Our team at Aurice Guyton Events wishes you an amazing holiday season. Thank you for a wonderful year. We look forward to an even better year in 2023.
Whether you’re planning a large outdoor festival, or a more formal corporate retreat, our team is ready to help you plan and produce a fabulous event. -Aurice
My best tips for a low-stress, at-home holiday party
Holiday parties do not have to be high-stress events – especially if your guests are friends, family, and neighbors.
I’ve included some of my favorite tips below to help you create an event that is as much fun for you as it is for everyone else.
- Have light appetizers ready slightly before the party begins for those early arrivals that may be hungry if they commuted a long distance.
- Graciously accept any gift that you receive and put it away so that other guests won’t feel guilty if they didn’t bring anything.
- Pre-pare a few hours of a family-friendly festive music playlist. This is something that can be done well in advance.
- Light candles for ambiance but don’t go overboard with decorations. A few poinsettia plants and candles create a very festive atmosphere.
- Chill the sparkling and white wine at least 4 hours before the party.
- Stick with tried and true recipes. Your Christmas gathering is not the time to test out new recipes or try that cool dish you saw on Pinterest.
- Gather all of your serving trays, platters, tongs, and utensils a few days before the party and make sure they are clean.
- Don’t forget the kids. Have games and activities on hand so the kids (if welcomed) don’t get bored. Hire older siblings or a professional babysitter to come help entertain younger children with safe activities so mom and dad can enjoy the party too.
- Consider hiring party waitstaff to refresh the food tables, manage the trash, clean the dishes throughout the night, tidy up the bathrooms and restock the bar/drink area. This allows you to relax and enjoy your party.
- Guests love party favors. Send yours home with a little something extra: a small ornament, a bag of cookies, even a candy cane with a bow is a sweet way to say happy holidays.
Delight your guests with a delicious holiday bevvy
Enjoy a candy cane martini from mixthatdrink.com
Ingredients
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce white creme de menthe
1/2 ounce of Chambord
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1 drop peppermint oil (optional)
2 candy canes
Instructions
Fill a shaker with ice and pour in the vodka, creme de menthe and Chambord.
Shake vigorously.
Rim a cocktail glass by rubbing the simple syrup around the rim and then dipping it into crushed candy canes on a saucer.
Pour the mixture from the shaker into the cocktail glass and garnish with a candy cane.
How to Get Buy-in from Your Most Important Stakeholders when Planning Corporate Events
Last month we celebrated the rebound of the events industry just in time for the economy to say, “here, hold my beer.”
As layoffs continue in the tech industry, many are asking if now is the right time to plan a company-wide event.
The answer is an unequivocal, “yes!” It is more important than ever to bring employees together to bolster confidence and encourage a positive work environment.
Humans crave in-person interaction and after two years of lock downs and meeting online over a screen, even introverts are ready to come together in person.
And, with so many companies going fully remote or opting for a hybrid workplace, corporate gatherings and retreats are even more important.
But, there’s another reason coming together as a team is important now. Layoffs in the tech industry have a lot of employees nervous about the future of their jobs.
A company-wide gathering might seem extravagant, but an event designed specifically for team building can go a long way to calm fears and help employees feel valued and more focused on your common goal.
Just say, “No,” to extravagance
Many companies show their appreciation to their employees by hosting extravagant events. When employees are mourning the loss of fellow employees to layoffs and worried about their own jobs, a budget-grade event isn’t going to bolster their enthusiasm and confidence.
However, if you host an extravagant, elaborate event, you’ll have employees calculating how many of their fellow workers’ jobs could have been saved.
So, an event that shows you are economically sound but respectful of those former employees who just lost their jobs is key when planning a corporate event during uncertain times.
Even the most well-planned event hosted with the best intentions can fall flat. You can avoid this by incorporating employee feedback at each stage of your event plan.
Here are some ideas for getting buy-in from your employees – your real guests of honor:
- Seek feedback after each event – large or small
- Make feedback anonymous
- Incorporating employee feedback consistently and highlight changes you’ve made based on feedback
- Call out and give credit to employees that share ideas you’ve implemented
- Make it easy for all employees to participate in feedback sessions
- Provide incentives for those who participate in planning events or who volunteer to work events
- If you’re hosting a family-friendly event, get feedback from parents on what service and activities they need for their children so they can have fun as a family
Planning a corporate event that brings your team together can be just the solution for the flagging confidence and low motivation many feel during tough economic times. Follow the tips above to get buy-in from your most important guests. And, of course, I’m always happy to help if you need me.
Aurice Guyton Events Can Now Help You with Hotel Reservations as Part of the International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN)
We are excited to be able to offer our clients even greater service when planning corporate and personal events. Aurice is now an accredited agent through the IATA International Airlines Travel Agent Network.
As a non-ticketing agent, Aurice can book groups, negotiate room rates, special concessions, book off-site activities and accommodations for hotels. This accreditation does not allow for airline booking.
Aurice Guyton Events will also be able to negotiate discounts we can pass on to our clients.
This travel industry credential recognizes agents who meet a set of standards valued by airlines, the travel agent community, and travel consumers.
If you’re planning a large event requiring hotel accommodations, allow Aurice Guyton Events to manage your group’s bookings.
We’re excited to continue to grow in ways that serve our clients.
