Party
Line
All-inclusive
holiday
celebrations
Creating a holiday event that appeals to a multicultural,
ethnically diverse audience can be a daunting task for even the
most sensitive of planners. M&C asked leading events experts
for their best ideas for inclusive, secular parties that celebrate
the season. Following are six neutral themes that can work in a
variety of venues and for a range of budgets.
Chocolate factory
Mmm&chocolate. Just the aroma encourages a celebratory spirit
of indulgence. Greg Jenkins, president of Long Beach, Calif.-based
Bravo Productions, suggests transforming an event space into a
fantasy chocolate factory, bearing the name of the host
company.
Decor: Guests are greeted with the enticing
scent of chocolate (courtesy of a scent machine) as they enter the
room. Oversized cogs, wheels and gears fill the space, as do giant
“chocolate” pieces (created in a prop shop). Tables are draped in
satin brown linens, covered with sheer brown organza overlays. Gold
chairs wear brown chair covers and sashes. Centerpieces can be
anything from elegant crystal vases filled with miniature chocolate
bars to Cadbury-hued (purple, yellow and white) floral arrangements
and genuine chocolate place cards, with attendees’ names written in
icing.
Menu: Naturally, different forms of the candy
from bars to handmade truffles will be available, from cocktails
(think chocolate martinis) through dessert. The meal itself can
stray from the theme, with the exception
of a chocolate raspberry salad dressing. The perfect ending: a
chocolate dessert bar.
Extras: Invite the guests to decorate hats with
a variety of small, wrapped sweets. Or, stage a chocolate-making
demonstration, with taste-testing and take-home treats.
Winter solstice
The tranquil beauty of the season is a natural, neutral holiday
theme.
Decor: Create the winter scape with sheer white
fabric draped around the room, iridescent props of icebergs,
snowflakes and stars, and lighting and linens in cool hues of
cobalt blue and Arctic purple. Ice blocks and carvings are the real
stars of the event; the chilly blocks can double as cocktail
tables. A bar, where a variety of chilled martinis are served, also
can be carved from ice.
Menu: Serve elegant chilled dishes, such as
caviar, salmon and lobster. Desserts such as vanilla ice cream,
coconut snowballs and seven-layer chocolate bobsled bars harmonize
with the seasonal theme. For a more casual and less costly winter
meal, hearty chili served with crusty baguettes as the main course
is a recommendation from Jill Moran, CSEP, president of JSMoran
& Associates, an event planning and management firm based in
Medfield, Mass.
Extras: Greg Jenkins suggests a wind quartet to
provide music during the reception and dinner.
Medieval merriment
Certain periods of history appeal to the imaginations of modern-day
revelers. Among the most festive ideas is a medieval-themed
holiday party created by planner Simone Mets, a partner in
Kingston, N.J.-based Impressive Events.
Decor: An old Gothic-style building (Mets
rented a vintage convent) is the best setting to create instant
days-of-yore ambience. If the place has one or more working
fireplaces, all the better. Ballrooms also can be transformed, with
walls and ceilings draped in rich velvet.
Other period touches include tapestries, wrought-iron candelabras
and suits of armor. Minstrel music is the perfect complement for
the event.
Menu: Go for oversize foods such as turkey
legs, large baked potatoes, soup served in hollowed loaves of bread
and huge rolls. Mets enhanced the theme with appropriate
dinnerware: large pewter plates, goblets and rustic flatware. For a
specialty drink, serve hot mulled wine from a steaming
cauldron.
Extras: Costumed jugglers, maidens and knights
provide color and lead party games, including a giant plastic ham
toss (into a cauldron) and an archery contest (using toy arrows),
both of which can be set up in extra rooms or in a carefully
cordoned-off corner of the main room.
Wrap session
Take an oft-dreaded holiday chore shopping and turn it into
holiday party. Kathy Miller, president of Inverness, Ill.-based
Total Event Resources, and Meryl Hillsberg, CSEP, a partner in
Impressive Events, have done just that.
Decor: Hillsberg likes to work with a mall near
the company headquarters. Usually, the facility’s events
coordinator can assist with setting up special stations in the
center court, such as booths for gift advice, fashion stylists,
foot and back massages, and a concierge service where coats and
packages can be checked. Plan a post-shopping reception in an
events area of the mall. Some department stores also host private
parties.
Menu: For a daytime event, wraps, sandwiches,
cookies and mini pastries make easy, light fare for wearied
shoppers. Evening parties can be more formal, with buffet or seated
dinners, perhaps in a mall restaurant. Check with mall management
on whether outside caterers can be used for private events.
Extras: Designate a wrap room or area where
shoppers can drop off their purchases and have them elegantly
embellished by ace gift-wrappers
Holiday Party Don'ts
Company holiday events should be festive, rather than frustrating, for all attendees. How to avoid pitfalls? Bear in mind the following.
Don’t set a strict dress code, such as black tie. While some might have appropriate clothes, others will resent the need to rent a tux or purchase a formal gown, particularly when they might be low on funds due to holiday shopping, says Simone Mets, partner in Kingston, N.J.-based Impressive Events.
Don’t limit entertainment to music and dancing. Offer alternatives, such as as interactive games or fortune-tellers. “That way, Gary from accounting won’t feel forced to ask Betty from finance to dance if he doesn’t want to,” says Mets.
Don’t overdo the food. The menu does not always have to to match the event’s theme. “People like to eat foods that are familiar you don’t want to get gimmicky at a holiday function,” says Becky Harris, CSEP, president of Minneapolis-based Event Lab. “You can’t go wrong with comfort foods like meat loaf and mashed potatoes.” And be sure to offer plenty of vegetarian choices and nonalcoholic beverages, so all tastes and religious/cultural backgrounds are not only accommodated, but truly satisfied. L.G.
Seasonal Reflections
"The holiday season is a time of reflection and celebration,
which is how we came up with the idea for this event," says Lauren
Roth, CMP, executive producer/partner at Westfield, N.J.-based
Impact Productions.
Decor: Create a dazzling, reflective setting
with large, decorative mirrors set up throughout the party area.
Roth suggests using colors like silver, white and yellow or orange
to give the event a crisp, modern feel. Clear glass tables can be
used in the reception area, along with ice blocks and ice furniture
(covered in vinyl, so guests can sit).
If budget allows, glass tables can be used for dinner, and they
don’t have to be traditional rounds of eight; Ross suggests long
rectangular tables seating 20, complemented by white chairs. Finish
off this sleek look with centerpieces of single white flowers in
glass vases.
Menu: Any type of eats will work, when served
on mirrored trays and clear glass dishes.
Extras: Along with the mirrors, guests’ images
can be reflected through photos and videos. Have several
videographers tape guests during the event, and project the live
video onto screens set up throughout the room. And to get guests to
reflect on what their futures might bring, have a psychic or two on
hand.
Tropical cruise
Who wouldn’t welcome a warm-weather cruise in the dead of
winter? At Event Lab, based in Minneapolis, CEO Becky Harris, CSEP,
and account executive Sandy Smith created a seaworthy bash.
Decor: A prop of a cruise-ship facade can be
set up at the entry-point to the room. Smith used nautical and
tropical props throughout the room and tables; centerpieces of life
preservers filled with tropical flowers or greens festooned with
tiny holiday lights dress up the otherwise elegantly simple white
table linens.
Menu: Harris prefers traditional holiday fare:
turkey, ham, roast beef and pastas, because "that’s what people
expect at holiday time,"although she might add a fresh fish with a
tropical salsa garnish as one of the main course options. And to
drink: tropical cocktails, such as piña coladas and margaritas.
Extras: Set up an area for bingo or gambling,
with rented slot machines and game tables.