So listen up, Ebeneezer Scrooge. What have you planned for your Christmas, er, holiday party? Absent a strategic plan, your event could be a disaster. Not to worry. Here are a half dozen tips from party experts Doug Wilson (DJ and celebrity impersonator) and Ken Groves (Ken Groves Entertainment) to make your event a merry and memorable one.
1. Hire a professional. Just as running your business is your forte, professional party planners and experienced event coordinators can make miracles for your seasonal celebration.
2. Buyer beware. If you hire a performer, watch out for cheesy acts: tone-deaf lounge singers in powder-blue tuxes; comedians with jokes left over from the ’70s; jugglers about as coordinated as Humpty Dumpty. Get references.
3. Size does matter. Select a location intimate enough for the number of attendees. Don’t set your sights on the grand ballroom if your R.S.V.P. numbers 50 or fewer.
4. Lighting, visibility and sound. Fluorescent lights kill a merry mood. If a speaker or entertainer is on the agenda, set the focal point out of the path of wait staff. Check out a facility’s sound system first to see if amplifier output sounds like a fast-food drive-through.
5. Don’t overplan. Nix the notion of an evening chock full of karaoke, line dances, trivia contests and creativity segments where you ask employees to brainstorm new company slogans. You’re asking them to work, not relax. Besides, the larger and more diverse the group, the less likely you can please everyone.
6. Save a door prize for last. When the last door prize goes, everyone hits the door. Schedule gift exchanges and door prizes strategically. Otherwise, you’ll be the only one left to drive home that inebriated mime.