For most office holiday parties, one good DJ plus one thing people can do without dancing beats any big production. Half your coworkers won’t dance until the second drink, and some won’t dance at all. The entertainment has to work for both groups. Everything below builds on that idea.
Start with a DJ who has played work parties
A wedding crowd and an office crowd are not the same. At a wedding, people came to celebrate two people they love. At a company party, the CFO is standing next to the new hire from the warehouse, and nobody wants to be the first one out there. A DJ who has done corporate events knows to keep the volume low enough for conversation early on. They play songs everyone recognizes. They hold the dance tracks until the room is ready. They can also run a microphone for the CEO’s toast and the raffle without it turning awkward.
When you talk to DJs, ask how they handle a room where nobody is dancing yet. A good answer is specific. A vague answer tells you something too.
Give the non-dancers something to do
This is the part people skip, and it’s the reason a lot of office parties end at 8:30. A photo booth is the easy win here. People who would never dance will line up with a Santa hat and three coworkers. They take the prints back to their desks in January, which is more than you can say for the centerpieces.
Silent disco is worth a look if your space has noise limits or you’re sharing a building. Everyone gets headphones, and the quiet people can listen without being on display. It also tends to make people laugh, which helps a stiff room loosen up.
Live music for dinner, a DJ for after
If your party has a sit-down dinner, an acoustic duo or a jazz trio during the meal sets a nicer tone than a playlist through the restaurant speakers. Then the DJ takes over when plates are cleared. Plenty of San Diego offices do it this way at hotels and private rooms around downtown and La Jolla. It works because the room changes as the night goes on, and the music changes with it.
A full band is great if you have a big headcount and a room to match. For a 40-person party in a restaurant’s back room, it’s usually too much. Be honest about the size of your space.
Things I’d skip
Anything that puts people on a stage against their will. Mandatory karaoke is the classic example. Some teams love it, and if yours is one of them, great. If you’re guessing, don’t. Same goes for roasts or games that single people out. Remember who is in the room. Your employees have to work with each other on Monday.
Book earlier than you think
Every company in San Diego wants a Friday or Saturday in the first three weeks of December. The good DJs and photo booths go first. If you’re reading this in October, you’re in decent shape. If it’s late November, look at a Thursday or a January party. January parties are underrated. People are less busy, and it gives everyone something to look forward to after the holidays.
How we fit in
SGM Events doesn’t perform. We book the DJs, musicians and photo booths, and we’ve been doing it in San Diego since 2004, licensed and bonded. Our job is matching the right act to your room and your crowd. Then we handle the back-and-forth so you aren’t chasing three vendors the week of the party. Clients have left 1,572 verified ratings, averaging 4.9 out of 5, and 96% gave booking and communication a perfect 5. You can see what we offer for corporate events and figure out what fits your team.
If you’ve got a date and a rough headcount, send it over and we’ll tell you what’s open.