Holiday party 2016

Just as some companies are still opting for venues outside of the holiday party norm, another money-saving measure that has stuck around since the recession is avoiding the standard Saturday evening event in December. In the BizBash survey, 42 percent of respondents said their offices threw a holiday lunch, and according to Carolyn Horton, the director of catering sales at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida, clients are now more open to weekday parties thanks to limited budgets. Arthur Backal, C.E.O. and founder of Backal Management Group in New York, says the most popular evenings for holiday parties now are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. “If you’re looking to cut down on costs, consider asking if any discounts apply for holiday parties during the earlier weekdays,” he says. Also consider a bash in the new year. “Year-end events used to always be in December, but now we’re seeing an uptick in January bookings, as well as in family-oriented Sunday brunches,” Accomando says. Galley adds: “We’ve done brunch setups during the day on a Friday. It’s a festive alternative from the typical evening get-together and a way to cut some costs on pricey spirits and entrées.” Pictured: Make-your-own mimosa bars are an interactive addition to a brunch event during the holidays. ONEHOPE Wine can set up a mimosa station that lets guests customize their own drinks with juices and muddled fruit.

Hosts are reconfiguring the traditional “food, drinks, and mingling” party format as post-recession holiday events become less about flaunting success and more about connecting with co-workers. While big, company-wide holiday parties are still the norm—47 percent of respondents in the BizBash survey had one—19 percent said they had a smaller divisional party, and 20 percent said they had both. And as groups get smaller, planners say that interactive teambuilding-style holiday events are on the rise. “I do find that companies are more likely to host a creative teambuilding-focused department outing around the holidays, like a scavenger hunt followed by a Broadway show,” Galley says. “I have one client who always hosts a group of between 70 and 100 at a restaurant for dinner, but last year they wanted to mix it up with something fun, so we rented out a Spanish restaurant and let guests cook their own meal—everyone loved it.” Chinea also confirms she’s seeing more companies booking teambuilding classes as holiday parties. “We’ve done mixology classes, cooking classes, and one option that’s really popular is murder-mystery dinner theater,” she says. “It allows guests to really get to know the people they work with and feel like they contributed to the event in a meaningful way.” Pictured: At holiday parties hosted inside the Seaport Boston Hotel’s Action Kitchen, guests get to prepare their own meal—and can even bring in family recipes.

As lavish affairs have waned, a new understanding that a holiday party should focus on employee appreciation has prevailed. Rather than using an event as an avenue to advertise success to competitors—as may have once been the case—companies are finding ways to make the party more thoughtful. “I think there is a desire to take care of employees,” Gorjestani says. “It’s not about having the most expensive champagne, but instead spending that money on a photo booth so that guests have a memento to take home. Companies are opting for that personal touch over opulence.” That sense of community also extends outside the company. Planners say it’s popular to add a philanthropic component to holiday events by donating leftover food or by hosting a volunteer drive. “Companies partnering with charity organizations is a trend that has picked up in the past several years,” says Chinea, noting that she’s seen hosts ask guests to bring in canned goods or feature an on-site activity like packing gifts for local homeless shelters. “Companies want to send the message that they’re thinking of others and remembering what’s important about the holidays,” she says. Adds Backal: “We’ve seen some interesting activities at Apella, including one where teams worked together to build bicycles and then donated them to underprivileged children. Charity-focused teambuilding exercises can be the perfect feel-good activity.” Pictured: Last holiday season, the Washington division of Vornado Realty Trust teamed up with charity organization Bikes for Goodness Sake to host a teambuilding event that had guests build bikes for low-income children.