What are good entertainment ideas for a corporate office Christmas Party?

Answer 1

I have been on the entertainment committee for our company's parties for the past nine years. We try to keep things fresh by trying new things every year. Our company is an insurance office based out of Ohio. We have about 100 employees, and about 250 people (employees, spouses, guests) attend our Christmas parties. Here are some things we have tried in the past, with some notes on well they were received. DJ: It was not well received because a lot of people were not into dancing. Many people used the DJ starting as a "cue" to slip out of the party early.

Murder Mystery Dinner: Our committee put this together ourselves. We saved money on entertainment, but it was A LOT of work. It was fun, because we customized it to our office. There is a good article to get you started on this at: http://entertaining.about.com/cs/dinnerparties/a/murdermystery_2.html Comedians: We have hired several comedians over the years. A bad or offensive comedian can ruin an evening very quickly. We had one comedy act who had material that many of our guest found offensive, and I was very embarrassed. You should be aware of what would be appropriate language and topics for your group, and then be sure to screen your comedians carefully. We only have had one "bad apple", however, and otherwise there is nothing better than a comedian to put your guests in a good mood. Our favorite comedian was Jay Moore from South Carolina. I don't have Jay's personal website, but we found him at http://www.corporatefunny.com/RollinJayMoore.html Jay was appropriate for our conservative group and very funny. Magicians: I am not much of a fan of magic, but we did hire a magician who used a lot of comedy in his act, and he was one of our all time most talked about entertainers. I ended up reallying enjoying his show too! You should be able to reach him at http://www.chrislinn.com Singers: We have hired two singing duos in the past. The only negative with a singing act is that they tend to not use much audience involvement in the performance. This is good for some groups, but we like to get involved. If your group is more reserved, and likes to sit back and just watch a show, then I would very much recommend a singer. The singer we liked best of all was named Debbie Vargas. The last contact I had for her was http://www.debbievargas.com, but I just checked and the site was currently down. I guess the most important thing is to make sure the entertainment is a good fit for your group. You will not be able to please everyone, but you should try for something that you think a "majority" will enjoy. Happy Holidays and good luck.