Holiday Gatherings

The company holiday party has a reputation problem, and it is usually earned. A neutral room, a buffet, a fixed schedule, and an unspoken expectation that everyone will stay for a respectable interval and then leave.

Attendance is treated as the measure of success. Enjoyment is rarely measured at all.

What actually determines enjoyment

Three things, in roughly this order. Whether people can hear each other. Whether there is something to do in the first half hour. Whether the room is somewhere they would choose to be.

Budget spent on anything else has surprisingly little effect.

Activity beats program

Scheduled entertainment asks guests to sit and watch. A shared activity lets them participate at their own level and drift in and out of it. The second produces a much better evening and requires far less coordination.

Indoor golf handles mixed enthusiasm well. Those who want to play, play. Those who do not sit nearby with a drink and enjoy the commentary.

Timing and duration

Holiday gatherings work best with a soft start and no hard program. People arrive across an hour, the activity absorbs the early awkwardness, food arrives as the room settles, and the evening extends for those who want it to.

Both kinds of holiday gathering

This applies to corporate events and to private ones. A family or friends gathering during the holidays has the same requirements: a room worth being in, something to do, and no schedule.

Planning ahead

Enclave is being built in East Cobb and is not yet open. Holiday dates are planned early, so if you are looking ahead, request information now and we will be in touch as arrangements are confirmed.