rauscher, who has been working in restaurants and hotels in New York since the 1970s. “Frugality will be the new black,” he jokes.
So exactly how are companies handling the parties this year? Here are seven observations based on conversations with planners and suppliers across the industry.
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RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, Herbalife |
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| NEWS 11.12.08 12:05 PM |
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Paramount Strikes Holiday Party in Favor of Tree-Lighting Ceremony, Paid Time Off
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FROM LOS ANGELES
Paramount has become one of the Los Angeles-based companies to cut its holiday party rather than scale it back. But that's not to say that the studio isn't offering wintertime rewards to its employees.
First off, the studio will honor a longtime employee with the task of lighting the company tree outside of the Bronson Gate on the lot on December 1. There will be hot chocolate, cider and "a very holiday, festive" feel, the studio's executive director for special events, Uschi Wilson, said Tuesday.
Paramount will also offer its employees paid time off for the week of December 22. Cancelling the party, which had been scheduled for December 11, was "an appropriate thing to do," said Wilson. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, Budgets, Paramount |
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