As crisp fall afternoons turn into cold winter nights, calendars quickly fill up with holiday parties. The trick is making yours stand out.
Like anything else, it’s all about location. Since most corporate parties are held at restaurants and bars, or even at the company’s offices themselves, a unique location can make the event more special. Hornblower Cruises—and its fleet of luxury yachts—may be just the ticket.
There’s a reason that Yelp, a company that knows a thing or two about the best places to go, has hosted its annual Holiday Hangover Party aboard the Hornblower Infinity for four years in a row.
“A holiday party tends to be the exact same thing year after year,” explains Ruggy Joesten, Yelp’s senior community director. “So as a party planner, I try to tap into something that’s a bit more creative to get a rise out of people.”
After all, a corporate holiday party is not only vital to workplace morale; it presents an opportunity to get people pumped about the company. So it’s worth going that extra distance to create an event that everybody will still be talking about long after the new year.
Here are some pro tips for taking your holiday party to the next level:
The invitations set the tone
Make sure your invitation gets attention—even in a crowded inbox. Amy Lott, the founder of Tiny Party Collective, a company that specializes in creating unique events, recommends using a video or a gif, and keeping the text short and sweet. Words matter. “Even using the word ‘holiday’ is something I wouldn’t necessarily do,” Lott explains. Better, she suggests, is using a phrase like “winter wonderland,” for variety’s sake.
Get creative with a theme
“With every party, you have to tell a story and take the guests on a journey,” Lott says. “Think through how everything from the food to the decor plays into the theme and highlights your brand.” Joesten agrees, explaining that incorporating performers like magicians or burlesque dancers can go a long way towards enhancing a theme.
Make the most of the space
One perk to throwing a party on a yacht is that there are a lot of different areas for guests to explore. Capitalize on that by having different entertainment in different rooms or by using food and drink to encourage guests to move around. “Multiple levels and spaces help create cool immersive aspects to a party,” Joesten explains. Yelp’s Holiday Hangover Party, for example, features roaming entertainment on two separate decks, a VIP area and multiple food and drink stations.
Take advantage of the views…and social media
Is there anything more magical than watching the snowy Manhattan skyline float by from the climate-controlled comfort of Hornblower’s fleet? Yes, there is. Posing for pictures in front of that snowy skyline. Have an easy to remember, non-cheesy hashtag ready. It doubles as an advertisement for your brand.
Take the photo booth up a notch
Photo booths are always a crowd favorite. But how many times are props like fake mustaches and funny hats funny? Lott recommends using a company called A-1 Array, which uses a multi-camera setup to create three-dimensional animations—primed for instant sharing. Another option she suggests is hiring an artistically-inclined photographer with a wide-angle Polaroid. Who doesn’t want artfully cool photographs of themselves?
