The January Corporate Holiday/Football Playoffs Party

One of the events we attended this month was my husband’s corporate holiday party.  The party planners had the clever idea to move the party to January rather than packing it into December when everyone is stressed out and overscheduled.

It’s a great concept.  You have a better selection of venues to choose from, might be able to negotiate a lower price, employees may have fewer demands on their schedules to be able to attend and you don’t have to worry about political correctness as to which “holiday” you are celebrating.

The only catch . . . it’s football playoff season!

My husband and I aren’t big sports fans so we were kind of oblivious to this fact.  About an hour after we arrived at the party, my husband got a call on his cell phone from a coworker.

“Do they have a TV there?  Is the game on?”

My husband indicated that there was no TV but plenty of good food.  We were busy chatting with people and snacking on the great food and didn’t think much of it.

About 30 minutes later, two of my husband’s coworkers arrived looking jittery.

“We’ve been sitting in the parking lot listening to this incredible game on the radio!”

They decided they could not move until certain aspects of the game had been resolved.  Then they came into the party and begged that someone put the game on TV.

And the generous hosts obliged.  The hotel had an enormous viewing screen that dropped down from the ceiling.  So then you could sit there and watch the game and eat prime rib to your heart’s content.  It was a football fan’s dream!

Once word got out that the game was on, more coworkers started coming in out of the parking lot.  Men and women alike were riveted by the game.

Why?

Well, I should say that our party was very close to the Baltimore, Maryland area and that the game in question was the Baltimore Ravens versus The Denver Broncos– an exciting game that came down to overtime plays and that set the Ravens in motion toward their march to the Superbowl this weekend.

So, yeah, it was an exciting game!  And in the end, it made a great addition to the party!

Another great organizing lesson from this party was about babysitting.  My husband and I weren’t sure how we were going to arrange child care since the event was somewhat far from our home and we didn’t know any babysitters in the area.  One of my husband’s coworkers came to our rescue and volunteered the services of her older children.  It really puts your mind at ease as a parent to have a personal reference for a babysitter.  All we had to do was get a hotel room for the children and babysitters to hang out in while we were at the party in the downstairs lobby.  It was so easy!  If you really want to boost attendance for your party, consider helping your employees navigate any child care hurdles.

Would you prefer a December party or an off-season holiday party?  What are your favorite venues for corporate parties?  Please share in the comments.