Get Your Corporate Party Started Right

• Book a venue large enough to accommodate the number of guests you're expecting. If there will be alcohol served, a hotel is a great choice. Employees can enjoy themselves at the party and then get their own rooms for the night rather than risk driving home.
• Book musical entertainment such as a DJ or band. You need music to create a party atmosphere, and dancing is great entertainment. It also helps having a sound system that can be utilized for announcements.
• Announce guests as they arrive and present them with a gift followed by a humorous comment or story about them. If your company is large, involve the department managers to get the information you need on each employee.
• Forget the sit down dinner and go with buffet style finger foods and desserts set up at multiple stations. Have your guests bring in a plate of food. Potlucks save you the big cost of bringing in a caterer, this helps pay for other ites such as decorations and gifts. Corporate parties are a time to mingle and socialize. Whether it's a casual party or black tie affair, serving buffet style is perfectly acceptable, and it eliminates a lot of the tension you can experience at a formal dinner.
• Plan some entertainment to follow the annual speech by the corporate CEO. To ensure things don't get too serious, lighten the mood with a fun game. Have each department elect a representative to compete in a silly trivia contest or give guests play money as they arrive and hold an auction for prizes. Another great way to entertain your guests is to get some card tables and hold a casino night. You can use tickets like cash and at the end of the night use them for an auction or use the numbers for prize giveaways. 
• Send everyone home with something, even if it's a just coupon for a free turkey. A corporate party is no different than any other party, and a host should always send their guests home with party favors.