Christmas parties: drop the mistletoe and mulled wine

The traditional Christmas themes have been done a million times. It is essential to come up with an original idea because corporate clients are becoming harder to impress, says Barry Muldowney, head of events at Verve Marketing.

His design studio regularly sits down to brainstorm and trawl Pinterest for visuals to help create mood boards that will tell a story.

"For an idea to fly it has to look different," he says. A party his firm threw for Google last yuletide was themed around indie film maker Wes Anderson's sumptuous drama The Grand Budapest Hotel: the designers factored in what the guests were going to wear, even building sets to recreate the grand salon and a private members bar within the venue.

One-upmanship abounds, says Mark French, managing director at Creative Events. Because in the past the office party has “all too often felt like a wedding with the same formula of dinner, a band and a DJ. Revellers really want more than that – a gathering that feels more participatory and really helps them get into the festive spirit.” His firm offers a carnival-themed evening that includes ‘Smash a Can’, ‘Whack a Mole’, and ‘Test your Strength’ stalls set up around the venue that guests can play after dinner before the DJ set starts. “It gets people to open up, get up out of their seats and mingle.”

Participation has become a buzzword in the events industry, says Mike Martin of London-based This Is Paragon. His firm organises sporting trips to the Grand Prix, cricket at Lords and Lions rugby matches. “Companies already want to get customers really involved in their brand, so why not do the same for your employees?”

A tour of Croke Park, with the option for staff to play on the hallowed ground afterwards is one suggestion; shuffleboard tournaments, darts competitions or foot golf are others he says “will get your colleagues involved and activate their competitive natures”.

Greenlight Events co-founder Róisín Callaghan prefers to steer away from a blatant theme. “If we wanted to do a party around the much-used winter wonderland theme we might incorporate snow machines and wind machines to create atmosphere and offer some sort of cocktails using crushed ice but the overall event will feel more newsy than a specific theme.”

Where’s me jumper?

Anything goes, she says and dressing up is a great way to help break the ice, which is why the novelty jumper trend has become a classic. “It works because there’s always a Scrooge within the work dynamic and an auld Christmas jumper carries them a long way towards the festive spirit. It’s very hard to remain in a ‘bah humbug’ mood when dressed in the finest polyester known to mankind.”

At Tayto Park, guests get to ride the Cú Chulainn rollercoaster pre-dinner, the ultimate 90kph ice-breaker.

Music plays a crucial role in the success of any party, says Emma Kelly, managing director of Elevate PR, who, harking back to the participation trend, suggests you ask staff for their floor-filler numbers and compile a set list from the most popular songs. “It’s a simple way to make sure they all hit the dance floor.” Flying superstar DJ and producer David Holmes in to man the decks at a party she’s holding in the RHA is another way of ensure everybody hits the floor. Last Christmas she took her staff to Ukiyo, a Japanese restaurant cum karaoke bar on Dublin’s Exchequer Street where they crowded out one of the booths and sang their hearts out.

She’s toying with the idea of a daytime event this afternoon, tea or lunch which taps into the zeitgeist. Wellness and mindfulness are huge trends in 2016 says Martin of This Is Paragon. “A company lunch or tea party offers a calmer take on the traditional party and could include smoothie drinks and healthy canapés, instead of alcohol.”

“In the business of events and PR we’re always looking for something new, a venue that people haven’t been to before or a space that you can make your own,” says Róisín O’Hea of O’Hea PR. “A disused warehouse in which to serve dinner for 50 people is one extreme example, but all this costs. You wouldn’t see much change from €30,000 for this suggestion.”

Mood lighting

Ambience is everything, says Tara Faye of Xena Productions. Candlelight is the easiest way to create a festive mood she says, suggesting you wash the room in “a sea of light using candles or battery-operated nightlights in glass containers of all sizes, from vases to jam jars to tea light holders.

Serving a flight of cocktails, say three different shot glass size mouthfuls instead of enormous and ossifiyingly-strong drinks will help everyone pace themselves. It means even drivers can participate without jeopardizing their alcohol limits.

Whatever you decide to do, be generous with the food and drink. “By the end of the year all your staff really want to do is to have a few drinks together and have a laugh, Callaghan says. “It’s often a hard message to get across to party organisers who are often a committee of employees.”

Verve.ie; creativeevents.ie; thisisparagon.co.uk; greenlightevents.ie; taytopark.ie; crokepark.ie; ukiyobar.com; elevate.ie; oheapr.com; xena-productions.com