company party venue san diego

Event Planning 101: How to be a Great Host for Your Company Party

Anyone who has hosted a company party in the past knows about the stresses that come along with it. Gary from Accounting makes his awkward dad jokes the whole time, Carol from HR hated the food, your Manager didn’t have fun, the list goes on.

Where people often find themselves getting stuck in the party planning process is trying to make everyone happy. Here’s a tip: STOP! There will always be some stickler that will bring up something about the party that they didn’t like, or some detail that could’ve made the party better with their amazing foresight. That said, you should shift your goal from a 100% satisfaction rate to a simple majority, because at the end of the day, what’s important is that your team came together to do something fun, that isn’t their jobs.

So, drop the perfectionism, and build a great party with these easy steps:


Incorporate an Accessible Theme

A good way to get your team excited about the event and engaged is to give them a theme that they can participate with. You can pick something trending or ageless. For instance, flashback parties are always a hit; plus, we all want to see Carol’s Madonna impression. Or if you want to have the younger employees join in, choose something that is trending in pop culture – an Avengers party is safe.


Take Dietary Restrictions Into Consideration

It’s very important to take dietary restrictions into consideration these days. There’s no quicker way to upset or offend one of your coworkers by supplying food that they can’t eat. Here are a few tips to avoid this problem:


  1. Take a survey of what people want to eat.
  2. Ask people if they have any dietary restrictions.
  3. Ask your caterer if they have these options are available.
  4. Make it known at the event that the people’s needs are being catered to.



Be Smart With Your Booze

There are a few options that people take in this department. Some people learn the hard way that open bar is a disaster waiting to happen. But then again, you want people to come out of their shells and have fun. So you have to find a happy medium.


Consider rationing your drinks. Whether it’s buying a limited supply and telling people to share, or giving out drink vouchers, the best way to ensure a happy medium in alcohol consumption is to limit it. However, a good way to make people feel better about a situation like this is to buy the pricier brands. Splurge a little bit and let them enjoy the good stuff, that way they appreciate the gesture and actually enjoy the drinks at the same time.


Host at a Unique Venue

Make the event a bit more memorable by having it somewhere outside of the office. Places that have fun things to do as coworkers, like games or dancing, are perfect to bring people together. The point of these events is to get coworkers to connect with each other on a level that is outside of the routine. Studies show that workplaces which give their employees opportunities to have fun have higher levels of productivity and happiness.


Flora the Venue

Flora is a multipurpose event venue located in Downtown San Diego. Flora’s versatility, botanical themes, and vintage design make for a space that is capable of holding any luxurious event from a wedding to a company party.


For any questions or inquiries about an event that Flora can bring to life for you, don’t hesitate to contact us.