How to Throw a Great Corporate Holiday Party

Our General Manager Kevin Mazzone was recently featured in the Business in Vancouver‘s Learn From Leaders section with an article about corporate holiday parties. Read the full article below!

How to throw a great corporate holiday party
By Kevin Mazzone: General Manager, The Lazy Gourmet

Corporate holiday parties are a wonderful way of showing appreciation to your staff and clients. They build morale, bring teams together, and help people feel valued. Too often, though, office holiday parties are boring and unimaginative. So how do you throw a corporate bash your employees and customers actually want to attend?

At The Lazy Gourmet, we’ve been helping companies plan their corporate holiday parties for over 36 years. (That’s a lot of parties!) Here are five tips for throwing a great corporate holiday fête:

1) Have an expert do the work. Don’t do it yourself. Just like you’d hire an accountant to do your taxes, hire an expert to plan your party. And make sure your event planner knows their stuff. For instance, at The Lazy Gourmet, we’re adept at everything from full bar service, to heaters, tenting, ice bars, lighting, décor, entertainment, security, and even invitations.

2) A truly successful party has truly great food. People remember the food. (I ran into someone the other day who was reminiscing about the mini Yorkshire puddings we served at their Christmas party five years ago.)  A corporate holiday party is decidedly not the time for reheated frozen lasagna and garlic bread from Costco! You can skimp on a lot of things, but don’t skimp on the food.

3) Remember to accommodate for dietary restrictions. You don’t want to hear Joe from the IT Department complaining on Monday morning that there wasn’t any gluten-free cake at your Christmas bash. Make sure your menu includes a variety of dietary options, so everyone has something to choose from. (We’ve catered numerous parties with menus that included vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. People with dietary restrictions love it!)

4) Don’t do the same ol‘, same ol‘. Too often companies get stuck doing parties the same way every year. Change it up. Create a unique party that people will remember. How about a Christmas masquerade ball, a Prohibition-era party (highballs!), or an Amazing Race event (complete with scavenger hunts)?

5) Hire someone who makes you look good. When you hire a professional to cater your party, it elevates the feel of the event, which, in turn, elevates your brand. Remember that your holiday party should reflect the care and quality that goes into your company’s day-to-day business. A good caterer can put your company in the best possible light.
One last thing. If you’re hosting a party for your staff, have fun. When the host is relaxed and enjoying themselves, everyone else will, too.

For more information about our holiday catering and event planning services, click here.