Insight
How to create a Christmas corporate event with lasting impact
“No one remembers the chicken,” is the founding principle of one of the industry’s leading event creators.
“People rarely recall what was on the menu or the colour of the napkins. They remember how you made them feel,” says Liz Taylor, founder of Taylor Lynn Corporation (TLC), who is behind some spectacular corporate parties with guest appearances – from singer Shirley Bassey to immersive theme ‘Wizard of Oz Reveals at Midnight’.
She says the real Christmas event successes are the ones people are still talking about weeks later. “I love an unexpected moment that completely changes the energy in a room, whether that’s surprise entertainment or a beautiful dinner turning into an extraordinary party.”
Taylor works closely with her PR colleagues to make an event look effortless. She says, “PR professionals know how to get the right people into the room. An experienced event planner knows what to do with them once they’re there!”
The marketing entrepreneur says the first rule of planning an event is asking what the client wants people to take away from it. “Are they thanking clients? Rewarding employees? Bringing together business partners? Or perhaps launching something new? The answer should influence everything that follows.
“The event should have a purpose, personality and a little bit of magic. It should make people feel valued, entertained and pleased they made the effort to attend.”
Getting guests out on a winter’s night is the job of PR supremo Pam Lyddon, founder and CEO of Bright Star Digital Ltd.
She says, “The primary goal of a PR-led event is to create a story and make a lasting impact beyond just the people in the room. Why are we holding this event? Who needs to be there? What do we want them to remember? And it’s so hard to get people out at Christmas – it’s a really crowded time.”
Lyddon is also keen to stress that bigger is not always better. “Smaller, highly relevant gatherings of 20 people can sometimes be more impactful than large parties with hundreds of guests.”
And you’ve got to pick your day. “We’ve had events where we’ve had famous people launching a gin on a Monday night in a quiet little bar in Soho, such as Disrepute
which is famous [as a key meeting site] for the [Sixties political scandal] Profumo affair. Then you get the right mix of people, and it can be really successful.”
Event planner Taylor works hard to make sure guests can’t simply can't say no. “Make the invitation personal, promise something genuinely exciting and remove the practical barriers, from complicated RSVPs to transport.”
When planning events, Taylor advises, “It’s important to understand your client’s people, personality, culture and ambitions. Then start with the brief, the audience and the budget, before finding the right venue to bring the vision to life.”
Moving away from traditional sit-down dinners, Taylor will be creating an immersive après-ski experience at Tatton Park in Cheshire this Christmas complete with alpine backdrop, interactive food experiences and live music.
Choosing a twist on a timely theme can also be very successful, says Lyddon. “After the success of [Eighties-set comedy drama] Rivals TV series, we had a polo day but came at it from a different angle with an African influence, so we had a very diverse and global crowd and we got coverage in Tatler.”
Shifting demographics means there are also new Gen Z trends for PR professionals to take into account. Lyddon says, “There is a growing focus on wellness – young people would rather be in a gym than a bar on a Friday night.
“So we have been creating experiential activities at our events such as saunas, and we provide non-alcoholic options to cater to younger generations. If they are completely dry events, we often encourage clients to move them to Dry January when people really appreciate them.”
Social media creators also need to be considered when planning events now. “We have to provide ‘Instagrammable’ moments or unique experiences to satisfy the demands of social media content creators. Everyone wants content!”
Lyddon also considers the perennial argument of whether a goodie bag is still worth it. She says, “Goodie bags are still popular with influencers but generally they are only effective if the items are high-quality, otherwise they are discarded. Although everybody still loves a beauty goodie bag!”
And she warns, “Everything has to be sustainable and compostable. Again, when you’re leading with a brief, all of that has to be factored in now.”
Taylor’s tip for an impactful Christmas event is don’t try to please everybody and end up pleasing nobody! She says, “Don’t spend a fortune on a beautiful venue only to have guests queuing for drinks. The guest experience is everything.”
Always expect the unexpected is Lyddon’s mantra. “We’ve had celebrities turn up and their dresses have been ripped, and we’ve had to rush out and buy them new stuff.”
And she recalls another nightmare scenario where some of the catering hadn't defrosted on the night. She confesses: “We just had to hide it in the bin!”
