Corporate summer parties are a chance  to give back to your team, for staff to let loose, have fun and really get to know their work mates. It might sound easy enough, but think back to your favourite parties… Its usually the guest list that sets them apart.
So without your nearest and dearest, how do you make sure a corporate party is actually fun?

Well, the party has to work a bit harder to create an atmosphere and to draw people out of their shells.

How? Themes are your friend, creating an environment that makes guests feel like they are far away from work life is ideal, as is setting the stage for a bit of play and silliness.

With this in mind here are our proven most successful corporate summer party ideas for the best team experience…

Choosing a theme is a great way to really transport guests and create an atmosphere that distances us from our day to day lives. Any kind of party can be themed- this simply dictates the style of the decor and the dress code.

The most popular themes we have been requested for corporate summer parties are:

• Tropical / Jungle party: Bright, bold and atmospheric, a tropical theme carries guests far away from the office and enlivens the senses. Add palm trees, tropical cocktails and bright colours. Beach attire optional.
• Arabian nights: Unsurprisingly at Arabian Tents we have been asked to create many Arabian Nights and desert themed parties. This is another great theme to transport guests and create a sense of mystery. Choose our original Arabian Tent, add a belly dancing workshop for a great addition to entertainment and shisha pipes for tables.
• Casino: An ever popular black tie event theme with multiple spin offs (James Bond and Las Vegas are two we’ve recently written about) and the perfect outing for our red velvet marquee La Rouge, a casino party is the ultimate opportunity to dress up and go all out with the glitz and glamour. Dress code: Black Tie, Dinner: Luxurious, Cocktails: Flowing.
• Circus: A fun, bright and colourful theme with a vintage twist. Light up signs, big airy marquee and lots of colourful props and decor

But what kind of corporate event should you plan? From our 20 years experience there are a few really great formats which are a hit with the whole team. These include:

• Corporate Festival – Probably our all time favourite as it ticks all the boxes and more and never fails to impress.
• Awards Ceremonies – Dinner, awards and an afterparty is always a winning formula.
• Garden Party – A more refined event with plenty of sunshine.
• Concert – Book a band, Hire a marquee and have fun!
• Auction – Whatever you are raising funds for and auction plus dinner and dancing is always a hit with staff.
• Sports day – Whether watching or partaking, if you have a sporty team this is a great option.

Let’s dive into these corporate event types in more detail to find out which is right for you…

Design your party around an awards ceremony and you have two reasons to celebrate. Whether you are giving awards to your staff or in a wider industry setting, this is the perfect opportunity for a dinner beforehand and cocktails and party afterwards.

Having a separate space for dinner and awards, and then after party is a good shout. This one can be themed as you wish, it works equally well to have a luxurious theme such as Hollywood, Roaring 20’s or simply ‘gold’ as it does to go colourful and bright with tropical inspired decor.

We recently designed an awards ceremony space that was so successful it outgrew itself on year one! Keep scrolling for more photos from this popular corporate event.

Or find out firsthand what made this awards ceremony the hot ticket of the year within the industry here…

An elegant garden party is a popular choice for work celebrations and appreciated by offices who don’t get to spend as much time outside as they’d like.

Look to the royal palaces for inspiration and ask guests to come dressed to impress.

Set the scene

A beautiful sailcloth marquee with white canvas interior is the perfect setting for a garden party. Add posies of English garden flowers and fruit and large glass drinks dispensers to tables.

Create multiple areas for guests to enjoy the garden setting with outdoor furniture and parasols.

Food and drink

Dainty nibbles, canapés and light and refreshing drinks are perfect for a garden party. Set the scene with waiters greeting guests with trays of champagne or cuvee.

Bonus points for garden inspired offerings:

• Elderflower Cordial
• Rose Lemonade
• Lavender Gin & Tonic
• Cucumber & Mint Cocktails
• Edible flowers added to canapes
• Herby salads

Garden Games

Giant games such as chess or a good old fashioned rope for tug of war will go down a treat…

For the ultimate corporate event that combines almost all of the aforementioned points you’ll want to plan a festival. Multiple days gives you the space to play, relax, dream and bond in a different way.
Whether you’re a global team who needs more than just an evening to get to know each other, a company with a work-hard, play-hard philosophy or a businesses looking to boost staff wellbeing trough immersion in nature, a festival ticks all the boxes.

Balance

The perfect festival experience is all about balance. You’ll want to incorporate time in nature, partying, workshops, entertainment, relaxing activities, lots of food and drink and down time to just be.

Nature

Immersion in nature is high up on the list of reasons for companies wanting to plan a corporate festival. Making the natural world your home for a day or two has hoards of proven benefits. Camping in the great outdoors, sitting round the fire. Make sure to prioritise this further with your activities and plan in nature based activities such as:

• Forest bathing: or shirin-yoko in Japanese is the practice of mindful sitting, walking or lying in the forest, breathing deep, being still and quiet and paying attention to the sights, sounds and smells around you- the idea is to ‘soak’ it up.
• Earthing or barefoot walks: Yes it seems ‘touching grass’ is really that important. Studies show that earthing or grounding (connecting with the earths natural electric charge stabilises the physiology at the deepest levels. Simply take off your shoes and stand or walk mindfully on the earth to connect with the grounding energy.
• Foraging walks: A group walk with a forager is a brilliant way to connect with the natural world around us and to remember the medicine of the planet by learning about edible leaves, berries, flowers and mushrooms.
• Scavenger hunt: Give a list of natural items to identify for a scavenger hunt in the great outdoors.
• Sensory walks: Similar in concept to forest bathing- its all about slowing down, connecting with yourself and with the world around you. Breathe deep, feel the earth under your feet and pay attention to what you can hear, see, smell and feel.
• Natural art: Collect some natural items and let nature be your inspiration, try a spot of leaf printing, flower pressing or natural sculpture making
• Stargazing: Looking up at the night sky is a great way to relax and calm the mind, the feeling of awe produced has also been shown to reduce inflammation, stress and improve mental health.

Food & Drink

You’ll want a mixture of picnic food, food vans and a sit down banquet (boutique festival style). Flowing drinks or an evening bar will really help!

Entertainment

The right festival entertainment is sure to get the party started. Here are some of our recent favourites:

• Live karaoke band: Take your karaoke party up a notch with a live band, every staff member will feel like a star!
• Children’s entertainer: Silliness and childlike joy is crucial if you want staff to feel really at ease, book a children’s entertainer, put adulting aside for the evening and watch the stress melt away.
• Comedian: Laughter is the best medicine, so book a stand up act and wipe away the tears.
• DJs: Perfect for later on in the evening, a good DJ is bound to fill the dance floor and get everyone moving
• Live band: If you can find a band that encourages crowd participation that’s what you want- teaching dance moves, singalongs, call and repeat.
• Dance instructor/ flash mob: a ‘Mr Motivator’ style dance workshop is bound to have everyone in stitches

For more corporate festival inspiration browse the gallery below, head this way to read a recent case study on ‘the festival of Yu‘, or keep scrolling for more corporate summer party inspo.

For more on how we plan fun corporate events from scratch take a look at our corporate events section, or if you have any questions or would like to chat to us about your ideas, don’t hesitate to get in touch– we’d love to help!