What is a Corporate Event?
Something that takes place; an occurrence.
A significant occurrence or happening. See synonyms at occurrence.
A social gathering or activity.
The final result; the outcome.
Sports. A contest or an item in a sports program.
Events by nature are big! Massive undertakings that require, sometimes hundreds of hours of careful planning and preparation. The task is daunting to say the least. If you try to do it yourself, sure you may succeed in pulling it off, but most likely (by purely lack of experience), you’ll leave those all too important stones unturned. Those little details you just didn’t know were so important!
Corporate Event Planners and Corporate Event Coordinators are the best professionals in the business who really know what they’re doing when it comes to planning out every 
tiny detail. An event planner usually specializes in coordinating large scale special events. A Party Planner, or Party Coordinator specializes in coordinating smaller scale get-togethers such as, Birthday Parties, Bar Mitzvah’s Bat Mitzvah’s, Corporate Holiday Parties etc. Each is a separate discipline.
By employing the services of professionals who specialize in Corporate Event Planning and Party Planning, you can be certain your next gala affair goes off without a hitch.
Locations
Catering
Entertainment
Music
A/V Equipment
Decor / Linens
Banquet Halls
Event Coordinators
Invitations / Printing
Party Supplies
The problem is that when you throw coworkers into a social situation such as an office party, no one knows how to act. All you have to do is read Dilbert on a regular basis to see the problem. Most people act differently in front of their peers, supervisors and subordinates. Add spouses and dates to the picture, mix together different departments, and you have a recipe for boredom at best, and disaster at worst. And since our government has become stricter about drinking and driving laws, the days of employees drinking themselves under the holiday table to loosen up are quickly becoming history.
Many years ago I used to work in Manhattan in the investment banking industry. That industry had, and still has, the money to throw very lavish parties. Typical parties involved management renting space in a large hotel, catering a wonderful meal, and paying a DJ for entertainment. Of course, in those days we also had some of our worst parties. In one company, the traders used to love to celebrate everyone’s birthday. Of course, their idea of a party was to pay for live strippers to come into the office in the middle of the afternoon. The birthday boy would get a woman stripper; the birthday girl would get a man. The male strippers usually embarrassed the female recipient, instead of making her feel like an office equal. These were the days before sexual harassment in the workplace was clearly defined. Once a man was hired who looked like a Buddha. He was supposed to grant wishes if you rubbed his big belly. Funny to some, I suppose, but completely inappropriate for the office.
Another company I worked for tried to be different by hosting their holiday party on the Spirit of Philadelphia, a party boat that cruises along the Delaware River. It was a nice idea, but since the boat was not exclusively ours, and because it was a pretty dark cruise, it was difficult to mingle. My husband and I had a lovely time on the outside decks, but it didn’t do much to enhance coworker relations.
We’ve been on some very lavish corporate sales incentive trips with my husband’s company, to upscale locales such as Hawaii, Bermuda and Palm Springs. They’ve nailed corporate partying down to a science beginning with the welcome buffets by the pool to the formal awards dinner on the final evening. Management will go out of their way to mingle with staff on the golf course, at the dinners, and on local excursions. The good will created at these events carries this company a long way
Sometimes the owner of a small business will host a party in her home. Although the hospitality may be well intended, I don’t think it’s the best option. From the owner’s standpoint, employees can judge your personal circumstances and make comparisons to their own less lofty digs. From the employees’ perspective, it is not as comfortable as a party held on neutral territory. The corporate hierarchy is still apparent when you’re on the boss’ turf.
Whether you plan to host a lavish or modest holiday party this year, keep these points in mind:
# Be as generous as your budget allows. Employees have worked hard for you all year and they are looking for a show of appreciation.
# You can make your event memorable by choosing an unusual location.
# Aquariums, art museums, sightseeing boats, rodeo ranches, regional airports are among the many different sites you can choose.
# Think about hiring entertainers to help break the ice. It can be a band, a DJ a magician, a local choral group or anything else which can cover for those awkward silences which are bound to occur at the beginning of the party.
# Have enough food. A hungry stomach leads to a cranky employee.
# Publish your policy on drinking, in advance, to avoid any misunderstandings.
# Well-chosen party favors will extend the good feelings after the last balloon has popped.
# Hire a professional party planner if you’re planning a big event instead of wasting your staff’s time.
# Mingle, mingle, and mingle. All of that positive public exposure is the added benefit of throwing a company bash
