Five Tips to a Successful Event!

As the Andy Williams song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” The air is crisp, jovial family meals, vacation days, big sales at the mall and the dreaded, er…I mean exciting Office Holiday Party!

In life, we are always seeking opportunities to create special memories to cherish for years. When it comes to the Office Holiday Party, however, many wish to erase embarrassing moments from their minds!

Here’s the deal, your Office Holiday Party is a work function, an almost mandatory work function. Although you might be at a nice restaurant, the same rules of etiquette apply as if you were in your office.

Is your Office Holiday Party coming up? Hoping to make the evening as successful yet “unmemorable” as possible? Heed these 5 tips:

1. Go! RSVP to the organizer and go to your event. Think of this as a fancy work meeting. For many perceptions are reality, unless you have a legitimate reason, being a no-show can be easily be misconstrued as not being a team-player!
2. Resist Over-Extending the Open Bar!Resist the temptation to drink too much. Yes, the bar may be open, but this is not 5 o’clock happy hour at the saloon down the street! Consider consuming only a couple drinks or risk saying or worse doing something that you will regret in the morning!
3. Be polite with the “business bite.” Now is not the time to hoover your Chicken Parmesan dinner! Instead, try slicing your food into smaller bite sizes (known as the business bite!) that can be easily chewed.
4. Dress to Impress!This an office event, unless otherwise specified, Business Casual attire should prevail. Save the jeans and t-shirt for hanging out with family and friends. Dinner parties are dressier than afternoon luncheons. Gentlemen, unless otherwise specified, wear either sport coat and trousers or nice sweater and trousers.  A bit more casual, change the trousers to dark wash jeans and a nice half-zip sweater with a pressed Oxford shirt underneath.  Ladies, to refrain from being tomorrow’s gossip around the Keurig, select an outfit that fits and flatters your figure. Save the little black dress that is too tight and too revealing for your New Year’s Eve party!  Scroll down to see my appropriate outfit ideas for men and women below!
5. Prepare + Practice = Power!You might be wondering, prepare, practice…? What? One way to alleviate office party nerves is by doing a little homework ahead of time. Find out who is on the guest list; include checking for your boss (This is the perfect opportunity to get to know each other in a more relaxed setting). Put together a few questions to ask each person to “break the ice.” Ask about their families, hobbies or recent travels. You can also offer compliments for projects completed or glowing client testimonials they’ve received.

So sing, dance, sip and dine. Just don’t swing from the rafters or blurt out your secret crush on your co-worker! Otherwise this most wonderful time year can easily become your worst for years to come!

Happy Holidays everyone!