Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas

Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas

Lucky you! You’ve just been elected at the weekly staff meeting to organize this year’s Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment.

Before you start worrying about how you’re going to please your boss and fellow employees don’t fret just yet!  There are plenty of great Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas to choose from.

First and foremost before you start your quest for the perfect entertainment you need to consider the guest list. How many people will be attending? What is the gender ratio? What is the range of guest ages? Are spouses / significant others to be invited?

And how about the general culture of your company? Is it laid-back, buttoned-up, happy go-lucky, or a mixture of the three?

Is there an overall theme for your corporate holiday party?  If not, there should be. A theme will provide the foundation for the rest of the creative planning process.

What type of venue is the party at? And most importantly what is your budget? Once you have all the answers to these questions you’re ready to start searching for entertainers.

Keep in mind when your searching for entertainment options there are three “basic” components to a Corporate Christmas Party that you’ll need entertainers / entertainment for:

1. The Pre Dinner Gathering – Where anticipation and excitement is at its highest, and everyone is mingling and schmoozing and having a cocktail or two.
2. The Dinner – Keep in mind some people are slow eaters, so dinner from start to end is roughly about an hour. And an hour in silence will seem like an eternity.
3. The After Dinner Soiree – Most guests would have had time to have a few drinks and are more likely to get involved with interactive entertainment, but avoid too much structure here. Keep things informal and by choice.

Entertainment Options for Pre-Dinner Gathering:

• A Professional DJ – No question, you need to hire a professional DJ to play festive holiday background music especially for the first hour when your guests are arriving. It will create a get in the holiday spirit ambiance that is definitely worthy of being on your entertainment must-have list!
• Interactive Game– Before your guests over indulge with too many adult beverages this would be the perfect time to organize a short, interactive Christmas Present Bingo! This creates an exciting atmosphere for the start of the night and with guests having the chance to win some great prizes like gift cards or a paid day off.
• Photo Booth– There are so many options for a photo booth, and green screens utilizing a professional photographer.  And if you go this route make sure your guests have a link to download their own personal photos to the Corporate Christmas Party FaceBook page.
• Roaming Performer; A Slight of Hand Magician, or Ventriloquist– would be a great way to break the ice and get guests mingling and socializing, laughing and having a good time.
• Christmas Carol Karaoke: This could be a fun and entertaining option and a prize could be awarded to the person or persons as a duet who performs the best rendition of a classic Christmas song.

Entertainment with Dinner:

Remember the main focus here needs to be the food however the festive atmosphere can fall a little flat during dinner unless there is some subtle entertainment set in the background during the dinner hour.

However, keep in mind that the entertainment you select should not over power the culinary delights or the opportunity to chat with colleagues and guests at the table, but should be there to ensure the atmosphere continues to feel festive and fun!

• Roaming Entertainers– Magician, Cirque Du Soleil Type Performers, and Carolers. These types of entertainers offer great value for money as they will often entertain during your Pre-Dinner Gathering as well through dinner.
• Variety Show– A live variety show can be one of the best ways to entertain a large group throughout dinner. Ideally the performances would take place at the start, and in between the courses of the meal allowing time for food to digest before the next course and finishing with a grand finale while coffee and dessert are served. A variety show can include exciting stunts and acrobats, comedy or magic to name but a few.
• Awards Ceremony– This can mean something very personal to your guests and if done well can generate a great atmosphere, with everyone cheering on their colleagues. It’s a great morale builder and an opportunity to recognize people for their hard work. This can be hosted by a celebrity for that extra wow factor too. Keep it short though…no longer than ten minute’s tops – at the start of dinner and in-between courses and at the end of dessert!
• A Pianist or Guitarist – Playing classic Christmas Carols and other seasonal songs. And perhaps you could have someone singing every other song or two (how about a co-worker with a great voice?).

The After Dinner Soiree:

So at this stage of the evening the average party goer has consumed about 2 pre-dinner drinks and roughly half a bottle of wine and could possibly be losing their inhibitions slightly.

This is not the time to have anything structured, like a quiz or game. This type of entertainment just doesn’t work at this stage of the party (believe us….we have first-hand experience!).

Instead we recommend you go for general entertainment which can easily be combined with each other and where people can choose if they wish to take part.

• Music by a DJ & Dancing – This is a must-have and the ‘HUB’ of entertainment for any Corporate Christmas celebration after dinner soiree! A good DJ will ensure your guests are dancing and having an awesome time up until each and every guest departs.
• Party Band– Similar to the DJ or can work in conjunction with a DJ, a live band can interact well with a party audience. You’ll need extra space in the venue space to house the band and ideally with staging to raise them above the dance floor for best effect.
• Games of Chance– Another fun option that has stood the test of time, games of chance! The beauty of this entertainment option is that guests can play if they choose too.  Each guest could be given a certain dollar amount of play money to spend on the games of chance. Prizes could be simply gift cards, a bottle of wine, a gift basket, an extra PDO, or  on-site at work car detailing.

Have fun, be creative, and if you follow our recommendations you will be sure to have your best-ever Corporate Christmas Party with the perfect entertainment and entertainers!

And should you like further assistance with your Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment please feel free to contact our expert team of event planners and entertainers at #CreateExcitement.

You can reach us by phone at 800-746-5558 or send an email to get in touch with Ben at ben@createexcitement.com  – we look forward to hearing from you. Happy Holidays!