3 Keys to Success: What do employees want in a company holiday party?

Your team has been working hard all year, meeting their numbers, hitting their deadlines, taking care of their clients, launching their products. So as the company thinks ahead to a proper holiday party, how do you ensure that the event lives up to their expectations and how great everyone has been. In other words, how do you make sure the pomp meets the circumstance? 

Luckily, we know what employees are looking for in their virtual company holiday parties. Here's what they want.

1. Reflection & Connection

The end of the year is a good time to look back on successes and growth, and employees enjoy taking a moment to reflect on the year. While a long speech does not make for a rocking company event, it is always a great idea to start or end your event with words of appreciation and acknowledgement from company leadership.

But even more importantly, employees want a chance to connect with each other in a human way. They don't want to just think about work. They want opportunities to engage and interact with colleagues beyond the typical smalltalk about the weather that happens on calls. Whether in-person or virtually, your holiday party can deliver on reflection and connection, as long as your activities deliberately account for both.

2. "Three-Dimensional" Interaction

What do we mean by 3-D interaction? There's not exactly a perfect expression for it, but what we're talking about is a fully immersive experience, where participants feel engaged and present in every activity they choose or attend. For in person events, delivering an immersive experience is easy. But for virtual events, it takes some advance planning.

At ZogCulture, we love turning virtual experiences into 3-D experiences, using some of our favorite games, entertainment, and activities to encourage participants to get out of their seats. What's even more 3-D? Sending your team curated gift boxes that ignite all five senses. That really gives an event the personal touch and the WOW factor. We've heard feedback that sometimes attendees forgot the event was virtual! Now, how amazing is that!

3. Special, Memorable Moments

A company holiday party or end of year celebration can't be run-of-the-mill, standard, or boring. Events like that are deflating and make employees feel unappreciated. So, it's important to create intentional moments from your event.

Spotlight the company's impact on the community and remind employees of their purpose and mission. Announce a new company holiday or extended holiday break. Have someone from company leadership write a special poem or message to the team. There are a million ways to make your end of year celebration special, but it just takes a little advance planning and a moment of reflection (remember that?) to make it happen.

So there you have it, the keys to success for any company holiday party. If you're doing yours virtually this year, then even more so. So now that you know the playbook, it's time to make it happen. 'Tis the season to be jolly!

Want help planning or pulling off an amazing, engaging virtual company holiday party this year? Check out our offerings!