Plan Your Corporate Cocktail Parties the Right Way
A cocktail party is a fun way to celebrate any occasion. And like many corporate events, you can make it formal, elegant or casual as well.
A professional event has always been a great opportunity for companies to broaden their network. If you are a corporate manager looking to increase your business relations, you will understand the importance of corporate cocktail parties in client relations.
It’s what grows your interactivity with the potential clients and lets you present business offers differently.
However, these corporate cocktail parties don’t need to include a vast number of guests in them. You can invite a few special customers or distributors over for some drinks or get your star employees to celebrate their success with a fun unique event. Common event size is 50 to 150 guests.
Regardless of how you want to structure your cocktail party, Orlando Sydney will take great photos. Helping your clients to relax and enjoy themselves is just one of our goals.
What to Get for a Cocktail Party
Corporate parties are not like random house parties you do with your friends and family. You will need more time to plan to meet your guests’ interests, for example;
- Are they new prospects or old loyal clients
- Do they have a clear age demographic
- Are there any cultural elements to take into account
- How big of a budget do you have
- Will finger food be served, if so dietary considerations
- Will you be outsourcing some or all the services
Even if the event is intended for a few people such as a dozen, you will want to impress and highlight their importance. Making a great impression will build trust towards your company.
It’s essential to make a good plan and take action accordingly. For instance, one of the first things to think about is the venue. Decide the venue according to the guest’s list and event size. A small-sized venue with contemporary décor can make the party look stunning to your guests.
If it’s a small gathering, is your boardroom or showroom the right size and look? If not, book that snazzy new bar with private rooms.
Lastly, you should arrange for the party drinks and food. Create a menu with some standard, common food options so that every guest at the party can get meals of their choice.
For beverages, you can hire catering companies who provide bartender services with a specialist cocktail bartender or mixologist which is another term for a bartender or bar chef.
Sometimes aspiring bartenders are often unable to find work in the field. So some offer independent mobile services.
Discuss rates with them ahead of time. This will help avoid any awkwardness at your event later on. Also handy to find out what an extra hour cost is just in case your cocktail party is still lively at the end of the planned time.
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Arrangements of the Party Drinks and Food
Speaking of your party’s menu, there are plenty of options for the drinks but not so much for the food if you are going canape traditions style. As the event planning focuses more on the drinks menu, there’s no need to include an entire dinner course just finger food.
Various simple dishes such as hors d’oeuvres, crostini, crudités, or cut veggies and cheese are the perfect meal menu for a cocktail party. You can also add the fig crostini, which is primarily a party favourite for the guests.
If you want something with even more cultural diversity try some exotic Indigenous inspired foods, always a great conversation starter and long lived experience.
Getting back to the drinks, you should arrange for several beverages, including wine, beer, and some sprite such as Gin or Whiskey mixers. Also make arrangements for some non-alcoholic mocktails and water ready to serve so that attendees have both options available to enjoy.
There are several alternative techniques, depending on how much effort and budget you would like to put into cocktails:
Full Bar:
With a full bar, your guests can have their favourite drinks right in their hands. Although, such an arrangement requires you to have a bar stock of various beverages and spirits in advance with a designated bartender.
Drink Menu:
This is best for the people waiting to discover new drinks at the event. Besides, it helps in your budget too as you don’t need to include a vast collection of drinks on the menu. You can choose two-three drinks with at least a classic cocktail and several ingredients to mix up.
For the best approach, you can make up drinks and set the ingredients on the bar. Hence, guests will be curious to try them independently, reducing your pain in explaining the menu to everyone.
Pitcher Cocktails:
For a smaller inhouse event on a budget, one option and to make your party easier and more exciting, try the pitcher option. This will allow guests to choose their drink, leading them into conversation while enjoying the beverage of choice.
These are also good options for larger events by keeping a few non-alcoholic beverages on hand for those who do not want any alcohol but still enjoy socializing with other people in attendance at your event.
Photography Service at your Cocktail Event
Now that you’ve gone to all that effort in sending out the invites you’ll want to record the party for your attendees to relive the good vibes and share the news about your hospitality and generous event.
Orlando Sydney Photography has provided discrete and unobtrusive photography at many cocktail parties in Sydney for events ranging from 50 people to many 100’s of attendees.
Relaxed and casual is the style that we shoot at these types of gatherings. If you have a media wall or provide some live entertainment we can cover that too.
We take photos of the room ambience, food arrangements, décor, media wall and branding elements, we handle every shot discretely to ensure your guests have an unforgettable time at the event.
Our high quality photos can be used across all your social media channels and on your website, true digital assets for any business.
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Some Tips for Great Corporate Cocktail Parties
Planning corporate cocktail parties for start-up owners or smaller businesses can be overwhelming. But once you engage external professionals your staff will start to enjoy hosting them even more.
Whether you are a small business or not, we have a checklist of tips that will make your event fun, enjoyable, and memorable at the same time.
- Send invitations to your guests two or three weeks before the date.
- If you are planning for bigger arrangements, consider that around three-quarters of your guests will be present at the event. That’s how you can estimate the number of drinks at your party.
- Make arrangements for ice stocks and essential bar tools to not run out during the event.
- Prepare the garnishes beforehand so that it reduces the excess time consumption while preparing the drinks.
- Check with suppliers for the napkins, cocktail glass, Shaker, small plates, and other essential equipment required for the food and drinks served.
- Try to add something special to the party, such as a special food dish, drink, or garnish.
- Include some activities that will entertain your guests and help them mingle with each other. Although it’s not essential, it can help the mood of the event.
- Have some fashion props available such as hats, scarves, feathers and suspenders for the gentlemen to wear.
- Be a responsible host of those who consume alcohol at the gathering. Keep a watch on individuals who have drunk too much, keep them safe, or arrange for taxis if required.
- Use your staff to buddy up with your guests, especially the shy ones or the ones with small networks. This will mean a lot to them and increase their enjoyment.
- Make sure to post the photos the next day and tag your guests on social media.
- Add the photos to your intranet and create a page on your website to show your generous leadership in the sector.
- Lastly, as the lead event manager be proud of the success of the cocktail party.
Cocktail Party Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a cocktail party last?
A cocktail party should usually last two to three hours. It’s great to celebrate the cocktails on a Friday or Saturday because most individuals don’t have to work the following day.
Is hors d’oeuvres a good dish to serve at a cocktail party?
Hors d’oeuvres are tiny savory meals served before the start of dinner. It’s rather a fancy dish than the main dinner course. Hence, most of the cocktail party attendees enjoy this dish with drinks.
Are cocktail parties good for professional approaches to clients?
A cocktail party can be planned in the same way as any other corporate event. It’s simply that the theme isn’t the same. Your professional intent and theme on the other hand, can make all the difference to facilitate professional introductions run smoothly.
Photography at Your Event
Take into account the size of your guest list when arranging to throw a cocktail party. A small group is ideal for an intimate affair manageable for the host, and large groups are perfect for open houses, receptions and large venue hiring.
It doesn’t matter if your event is for a small or large corporate business, there are so many fun options.
Make sure to have photographs taken at the event, it is the only way to take full advantage of your investment.
