New Year is upon us. Parties and events are starting to fill our calendars, but often times these outings become so routine that we dread attending them. Try out these 10 tips to add a little flare into your holiday season.

Use New Technology

New technology can be daunting, but the holiday season presents an exciting time to try out a new tool or program. Perhaps you have been waiting to purchase a certain software or learn a new technique. The end of the year presents a great opportunity to prep for next year and try out something new.

Provide Festive Favours

Event favours and giveaways can range from wonderful, useful gifts to items you may throw away once you leave the door. Try to spice up your holiday event by providing a themed gift such as seasonal treats or candies, decorative items themed for the season or a candle with a holiday scent. Favours like these will go to good use and leave your event fresh in the minds of your guests.

Get creative with your Holiday Food

Creating NYE menus can pose a challenge because everyone expects different items depending on their culture or upbringing. Try sticking with seasonal flavours. These will help to keep you on trend during the seasons.

Make the Most of Social Media

Social media has a presence at every event these days, so why not include it in your NYE party? You can create a hashtag to gather the pictures from your event, no matter how large your group! Even smaller family or office gatherings can engage through the use of social media.

Build your own photo booth and have your family, friends or co-workers share the photos using your hashtag. Following the event, you will have all of your wonderful photos linked together! Little ideas like this can go a long way in providing group entertainment and increase interaction.

Change Up the Seating

Try out a new seating style at your party! Open seating or a long family style table, might be just the right fit for your event. The holidays are about bringing people together and having fun. Make sure your space and layout reflect the vibe of the season and celebration.

Add Signature Holiday Cocktails

Play around with fun flavours in your drink selection as well. Use mint, cranberry juice, or cider. Drinks can be with or without the alcohol depending on the time or day or group of people. Either way, signature cocktails can be fun and add some excitement to your event.

Surprise Your Guests

Use the holiday season to add some fun and anticipation to your events! Perhaps you bring in a special surprise guest or send them home with an unexpected holiday gift. If you are planning a party for your staff or family, you could even keep the event location a surprise and host a scavenger hunt to the big reveal! A little mystery can go a long way in bringing energy to your holiday event.

Provide an Opportunity to Give Back

The season brings out the best in most people. We all want to give a little more and celebrate the wonderful blessings around us. At your event, you could provide a chance for guests to donate to a good cause or host a silent auction where the proceeds benefit a local charity.

If you have a family event, perhaps a portion of your day is spent volunteering together in your community. Think of causes that you or your guests might have a connection to and find a way to integrate this into your holiday festivities.

Include Festive Kids Activities

Kids love the holidays! The fun-filled atmosphere and extra special magic that the season brings is beautiful through the eyes of a child. If you are hosting an event where children are welcomed, be sure to provide a holiday craft or activity that is geared towards them. Who knows, if they are extra well behaved, perhaps the jolly man in red could make an appearance and hand out a few gifts.

Up the Customer Service

When everyone is in the holiday spirit the world just seems a bit brighter, but the long hours and stressful work of an event mean staff can be run ragged during these months of the year. Make customer service the focus for you and your staff during these holiday parties.

Try to start and end each day on a positive note and make sure your team feels appreciate for planning wonderful holiday events. The extra special feeling you provide with customer service will keep your guests coming back and have them asking you to plan many more events.