9 ‘Gotta Try It’ Corporate Holiday Party Ideas Trending in 2017
When it’s time to start planning the holiday parties, you can almost feel a collective sigh and eye-roll across New York City: “Ugh, not another boring dinner!” and, “No more Dirty Santa games!” can be heard murmured from the cubicles. What’s an overworked, overbooked HR manager to do? Relax! Yachts for All Seasons gathered the best trending party ideas for corporate holiday gatherings in 2017. Whichever ideas you decide to use, don’t forget to book your holiday office party on a charter yacht!
1. The Non-Holiday Holiday Party
This time of year, all the kids’ schools have holiday parties, plus any clubs or organizations people belong to, the spouses’ office party, the neighborhood get-together, the list goes on. Frankly, people can get holiday-ed out. Shake it up with a non-holiday holiday party. Offer entertainment like casino games or a magician, and a dinner without holiday foods, such as burger bars or cold cuts and salads.
2. A ‘Back in the Day’ Theme Party
Whether you have an office full of Millennials or Baby Boomers, retro themes like the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s are all in vogue. This is another way to make your holiday party on a NYC charter yacht seem less cliché and more trendy. Incorporate your theme into the guests’ dress, food, and entertainment. For example, Party Like It’s 1999 and host an MTV-style video party (back when they actually played music videos) or go for a theme like Punk Rock or a 50’s Leave It to Beaver party, with all the men in business attire and the ladies decked out in full skirts and strings of pearls.
3. Pet Party
Another strong trend in 2017 is anything and everything about pets. Host a bring-your-pet holiday party, and invite your employees to bring their pets, all decked out in their furry holiday finest. This is an excellent idea for offices with lots of furbabies and few or no baby babies.
4. Athletic Wear Extravaganza
Perhaps your workplace has a suits-only dress code, and your employees are sick to the gills of wearing ties and high heels. Give ’em a much-needed break and host an athletic wear corporate holiday party. A NYC charter yacht lends well to every style dress from casual to black tie, and your guests will indulge in your holiday meal more freely if they don’t have to worry about spilling turkey gravy on their finest tie or squeezing another helping of chocolate mousse into that already tiny waistband. Let’s eat.
5. The ‘Make Something’ Party
DIY parties are all the rage, and games like Secret Santa and Dirty Santa are losing their appeal (primarily because most people bring truly horrid gifts). Instead, have a “make it” party, where guests compete to see who can craft the best gingerbread house or Christmas tree ornament. Other ideas include making their own Christmas stockings, baking holiday cookies, and mixing their own unique cocktails. Our NYC charter yachts feature generous areas with ample seating space for engaging in fun holiday crafts!
6. Wine Tasting
If you really feel like treating your guests, instead of having a “cocktail party” where everyone mills about wondering how long they have to talk to each other, step it up a notch. Set your holiday party up as a wine tasting room. Make it easy for the wine newbies by posting common wine terms around the serving room on the charter yacht. They’ll have fun discussing new discoveries, like a fruity California wine or a delectably dry selection from Australia.
7. Christmas Carol Karaoke
Do you have an adventurous bunch? Instead of hiring a live band for entertainment, give them a Christmas song themed karaoke party. Our NYC charter yachts do have good PA systems, so you can easily host a karaoke event on board. Who knows? You might have some seriously talented crooners in your bunch!
8. Re-Gifting Gift Party
If you like the idea of gifts, but loathe the overused ‘gag gifts’ or ‘white elephant parties’, try a re-gifting party, where all your employees bring gifts they received that they want to re-gift. Like the gag gift gig, nobody comes expecting to receive something wonderful. It’s a low-cost form of entertainment that keeps people guessing and laughing.
9. An International Christmas Party
Workplaces that employ people from all around the world can use the holiday office party as a chance to connect with one another’s cultures. Consider inviting people to dress in the traditional holiday clothing of their heritage, and bring or serve dishes that those people would likely enjoy during the holidays. Up the ante by providing a live band or CD of traditional holiday music from those cultures and play some games that other countries like during the holidays or anytime. If you choose this option, be ultra sensitive to the cultures you celebrate, as well as the workers from other countries, ethnic groups, or religions. Your party planner at Yachts for All Seasons can help you set up your charter yacht holiday party tastefully, so that you are truly celebrating international cultures.
From the venue to the dinner and refreshments, to the decorations and entertainment, nobody can offer you more than a NYC charter yacht from Yachts for All Seasons when it comes to planning your holiday office party. Contact our party planning specialists today to plan the corporate holiday shindig your employees will still be raving about come next year!
