Holiday Parties = Good Business

Culture. Appreciation. Fun

I’m taking a walk down memory lane and laughing at all the various holiday office parties I’ve attended over the years. There’s been the “we didn’t make any money this year because our sales team just can’t figure it out so we’re having a potluck in the conference room” party, to the “over the top party at a luxurious restaurant where we were chauffeured by a limousine bus with champagne” party, and the “meet you at the bar down the street party” party. Regardless of your venue, I’m an advocate for the office holiday party. The best office holiday party I ever attended was a party dating back to the 90’s when I was just beginning my career. We wore ugly Christmas sweaters back then when it wasn’t considered ugly or vintage.

The party wasn’t the best because it had over the top decorations, or the tallest tree, or because we went to the best restaurant in town, or because I came home with a $1,000,000 bonus. It was the best holiday party I’ve ever attended because of the way it made me feel. That’s right, the way it made me feel: happy, grateful, and valued. That’s a good combination for morale and just good business.

My Manager’s name was Dave, he was the host of the party. He was a rather quirky guy, but what I loved about him was the way he valued our customers and always showed it. I remember him making his way to a make shift stage and recognizing all of us as a team for all the hard work we had put in that year. I remember feeling proud to be a part of his team because we weren’t having such a great year, we were “rebuilding” as they say. He called us out for our persistence, for how we endured adversity in the marketplace, and shared how grateful he was to be a part of the family. He was truly proud of us, and I believed it. As he finished his year ending words, he pulled two shinny objects out of his pocket, which I’m pretty sure he pulled off the dinner table, turned the music back on and played a mean set of spoons to the dance music playing in the background. It was lighthearted, fun, and ridiculous all at the same time.

It’s evident to me now that Dave had me at the spoons. He created an atmosphere that pulled me in, demonstrated some of our company’s core values, and got me to belly laugh. It wasn’t a fake showing of “I have to do this”, but a grateful demonstration of how our company valued its team members during the Holiday season. He demonstrated those characteristics personally and urged us to follow. And then Dave provided a level of fun at his own personal embarrassing expense, and quite frankly, left me with a desire to work harder in the years to come. I could only imagine what he might have said, or what we might have done, if that year would have been a successful one.

Holiday office parties can be anywhere: at the boss’s house, the conference room, or the most luxurious restaurant in town. The venue doesn’t really matter, but the sincerity of the office holiday party sure is important to business. The party hosted by Dave was different than the others. I felt valued vs. it being a company obligation, and besides it was fun! Don’t miss out on an opportunity to celebrate and make your teams feel special. My suggestion is to party on dude, add a positive dose of company culture, a moment of grateful appreciation, and a bundle of fun. And if you’re looking for something fun that brings your team together and creates moments of belly laughs, give us a call at Selfie Events. We’ve got the right tools to come to your party and help your team make more memories, while you reap the benefits.

www.SelfieEvents.com

#photobooth #holidayparty #officeparty #goodbusiness #selfiebooth #SelfieEvents #Uglychristmassweater #uglychristmassweaterparty #spoons