Office event games

Think about this format as a sponsorship benefit or a sponsorship experience. You are going to drive traffic to the trade show floor and use content from exhibitors to populate the trivia game. The game works like this: Setup a leaderboard on a large monitor behind a 6-foot bar or a horseshoe-shaped bar.

Then put multiple iPads on tabletop stands. Players will walk up and start playing the trivia game, and a small crowd will form.

When you use a trivia bar , you create an entertaining physical space where attendees play shoulder to shoulder. Plus, you create a new sponsor benefit for exhibitors. At the end of the event you can give the sponsors game metrics such as unique game players, the number of games played and performance data such as the number of trivia questions answered about the sponsor and how attendees answered the questions.

Learn More or See Examples. If you have ever played bar trivia, the countdown trivia game might be familiar to you. You give attendees 12 — 20 seconds to answer trivia questions. The faster the player answer the question, the more points they earn. However, the points will decrease as the time ticks off the clock. So, players need to think and act quickly to do well in this game.

This game rewards your sharpest attendees and game players. Use this type of gameplay at the end of a conference, instead of a test or quiz.

It can be an energizing experience for your attendees to see how much they know. The graphics could be of race cars, horses, and more — that are racing to the finish line. As players or teams answer the questions correctly, their vehicle or another themed character moves forward.

The winner is the first player or team to make it across the finish line. This game format requires an emcee or host to drive the game. All players are answering the same questions at the same time.

We like this game format for two reasons. First, the game format can easily tie into your event theme. Quizzes, well, I hope you are familiar with a quiz. Create a quiz as either a pre-test or a post-test on the content you are presenting. This format is suitable for self-assessment. Some players will be motivated by social recognition leaderboards and other by rewards prizes. If you are doing more than one quiz, you should consider rolling them together into a interactive trivia game with a cumulative leaderboard like option 3.

This category of event gamification is scavenger hunts, trade show passports, and similar games. They could comprise elements of trivia-based games as well as other games. Here are three different challenge or activity-based type games that you can create:. These activity-based games are great because attendees earn points for completing challenges or participating in activities.

Depending on the game vendor, the activities could be event app activities such as looking at the agenda or posting a comment. Check out more virtual minute to win it games. The first step in the competition is to split the group into teams and choose holiday-themed team names. Next, ask teams to create a uniform by using holiday accessories like colored garland, elf hats, or reindeer antler headbands. Present pass off: A relay race where runners hand off a wrapped present in place of a baton.

Tree toss: Toss non glass! Check out more ideas for team building games , and this guide to virtual office Olympics. To host storytime at your annual party, first pick out a Christmas book or story such as The Night Before Christmas or The Polar express. Then, invite the CEO, president, or the office Santa to read the story out loud during the party. Be sure to pass out cookies and milk, and allow listeners to circle up chairs, pillows, or blankets to better set the atmosphere.

Seasonal Scavenger Hunts are interactive holiday party games. Attendees split into teams and race to complete tasks and retrieve objects from a list of clues. You can also include puzzles and riddles for participants to solve. These games work best on a time limit, typically between twenty-minutes to an hour, depending on the length and difficulty of the hunt.

Here are lists of scavenger hunt apps and scavenger game clues to help build your hunt. Holiday party favors can be hit or miss. While one person might be thrilled to receive a bottle opener, another may toss it in their junk drawer and never think about it again. A better alternative is to offer employees a choice between festive freebies. You can set up a stocking stuffer station where each guest can select three to five small items to take home within a stocking. For ideas of items to stock, check out this list of corporate holiday party favor ideas.

Charades is one of the most popular party games, and works well as an activity for Christmas parties. Simply split the group into teams, and give each team member a turn to act out a holiday prompt. Teams should have between two to five minutes to guess the merry mime act. Remember that talking is not allowed. Escape rooms make engaging activities for any occasion.

These problem-solving games require players to solve puzzles and riddles and hunt for clues in order to break out of a locked room, typically in less than one hour. Your holiday party can involve a Christmas-themed escape room. For instance, perhaps the premise is that Santa gets locked in a living room and the team needs to help him find a way out. Room decorations should keep in the Christmas spirit, and you can hide clues within holiday objects.

For example, the key to a number lock might lie in the lyrics of the Twelve Days of Christmas, a key can be a hidden Christmas ornament, or the colored lights could blink in morse code. You could either build your own escape room or find an Xmas themed room nearby and take the team out to dinner afterwards. Check out this guide to DIY escape rooms and more problem solving games for work. Instead of throwing a Christmas party, you can throw a New Years themed bash. This type of party is more inclusive of employees who do not celebrate Christmas, and is also a way to symbolically end the current work year and start a new one.

Be sure to supply champagne in flutes and make toasts, have noisemakers on hand, make resolutions, and launch a faux midnight countdown. Check out more virtual New Years party tips. Setting up a card crafting station adds a nice touch to a holiday party.

You can bring in a professional artist or calligrapher to customize cards for attendees, or to show guests how to create merry masterpieces. Another option is to enlist a photographer and graphic designer to rig up branded candids that guests can turn into holiday greetings and send to colleagues or clients.

If you invite family members to the party, then you can take family portraits. Card crafting adds a hands-on element to the party and gives attendees a souvenir to take home and frame or send to family and friends. Staff go to dozens of holiday parties throughout the season, and have attended several corporate Christmas parties throughout their careers.

To make your annual party more engaging and memorable, add unexpected twists and out-of-the ordinary activities that will keep guests buzzing with cheer long after the event ends. Going above and beyond in the planning signals that the company cares about the employee experience and makes an effort to exceed expectations, which in turn can make team members feel more appreciated and grateful.

Not to mention, the holiday party is a great time to use use the end of year budget , so you might as well go all out. For more festive fun, check out this collection of holiday messages for employees. We also have a list of etiquette tips for office Christmas parties and online games for Christmas parties.

Work Christmas parties are holiday gatherings held by an employer. These parties typically take place at the office, or at a rented venue such as a restaurant. While the main point of the party is to observe Christmas, these occasions also often honor other seasonal holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and winter in general.

These gatherings are also an opportunity for employers to recognize the hard work of the past year and for employees to relax and reset before a new year begins. To plan an office Christmas party, first choose a date and secure a venue. Next, pick food and drinks, and think up activities and games. If the party has many elements, then you may want to recruit a committee to help plan.

Next, you should make an agenda or run of show, delegate duties if necessary. Then, announce the event to employees, preferably by sending invitations as well as making announcements during company meetings. Be sure to specify whether family and friends or welcome, or if the party is employees only.

Best practice is to ask guests to RSVP so that you can get a rough estimate of how many employees will attend and order refreshments accordingly.

When the day arrives, give yourself a couple of hours to set up and decorate. Then, invite guests in, and have fun! Remember to take plenty of pictures! Some good office Christmas party ideas include gingerbread house build-offs, gourmet hot cocoa bars, white elephant exchanges, reindeer games, and an ugly sweater station. There are many other special touches and activities that can make your holiday gathering fun and memorable. Team building content expert. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

Skip to content You found our list of creative office Christmas party ideas for work. This post contains: small office Christmas party ideas corporate Christmas party ideas Christmas games for work parties work Christmas party activities themes for office Christmas parties Here we go! Holiday Bingo Holiday Bingo is a game that encourages party guests to mingle. Tree Decorating Competition Tree decorating competitions are festive games that encourage creativity and team building.

For this activity: Get mini Christmas trees Split groups into teams Give teams 20 to 30 minutes to trim the trees Have each team explain their design Pick a winner It is a good idea to give guests a heads up so that they bring ornaments with them. Pro tip: Save the trees for future parties. Fully Hosted Virtual Holiday Party If you are a remote or hybrid office, then you can book a fully hosted Christmas party with us. Pro tip: Do not forget to include tongs or scoops, and bags or boxes!

Merry Murder Mystery Murder mysteries are one of the best small office christmas party ideas. Poinsettia Potluck Potlucks are one of the best low budget office party ideas.

Ugly Sweater Station Setting up an ugly sweater station is one of the most fun office Christmas party ideas. Gift Wrapping Table Setting up a gift wrapping table is one of the more unique corporate Christmas party ideas. Holiday Photo Booth Photo booths are special touches that make parties more fun. For example: Santa hats Elf ears Reindeer antlers Scarves, mittens, and hats Jingle bells Garland Christmas lights These items tend to be inexpensive, and you can buy the bulk of your props from the dollar store.

Photo Booths give employees memories of the event. Christmas Cocktail Mixology Corporate Christmas parties are known for their bars. Christmas Carnival Christmas Carnivals are one of the most interactive office Christmas party ideas, and are especially fun if kids are in attendance at the event.

Dessert Decorating Demonstrations Corporate holiday parties tend to have awesome dessert options. Appetizer Making Lessons Entertaining lessons make great entertainment for holiday parties. Christmas Icebreakers To kick off the merry mingling at your holiday party, you can provide guests with icebreaker questions.

Examples: What is the best present you ever received? What is the worst present you ever received? The pranks should be fun and harmless, but brew a sense of friendly mischief and competition between departments.

They then buy a gift for the person whose name they picked out of the bucket. Gifts can range, though it is highly recommended to set a price limit. Before beginning, set a step goal for the office to reach by the end of the program. Supply all people with pedometers and have them record their steps for each day in a Google Doc or Google Sheets. At the end of the program, calculate the total steps and see if your office has achieved the goal.

Break people into teams and supply building equipment such as popsicle sticks, newspapers, tape, and glue. Each team will create a small bridge that can connect two books placed two feet apart. The team with the bridge that can hold the most weight will be crowned the winner.

Have everyone bring in a baby picture of themselves. Place all the pictures in a common space and give people time to view them. Then, hold a vote to see if people can correctly match the pictures to their respective persons. Organize a day where everyone from the office will volunteer together at a local animal shelter. This can be done on a workday or on the weekend. Plan an office-wide scavenger hunt.

Break the office into several teams, leaving clues all around the office. The first team to finish will be the winner. Break the office into teams and host a trivia night. Each team will have the opportunity to win a point if they are the first to correctly answer a question. Hold several rounds, eliminating the lowest-scoring team at the end of each round, until you are left with two teams.

Save the hardest questions for the last round, allowing the two remaining teams to call on eliminated persons for help. Host a card game or board game tournament during lunchtime. Make available various board games and several sets of cards for people to use.

Provide teams with crafting supplies such as cotton balls, tape, newspaper, and cardboard. The teams must create an egg holder that will prevent the egg from being cracked when dropped from a predetermined height. Break off people into groups of two. Each pair will be tied together at the ankles and must compete in a race against other pairs.

The team to finish first while remaining tied together wins the race. This can be done in conjunction with other activities. Create teams, making sure to break departments up. Use the drawing-based charades game to help people educate their team members on what they do. Each member of each team will be given the opportunity to draw one aspect of his or her job, whether it be a day-to-day activity or something more complicated.

Have all participating people form a circle. After the circle is formed, people will hold the right hand of one employee and the left hand of another employee.

Make sure the people holding hands are standing across from each other so a human knot can be formed. The goal of this activity is to untie this knot without letting go of anyone's hand. Create an obstacle course through the office. Corporate event ideas outside the office are events that help employees step outside of their usual 9-to-5 environment. A staycation can be just as much fun as an exotic getaway — especially when it comes to discovering hidden gems right there in your own city.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Touring around your city lets your employees and coworkers bond over and find local hangouts and cool sites! Consider doing a virtual scavenger hunt in the city as well! Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Whether you invite the corporate crew to a baseball, football, or soccer game, the real reward will be the quality time and the electricity of the stadium. People relish the opportunity to show some individual flare.

Why this is a fun work party activity: If any Office fans remember Kevin Malone spilling chili all over the office floor, you know immediately how much pride people take in their cooking.

Now is their opportunity to show off their culinary skills! Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Having your own space outside of the workplace is ideal for an office party. The catch? You gotta book your dream rental while you can! This outdoor party theme is great for taking a break from the cubicles and the corporate setting.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: This is perhaps the most outside the office you can get. Nature recharges and rejuvenates, which is why most retreats involve the great outdoors.

Successfully hosting a corporate work party for your office is a deliberate process, but the end results are worth the effort. These are a few recommended steps to pulling off the office party of the year:. Step 1 — Figure out the number of attendees, the food, the venue, and all the other particulars for the in-person or virtual event. Step 2 — Figure out the time and the date that conveniently allows the most people to attend. Step 3 — Create a party planning committee to help pull it off.

Step 5 — Decide on alcohol limits and bartending details. Step 6 — Lay out the rules of the party so everyone is on the same page. Step 7 — Figure out vendors, caterers, and sponsors for your event. SnackNation is a healthy office snack delivery service that makes healthy snacking fun, life more productive, and workplaces awesome. We provide a monthly, curated selection of healthy snacks from the hottest, most innovative natural food brands in the industry, giving our members a hassle-free experience and delivering joy to their offices.

Fun Fun!!! A DIY photo booth would be a great addition to the comedian for our Christmas party this year. Thanks Courtney! Some of the ideas are fabulous! The food truck idea is rather unique for a corporate party, but sounds like a lot of fun. And, sharing food and drinks is the best way of building camaraderie! Photobooths really adds spice to any event!

During our company party, we hired a GIF photobooth service and it was hella fun experience! There are a few companies that can bring rental ice and skates to you! Me and my friends in high school are planning a reunion probably in a private resort we always rent a resort whenever we are having a reunion but because of this post we had an idea. Thanks a lot. Really great and helpful ideas. I have arranged so many anniversary parties and looking to do something different. I think I found from your blog.

Thanks a lot! This is exactly what we need for the office party. Some of the ideas are top-notch. We are planning an office party next month so that these ideas will be helpful. This is such an amazing list!!! The Games you have mentioned are very interesting. It is important to remember that no matter how formal or serious the event, people will always appreciate entertainment and fun. There are many un-known ideas and tips mentioned in this blog which has given me a great motivation to implement some for my next corporate event.

Thank you for sharing this great list. Found some more ideas for office party Singing party Cookie challenge Cultural day Cooking party Pumpkin contest.