The perfect holiday: how to organize a celebration without unnecessary worries

Holiday for everyone

What about big family holidays?
After all, we arrange them not only for ourselves, but also for relatives. And often a wife and mother are a cook, an administrator, a cleaning service and an animator rolled into one. How not to burn out while preparing for the celebration, not to run around trying to please the guests, but to have fun with everyone?

1. You need the right attitude and distribution of responsibilities. Delegate tasks to family members in advance. Let everyone be responsible for the scope of work that is within their capabilities, and then they too will be covered by a pleasant wave of anticipation for the holiday. During the celebration itself, do not hesitate to direct your assistants: children can be entrusted with decorating the room and setting the table, men can be trusted with arranging furniture and turning on music, and share concerns about the menu with relatives so that everyone can have a feast together.
2. Lovely traditions will decorate the celebration. Let it be something small, easily repeatable in different circumstances. You can write comic poems or stories for each holiday or give each other symbolic gifts. If there are musicians in the family, give home concerts and sing karaoke. The collection of funny joint selfies can be replenished at every meeting. It is easy to include new family members who will appear over time in such traditions.
3. Let your holiday menu include your favorite dishes that everyone can cook together, and then you won’t have to worry about how your guests will perceive your culinary improvisations. Cooking something that someone close to you likes is a way to show him special attention, and therefore create a warm atmosphere at the holiday.
4. Prepare yourself and your guests for the arrival of toxic relatives. We don’t choose them, and you can’t help but invite your mother-in-law to a family celebration, even if your relationship is strained, or your grandmother, who is always lecturing her grandchildren. You never know who is close to you or may behave toxically. It is unrealistic not to react to them, but you can prepare yourself and your guests. Warn others that you have specific relatives and ask for their understanding. Emphasize that in the family no one judges anyone, but that they respect each other’s differences.
5. Think over general topics for conversation in advance so that the communication is smooth, interesting, without awkward pauses and discussion of “forbidden” matters such as politics, religion or health.

All the fun holidays for serious people

General recommendations for preparing and holding celebrations

Whatever the reason for holding a corporate holiday, the main thing is that a joint holiday should be fun and memorable. A corporate holiday exists to combine business with pleasure - this is the main principle of organizing an event.

Therefore, all corporate events, even entertainment ones, perform not one, but several tasks at once: they perform some diagnostic function, develop the corporate culture of the company, and provide experience of successful joint activities to all event participants.

When looking for a holiday idea, try to be original. It is important that this idea can be brought to life so that your colleagues are “fired up” with it. Here it is necessary to involve people in the creative process even before the start of the holiday. Please pay attention to the following detail.

Sometimes in invitations to a New Year's party, for example, a respectable restaurant or nightclub, you read the following phrases: “Guests in carnival costumes are welcome” or “Admission in carnival costumes is free.” But imagine: you have difficulty getting a suit, you arrive at the club in this form, as promised, you are let in for free, and you discover that you are the only one wearing such clothes. All other guests are dressed in decent suits and evening dresses. It's hard not to feel like a clown for the entire evening! Therefore, if you are organizing a dress-up party, absolutely all members of the team, including the boss, must support this idea!

There are essential attributes of some holidays: March 8 is unthinkable without mimosa; Christmas tree, Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, a bag of gifts and oranges - symbols of the New Year; candles and fortune telling - Christmas. All attributes can be played within the framework of the concept that you have chosen for your event.

The Christmas tree does not have to be decorated only with toys. You can hang something related to the company’s activities on its branches. You can use the Christmas tree for one of the competitions. The leader may well turn into Santa Claus for half an hour. This will not harm his authority at all.

Often, for ceremonial presentations of prizes and awards, a holiday concept is used in the style of the Oscar film awards with fanfare, a red carpet, and a ceremonial announcement of the nominees. Nominations can be made humorous, for example, “the most elusive employee” or “the most responsible truant”, but only if you are sure that the nominee will not be offended.

At a corporate party, it’s not difficult to come up with nominations and choose gifts, since you know your team, the characters of the employees, their likes and dislikes. And if not, then you can always consult with your colleagues or subordinates. Many competitions and numbers should be created for specific people.

The scenario for each event should be developed taking into account the specific interests of the company. In other words, each specific party should have some concept. For example, if a company considers the families of employees as an important part of its life, a program is developed that is focused on including both adults and children in the holiday scenario.

Corporate events, in addition to the actual relaxation, should benefit the company in finding new ideas and directions for the company’s development, in relieving psychological tension in the team due to personnel changes, conflicts, and in connection with emergency work. A party is the best way to organize people’s acquaintance with each other, strengthen loyalty to the company, find out the reasons for some failures, and increase the creative potential of employees. Together it is also easier to work out the mission, slogan, style of the company, and formulate the norms and values ​​of the corporate culture of a particular enterprise.

To properly organize a holiday, first of all, it is necessary to approve the budget in advance, draw up lists of participants, select and book a venue, draw up and approve a menu, provide transportation for participants and artists, decorate the room with inflatable balloons, flags, flowers; come up with and purchase gifts and accessories for games, think through congratulatory texts.

It is better to entrust the development of an idea to a so-called creative group of 3–5 people. The most creative people of the team should be selected for this group, who should feel comfortable in each other’s company. It’s good if these people have a certain influence in the team, then their proposals and ideas will arouse interest.

The group must develop four documents: a script, an estimate, a list of participants, a list of props.

Stages of developing the holiday concept:

Stage I - proposal of any ideas without restrictions. Nobody criticizes anyone (often an interesting concept emerges from the most unexpected, at first glance, ideas);

Stage II - selection of 2-3 acceptable variants of the concept as a result of eliminating unnecessary ideas;

Stage III - detailed development of the concept;

Stage IV - highlighting the main idea of ​​the holiday.

And in order to save yourself from all organizational problems, of course, it is better to hire good professionals.

First of all, they must understand motivational corporate objectives, grasp the corporate style, and become familiar with corporate slang. As a result, offer a general concept of the event, a detailed scenario and a transparent estimate that meets the company’s needs.

If we take a closer look at the period of preparation for the event and the structure of the corporate holiday itself, we can highlight several key points that are its main components.

1. Selection of a site (camp site, ship, restaurant, cafe, banquet hall) in accordance with the plan of the holiday.

2. Drawing up a banquet menu. If the holiday is not thematic (beer festival, for example), and the composition of the dishes can be anything. We recommend making it as varied as possible to best suit the tastes of your guests.

3. Technical support of the site. Due attention to the technical support of the site should always be given, especially if a show program is planned. Having a stage, sound equipment, appropriate lighting and a professional DJ is simply necessary - it’s better not to skimp on this. The DJ will not only provide the technical ability for high-quality work by the artists, but will also hold a disco if one is planned at your event.

4. Selection of the presenter or presenters.

5. Development of a show program, rehearsal.

6. Festive decoration.

Now let's look at the structure of a corporate holiday in more detail.

The event scenario is built from several blocks. The simplest blocks are the beginning of the event and the end. It is more important to correctly fill in the middle so that there are no “failures” in the program and the guests do not get bored. For example:

– first block: 19.00–20.30. A gathering of guests, an aperitif, an invitation to take their places at the banquet. Congratulations from the company management, rewarding especially distinguished employees. Background music is appropriate here, for example, a jazz band, a chamber string orchestra.

– second block: 20.30–22.00. Continuation of the banquet, start of the competitive entertainment program, show program.

– third block: 22.00–22.40. At this time, a guest “star” usually performs, which is a kind of counterpoint to the holiday. If the invitation of the “star” is not planned, then the disco begins at this time.

Finally, an unforgettable fireworks display can be a good ending to a corporate holiday.

The proposed structure is a classic option for holding a corporate event. Of course, any event will become more interesting and eventful if you develop an individual thematic scenario for it based on the plots of famous films, books or events.

There should always be a scenario for a corporate party. Otherwise, all the efforts of the organizers will be chaotic and inconsistent. Even if you are sure that you clearly understand when and where this or that action will take place, even if the event is a “simple” briefing, a pre-prepared script will help you more clearly understand what is happening at the moment, and thereby save all participants measures from possible overlaps and unnecessary worries. In addition, if there is a script, it is easier to track and change the rules of the event.

If the event will involve a large number of participants, a rehearsal becomes a necessary stage of preparation. It is also indispensable if it is planned to use complex technical support or if it is planned to use several sites.

As a rule, a rehearsal is held no later than the day before the event, or (if the event is scheduled for late evening) in the morning on the day of the event - only in this case will it be possible to quickly change something in the script.

Maintain regular contact with the staff of the organization providing the venue for the event. You should always know where the people responsible for this or that part of the services provided to you are currently located.

Control the amount of alcohol offered to guests. As a rule, there comes a certain moment when only your intervention will help maintain control over the event and prevent its guests from regretting drinking alcohol the next day.

Be attentive and considerate not only to those whom you serve (this goes without saying), but also to those who serve you, that is, to contractors. Be sure to thank the staff of the hotel, restaurant or subcontractor company for the event, and next time you will be provided with not only attentive attention, but also a discount.

Corporate events are held not only to increase cohesion and, as a result, the performance of the team. Corporate events are also needed to promote the company. High-quality photos from a corporate event can significantly help with this, which after the event can be placed in the media, to create an Internet site or to design promotional and business products.

Organizing a corporate holiday is a responsible and at the same time creative process. It is necessary to organize a corporate vacation so that it is not only fun and memorable, but also useful in strengthening corporate relations. An active entertainment program, the participation of artists and pop stars, photography and videography - all this and much more is very useful for your successful corporate event.

If you decide to organize a full-fledged corporate event with a concert, disco, games and entertainment, it is better to entrust this matter to specialists. Maybe in the summer you yourself will do a good job of inviting artists or DJs, but if the event is planned in winter or on New Year's Eve, then any, the most unpleasant surprises are possible: your artists may get sick, they may be outbid, and others can be found two days before the holiday you are unlikely to succeed. Under these circumstances, the agency will certainly send a replacement that meets your preliminary requests.

In the case when the whole company decides to go somewhere for a special event, it should be borne in mind that the closer the significant event is, the more difficult it is to organize everything properly: select the desired banquet hall; invite exactly those artists whom you would like to see and hear; order the necessary accessories for decoration (from balloons to composition fireworks); purchase gifts and souvenirs, etc.

Therefore, the easiest and most reliable way to organize a worthy holiday for the entire team is to seek help from specialists in organizing corporate leisure.

Before creating an entertainment program for a corporate party, they will carefully listen to your wishes and get acquainted with the traditions of your company, the mood of the employees, and their thematic preferences.

The art of behavior at a corporate holiday is to show everyone a friendly disposition, to demonstrate all your talents, which, perhaps, are difficult for you to show during working hours. Mobilize your creativity. The impression you make on others should be pleasant always and in all respects. Remember everything you were once taught as a child: read poetry, write charades, dance, act out and improvise. But don’t forget that even during the most carefree holiday, you are still part of a work team.

As a rule, the head of the work team sets the tone for the celebrations. However, this does not mean that he is obliged to be a toastmaster, but giving a welcoming speech and thanking the team for their efforts is his first duty. In general, the worthy behavior of a boss has a beneficial effect on the atmosphere of collective celebrations and does not allow employees to cross the line of what is permitted.

Poems, toasts, games and congratulations are an “obligatory” part of any feast. The holiday should not be limited only to making toasts and drinking a glass, as well as devouring various delicacies. The party program can include showing magic tricks, practical jokes, competitions and games. And the imagination and ability of the toastmaster to entertain guests are of great importance in conducting such a program. In order for the holiday to take place for real, so that everyone is in a good mood, some kind of common activity or game is needed in which almost everyone present would participate: if not everyone will be players, then at least interested spectators will be required. In this case, games, competitions and any other entertainment will decorate the holiday and make it common for everyone.

During a festive event, it is especially important that guests need to be involved in games without resorting to persuasion or coercion. Perhaps, under pressure, the guest will agree to play, but will not get pleasure from it and certainly will not want to catch the host’s eye anymore.

But in order for as many participants as possible to be present, the presenter must prepare and offer exciting activities on time. It is better to offer games with simple rules and without any special abstruse tasks, since a holiday is a holiday to relax.

Games must be original and not very well known to the public, using attributes appropriate to the holiday. If it's New Year, then let there be Christmas tree decorations, tinsel and streamers. It is very good if the host prepares an entertainment script in advance, but it is not at all necessary to strictly follow it; the opportunity to improvise during the celebration should always be kept in mind. Then this will help to involve as many participants as possible in the game or any other entertainment. To do this, the presenter must have in stock many different options for games and entertainment from the collection he has collected.

If there are more people who want to play the game you propose, it is important not to offend anyone with a refusal and to give everyone the opportunity to participate, if not in this entertainment, then certainly in another. This will keep everyone in a good mood. And if the game captivates the guests and they do not want to interrupt it, then in no case should you insist on its completion.

The scenarios proposed in our book can be used both at a party with friends and at an official banquet. Scenarios can be expanded, supplemented, shortened at your own discretion, but it is advisable to maintain a single structure and thematic line of the holiday.

If you decide to hold a large-scale corporate celebration, then you have reached a certain very important stage in the development of your company. Employees must understand that working here is honorable and prestigious.

Your colleagues should have a good rest and enjoy themselves. Therefore, the team of your organization should be the main character of the internal holiday and actively involved in the process of its preparation.

Very often, organizers of corporate parties face difficulties when deciding whether to invite spouses and family members of employees. The solution to this issue primarily depends on the traditions of the company. If it is customary to celebrate corporate celebrations with other halves, and this does not cause fundamental rejection, this tradition should be supported. If there are no such traditions and the company celebrates holidays exclusively with its own team, where employees feel good and comfortable, then there is no need to introduce innovations. Inviting spouses imposes additional troubles and responsibilities on the organizer and the customer.

Firstly, this will make the holiday more expensive, although some companies offer to pay for the second half if, for example, the whole company goes to a country holiday home for two days. Secondly, a certain microclimate is created in teams: informal, almost friendly relations between representatives of opposite sexes are allowed, light flirting and advances are possible, and sometimes this is the most important incentive for an employee to participate in the celebration.

In any case, if the issue does not come down to a limited budget, the company must give the employee the right to choose who to come with. And he himself must understand this issue. One way or another, the “aliens” will not be able to significantly adjust the course of the corporate celebration. A good holiday should captivate them and endear them to the company in which their spouse works.

It’s great if the company has traditions of celebrating certain calendar dates, periodically traveling out of town or making a “cultural trip” to the theater. It’s good if, in addition to the company’s birthday and calendar holidays, there are any other holiday dates related to the company’s activities: the day the company receives its first order, a year-end meeting, balance sheet submission, professional holiday, etc. The main thing is that the date has a certain meaning !

On calendar holidays, you should not organize open parties to which people indirectly related to the company’s activities are invited - clients, suppliers, creditors. It is not only possible, but also necessary to organize corporate events on New Year or March 8th!

Special holidays are employee birthdays. Congratulating an employee on his birthday should be a pleasant duty for a manager who thinks about the future of the company. But is it worth congratulating each employee individually?

It all depends on the characteristics of the team and its size. If there are not many employees in the team, then each of them should be congratulated. The manager should say a few kind words to the employee and present a small gift. Subordinates appreciate such gestures from their superiors.

If the organization's team numbers several dozen people, then there is no point in congratulating every employee. You can, for example, organize Birthday Day once a month. The team leader should have a database not only of the birthdays of his subordinates, but also of their families. This is not difficult to do; the HR department probably has this data. Employees are very loyal to their bosses, who do not forget to give a card to their wife or a toy to their child on their birthday. American companies attach great importance to such little things, constantly updating databases about the families and relatives of employees.

If you are organizing a festive evening primarily for company employees, then you should not invite representatives of other companies, even if you work closely with them. Most likely, guests will feel “out of place” in someone else’s team. In addition, the presence of distinguished guests will turn the holiday, conceived as a “home” one, into an ordinary official event.

Particular attention should be paid to the invitation card. Originally designed invitations (in no case bought at the nearest kiosk) show the attitude of management towards their team, speak about the solidarity of the company, and arouse interest in the event.

Everyone who works at your company should be invited to the holiday. However, employee equality should be emphasized throughout the evening. If you don't want to offend people, gather everyone in one room.

If you plan to hold competitions during the festive evening, there should be plenty of prizes. Count on the fact that each guest should receive a prize, and feel free to multiply by two. Then you won't end up in a situation where some guests received several prizes, while others received nothing.

You should not play serious expensive prizes for New Year and Christmas: this requires a lot of expense and can cause envy. There should not be situations where the main prize “by luck” is received by someone from the top management or the family of the bosses! No one will believe in chance, even if the lottery was conducted honestly. There is only one requirement regarding competitions: don’t overdo it! For a 3-4 hour evening, 3-5 main and 2-3 additional competitions are enough.

And let us remind you once again - without a general concept of the evening, under which the entire program will be built, without a well-developed concept, a corporate event threatens to turn into an ordinary feast, where bored people eat and look indifferently at the stage.

A corporate event is no longer a tribute to fashion, but a powerful tool for creating an atmosphere in a team, increasing staff loyalty and efficiency.

It is appropriate to end the holiday with a performance by a “star” and a disco. There are two “dangers” that should be taken into account when preparing a program: inviting a musical “star” threatens that your holiday will become her next concert, and excessive enthusiasm for “karaoke” will turn the event into a concert of amateur singers from your group.

Holiday for two

When you and your husband are preparing a holiday for two, it is important to say your wishes out loud. How would you like to spend this day, what to fill it with?

1. Check the details if they are important to you. If you just want to “spend the day together,” you may end up on a 20-mile ski trip or an overnight ice fishing trip instead of the new restaurant or exhibition you've been dreaming about.
2. Do you and your partner or husband have different preferences when it comes to celebrating? Find a third solution that both of you will like. But keep in mind that this is not a “compromise”: it’s bad when what’s happening is not pleasing to you and your partner is not happy. Start preparing in advance: make a plan and share the preparation for the event with your loved one. Agree on areas of responsibility and say that if something doesn’t work out, you won’t be embarrassed to tell each other about it - preferably, of course, not at the last moment.
3. Talk about your completed items and your anticipation. Do not hesitate to carefully clarify, track readiness and periodically remind about the time remaining until the event. If you both are immersed in euphoria in anticipation of the holiday, then the long-awaited day will be joyful and happy.

Elena Let's have a party...

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What health experts say

• Find out what crowd limits your local government has set for indoor and outdoor events.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that organizers "continually evaluate" the situation, including the total number of guests, the extent of the virus in a particular area and the layout of the venue, when deciding whether to reschedule or cancel an event or significantly reduce the guest list.
• The larger the event, the higher the risk. “Unfortunately, weddings and funerals are high-risk right now, probably until we have a safe and effective vaccine, or at least until we can contain the spread of this virus,” he says. Crystal Watson, senior fellow at the Center for Health Security. John Hopkins.
• Stay at least six feet away from other guests as social distancing is essential in any group gatherings.
• Place a sanitizer on each table.

Secrets of entrepreneurs

Escape is always in style. “Many couples choose to drive through the famous wedding tunnel at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas because it means they don't even have to get out of the car,” says Charolette Richards, who calls herself the “Wedding Queen of the West” and owns the legendary Tunnel of Love in Las Vegas. — Many come on horses or motorcycles in accordance with the hobby of the newlyweds. Such events take place outside, which helps guests maintain distance.” Over the past 50 years, Richards has performed thousands of weddings.

What wedding industry experts say

• Skip the big celebration in favor of a “minimony,” a mini-ceremony with the person marrying the couple and one or two witnesses.
• Consider having a micro-wedding with no more than twenty guests. These budget options can still include special elements that are typically associated with large events.
• “Micro weddings allow couples to have the best of a traditional wedding without the stress and expense of hosting a lavish celebration. You can still have a beautiful venue, flowers, cake, a white dress and a stunning suit, gorgeous decorations and a delicious dinner if that's what a 'wedding' looks like to you—just with fewer people,” says Kelly Storey, wedding coordinator and owner of Storybrook Events, which has been hosting micro-weddings on a farm in Jonesboro, Tennessee since 2021.
• Ask suppliers about their security protocols in advance and include any necessary security requirements in the contract.
• Don't skimp on the photographer. Those who can't attend will be thrilled to see your celebration captured in stunning photographs.
• Accessorize your floral arrangements with mini sanitizers and custom tags.
• Skip the buffet table and use disposable tableware and bottled or pre-filled drinks. Buffets create long lines and crowds, which increases the likelihood of spreading the virus.