Themes can provide a fun way for attendees to engage with each other, the activities and the event as a whole. For starters, it gives guest something to talk about immediately, dress up for and take pictures of. Themes also are helpful to the event planner or designer because it gives them a focus for almost everything. Holiday themes for corporate events can vary. Often the theme will relate to the time of year. For instance, if it’s October the theme might be Halloween or if it’s December it might be Christmas themed. If you’re thinking about themes, I’ll give some ideas below that are fitting for the time of year. Some are quite obvious, while others require a more creative approach.
January…Obviously a News Years party would be pretty popular early in the month. It would be a good opportunity to highlight accomplishments and shout out employees. Overall, it’s a good way to inspire happiness and motivate employees to take on the New Year with pride at work.
February… As we all know, February is the month of love. A nice traditional holiday party would be a Sweethearts Soiree where employees bring their significant other or loved one to enjoy a nice cocktail style occasion.
March…A fun filled day of bonding and drinking would be a St Patrick’s Day Holiday Party. This is one of the happiest, fun, easy going holidays of the year. It’s a great choice for a corporate event that’s purpose is to help employees decompress.
April… A nice theme for this month could be a Candyland theme. I thought it fitting because the most popular holiday around this time of year is Easter. However, out of respect for those who do not share that faith, I thought a Candyland event was close enough to the holiday to fit the season and still be a strong, fun theme.
May…Now this one is a little tricky. But if I were to host a holiday party in May it would be a Throwback Party. While it’s does not hold a celebratory holiday, May is the month you graduate high school and college so it’s still a shared experience that people celebrate. It might be fun to have a Throwback to Graduation Party where you wear your school regalia or even cap & gown. Guest can make decorative caps and tassels, and it could be a nice way to reminisce on such a life changing moment.
June… While this month doesn’t have any official holidays, it’s one of the most awesome times of the year. Why?? Because it’s summer! Who doesn’t love a good Beach Themed Party. And if you’re lucky, an actualparty on the beach. Water balloon fights, sunbathing, limbo. This is definitely a great month to host a Beach Party or at least a poolside party if there’s not a beach near you.
July… Well of course the theme for the month of July is dedicated to Independence Day. Without the 4thof July, we might not have the America we do today, and you might not have been here reading this blog. This is a pretty standard Holiday theme for a corporate event.
August…This is another ‘not so obvious’ month. But if you use a little imagination with a sprinkle of creativity, you can come up with tons of fun stuff. One theme that might be fun is a Generation Party. This means pick a decade: 70s, 80, 90s and go all out for it. Get music, food, lights, and decorations that were significant in that year.
September…If you’re like me, you probably feel like nothing really happens in September. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome holiday party. There’s one holiday in particular that we can have a lot of fun with: Labor Day. It could be fun to throw an All White Party or BBQ on or just before Labor Day. But…if you really want to live your life along the edge, I’d definitely host this event the day after Labor Day.
October… For this month, the first thing that comes to mind might be Halloween. While that’s a very plausible theme it may be offensive to those who might not support the holiday. Therefore, something like a Costume Party might be fun and respectful while also related to the season.
November… A great holiday theme for this month stems from the values of Thanksgiving. If I were to plan a corporate event during this season it would be a Staff and Employee Appreciation Luncheon/Dinner. The whole event would be dedicated to expressing gratitude and thanks to company employees. This event would be purely uplifting from all levels of the company.
December…Much like October, because everyone does not share the same beliefs, it’s important to respect those individuals. While Christmas is the most obvious theme for December, it would be nice to choose a neutral theme like a Winter Wonderland theme.
While all these themes are tons of fun, you still have to remember that every corporate event has an objective. Whether it’s raising money, team bonding, motivation, or team building that goal must work well with whichever theme you choose. For example, team building could work well in June or July because you can set up outside activities in the form of games. Team bonding would well in May because as employees reminisce and talk about their past they open up and learn more about one another. But whatever you choose, the goal and element of fun must be intertwined for a successful event.
xoxo
Justus
