From black-tie to padel and pickleball: how workplace celebrations are evolving
Emma Pridmore, director of business solutions at Trinity, part of The Strata Group, explores why employee celebration budgets are becoming more targeted, experience-led and distributed throughout the year, and what that means for venue sourcing.
As we’re entering the season when our repeat clients get in touch to organise their work Christmas parties, for the third year or so in a row, I’m seeing a distinct shift.
It used to be that the venue, while never an afterthought, was more about logistics. How can we get the whole company in one place? All fed, and chatting, and (traditionally!) drinking?
Instead, my colleagues are fielding calls asking for something smaller and more exciting. A client rang the other day wanting to run a padel tournament for their Christmas party. My mind went straight to the logistics of getting an entire organisation onto the courts, but that wasn't the brief at all: this was just for the sales team, thirty or so of them.
And that’s the shift, at its core. Big all-staff Christmas bashes are increasingly rare, and smaller department socials that move the needle on internal culture are winning. Employee celebration budgets are becoming more targeted, experience-led and spread throughout the year, and venue sourcing strategies are having to adapt accordingly. Add to that the shift in office culture following Covid, meaning that the ‘everyone in one room’ model is harder, logistically to plan for.
The end result? Smaller events are winning. More tailored, less generic, and easier to run well. And while that’s definitely a shift, it’s also a big opportunity for companies to spread celebration budgets more strategically throughout the year. And for those still keen to invest in large-scale celebrations, there’s an opportunity to be strategic, give back real value and move the needle on company culture.
Emma Pridmore
Emma Pridmore
Small, but perfectly formed
Around a third of our internal celebration enquiries in the past 12 months were from clients choosing to invest in activities that do double-duty: celebration meets team building. Add to that a broader cultural shift away from drinking-centred socialising and towards wellness, and you have an opportunity for events that balance team connection, wellbeing and recognition.
Wellness retreats, sporting events and mocktail service are all in vogue. So far this year I’ve seen several big-budget enquiries for activities that I’d describe as a few years out from being standard stag-do fare: think go kart Grand-Prix, clay-pigeon shooting, or group experiences inspired by TV shows like The Traitors. The most successful briefs are often those where clients start with an objective rather than a format. That gives venue and event specialists the opportunity to recommend emerging experiences that feel fresh, relevant and genuinely memorable.
There’s a knack in pulling these events off and making them feel genuinely exciting, and it lies in the details surrounding the main event: excellent catering, a venue with superb sound, connectivity and accessibility. Early briefing is essential to get the best spots.
Going big? Make your Christmas party work harder
That said, there are still companies keen to invest in Christmas parties. We’re currently working with two multinational clients who are combining business objectives with their end-of-year celebrations. They’re opting to marry important internal meetings with evening celebrations; merging these two key events can be an important cost saving measure and feel very intuitive to staff members who then have only one travel engagement to prepare for or block time out to attend.
For other clients, they want one point of contact to manage multiple departmental/regional parties, to ensure that there is a consistent vibe, energy and level of investment going to each. Businesses managing multiple regional celebrations benefit from a centralised sourcing strategy, ensuring consistency while still allowing local flexibility. As part of The Strata Group, Trinity is a completely full-service offering, with venue, production, creative and even internal communications. For those ready to invest, we’ve seen these big events make an impact for brands on a mission during times of scaling, restructuring or rebranding, in particular.
Be memorable
The key takeaway is this: whether you’re planning a traditional work Christmas do or smaller, tailored events, try to remember why you’re doing it in the first place. You want to be memorable, not routine; think a big reveal, headline presentation or unique shared experience. Staff recognition with great audio and visual is a lovely addition. It can be easy to consider holiday parties to be necessary parts of the year, but truly they are an amazing opportunity to connect with staff and craft the company culture you want to see.
The most successful celebrations aren’t necessarily the biggest; they’re the ones that give the opportunity for meaningful connection.