13 Corporate Event Themes & 13 Corporate Event Games

Team Building

In my days as a corporate outside sales rep, any business-y event I attended that left me impressed was something I would later talk about to anyone who listened. When a corporate event is done well, the pleasant memories of the guests have lasting value. It feels good when your employer puts thought into making a few hours of your day or night special, and invests the money to do so. Connecting with people you work with in an entirely different way could create personal bonds that make the office culture better and brighter. And when employees are encouraged to converse and interact with their co-workers that has nothing to do with the office, it’s a breath of fresh business-y air.

The same holds true for client loyalty events, networking group meetings, and conferences with cocktail hours, opening night parties, or ending night ceremonies.

Today we discuss 13 Corporate Event Themes & 13 Corporate Event Games to jazz up that happy hour, holiday party, kick off party, and everything in between!

Corporate Event Themes- I’ll throw you the keywords and let your creativity fill in the rest!

1. Nautical

1. Since we specialize in private yacht events, of course this is our first choice:
1. Anchors- a wooden anchor makes a unique guest book
2. Ship wheels
3. Life preservers
4. Rope
5. Knots - knot tying lesson anyone?
6. Lanterns
7. Shells
8. Light houses
9. Sail boats
10. Canvas
11. Blue & White
12. Blue & Gold
1. 1920s
1. When I think of the 1920s, I think of lots of parties, and authentic costumes to fit the part:
1. Flapper dress
2. Pin stripe suits
3. 1920s music
4. Prohibition signs
5. ‘Wanted’ criminal signs
6. Great Gatsby
7. Balloons
8. Fedora
9. Suspenders
10. Flapper headband
11. Bags of Money
12. Flapper Gloves
13. Long string of pearls
2. International
1. Celebrate where your employees or guests are from in a very cool way! Or involve them in the planning process by asking what parts of their heritage they want represented. Every country can be a theme!
3. Hollywood
1. Give your attendees the celebrity treatment:
1. Red carpet - a must need
2. Gold figure awards - good for serious awards, superlatives, or just for fun
3. Set up a backdrop for pictures on the red carpet
4. Hollywood sign
5. Hollywood walk of fame
6. Gold stars
7. Spot lights
8. Movie reels
4. 60s Theme
1. Because there has never been a decade quite like the 60s:
1. Hippies
2. Peace signs
3. Bell bottoms
4. Long hair
5. Headbands
6. Flower power
7. Tie dye
8. Smiley faces
9. Groovy
10. Flower headbands
11. Circle frame glasses
12. Love
13. Yellow submarine
14. VW Bus
15. The Beatles
5. Sports
1. You can mix sports together to keep all interests in mind, or if it’s championship season, stick to that particular sport! Encourage all attendees to represent their favorite sports team with a jersey, t-shirt, or hat!

7. Western
1. Go back in time with a Wild Wild West Theme:
1. Cowboy hats
2. Bandanas
3. Cowboy boots
4. Whiskey
5. Bourbon
6. “Wanted” Reward frames for pictures
7. Wagon wheels
8. Sunflowers
9. Burlap
10. Red checkered tablecloth
11. Hay
12. Mason jars
13. Sheriff badges
14. Cactus
15. Saloon
16. BBQ
8. Specific Colors Only
1. Request your guests to wear only particular colors to represent the company colors, a charity, or anything! Takes that guess work into the “what am I going to wear?” question.
9. Wizard of Oz
1. “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.” said the Wizard of Oz himself! A classic movie like this will put a smile on everyone’s face!
1. Yellow brick road
2. The good witch
3. The bad witch
4. Ruby red slippers
5. Dorothy
6. Scarecrow
7. Tin Man
8. Cowardly lion
9. The land of Oz
10. There’s no place like home… or insert your company name here :)
11. Angry apple tree
10. Superheros
1. Give the guests the chance to dress up as their favorite superhero, and they might love you forever. These are just a few popular characters, but the list is endless.
1. Batman
2. Spiderman
3. The Hulk
4. Iron Man
5. Wonder Woman
6. Catwoman
7. Katniss Everdeen- who cares if she’s not a comic :)
8. Superman
9. Thor
10. Captain America
11. Wolverine
11. 80s
1. Another generational theme but there’s just so much you can do with this one:
1. Side pony tails
2. Spandex
3. Neon colors
4. Obnoxiously hair sprayed hair
5. Leg warmers
6. Arcade games
7. Mullets
8. Zebra print
9. Rubix cube
10. Boombox
11. Cassette tapes
12. Track jacket and pants combo
13. Neon bangles
14. Arm warmers
15. Glowsticks
16. Tutus
17. Totally radical
12. Champagne
1. For those events where celebrating needs to be extreme and over the top. Another favorite here at GKYS:
1. Champagne balloons
2. Champagne served on trays the entire event
3. Gold balloons
4. Gold streamers
5. Cheers
6. Champagne glass tower
7. Personalized champagne glasses
8. Bubbly
9. Silver glitter
10. Gold glitter
11. Ice buckets
12. Gold glitter back drop for pictures
13. Pop Fizz Clink
13. Favorite hat
1. Guests can wear any hat they want, or get creative and make one! The more obnoxious and out there the better, and gives an excuse to vote for the group favorite.

The Solution

Now that we’ve got your innovative juices flowing with those super fun themes, let’s discuss games you can plan during your event to get your guests talking and getting to know each other. Props to Strategic Event Design, an events company based out of NY, for a few of these game ideas!

1. Scavenger Hunt
1. Can be as easy or time consuming as you want it to be! Prizes to the first 3 to complete the hunt!
2. If you’re having your event on one of our yachts, guests won’t have to wander far, and sightseeing can be a part of the hunt!
2. What’s that strange thing?
1. While the player is blindfolded, they must guess the item in a fishbowl or box.
3. Tug of War
1. A chance to split up those groups who’ve only been talking to people they know all night ;)
4. Group Timeline
1. Ask each person to to write down 3 memorable life events and the date of each event. Next, on a large whiteboard or wall create a timeline with important dates in history either locally, culturally, or company wide. Then have the guests post their memorable events on the timeline. This is not only a great conversation starter, but it shows how the group collectively fits together in an identified time frame.

5. 

   Corporate Event Games

   The Next Big Thing
1. Break the group into teams of 10, and explain to the teams that society has a new problem to face, either real or fabricated. Task your team with inventing the next big thing that will solve the society problem. The teams can then present their ideas to the entire group, and include drawings and demonstrations.
6. Breakfast Scramble
1. Fantastic ice breaker to get people talking, whether it’s a morning meeting or the beginning of the event. Grab 2 cereal boxes, cut the boxes into 20 pieces, separate the group into 2 teams, and disperse the pieces of the boxes to each team. Provide scotch tape and see who can build the box back together the fastest. Or you can set a time limit of 60 seconds or so to see who can get the furthest in that time period.
7. Balloon Volleyball
1. Use a balloon that is already there for the event, install an imaginary net, and if the balloon hits the ground, the opposing team gets a point!

8. Dance Chain
1. The group arranges in a circle with one person designated to start off with a simple dance move. The person next to them does that dance move and adds one more move. The game continues, testing people’s memory and dance skills, ending with a long choreographed dance routine!
9. The Human Jukebox
1. No winners or losers in this game! One player starts off with a line from a song, then the next player continues with a new line but with at least one word from the previous player’s song line.
10. Pictionary Telephone
1. Everyone starts by writing a sentence at the top of their piece of paper, it could be anything! Once everyone has written their sentence, each player passes their paper to the person on the right. Next, that person draws a picture illustrating the sentence they see at the top of the paper. Once this stage is complete, the player folds the paper to cover the sentence at the top, and passes it to the right again with only the drawing showing. That person then writes a sentence of what they believe the drawing represents. Fold the paper to cover that sentence again but make sure the drawing can still be seen. Keep passing, writing a sentence of what they think of the drawing, and folding it over until the paper is completely filled out. The players will have a good time seeing different perceptions of the drawings, and prizes can be awarded to the funniest or best illustration.
11. Name Tag Topics
1. Give strangers an easy lay up for a conversation starter with this game. Pre-write name tags before the guests arrive, but instead of names, write a question like “ask me about my favorite vacation,” or “ask me about my worst part time job.” The guests will randomly select these name tags, and let the introductions begin!
12. The Name Game
1. One person starts with a famous person’s name, then the next person must say another famous person’s name with the first letter of the previous person’s last name. For example, the first person says “Bob Dylan,” the next person would say “David Letterman.” Keep going until a player can’t think of a name.
13. Jumbo Jenga
1. This game is becoming popular at bars, why not bring it to your event? You can customize the blocks with company logos or questions the players must answer when they use the block.

Do you have ideas for themes or games you’d want to see at your next corporate event? Any awesome ones you’ve experienced that you’d want to see duplicated? How about any obnoxiously cheesy and lame ones you never want anyone else to encounter? Leave your comments below!

Gabrielle Goldklank is the Co-founder of Golden Knot Yacht Services, a private yacht event planner for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions in NYC, NJ, Philadelphia, and DC. Golden Knot Yacht Services also offers luxury boat excursions at the Jersey Shore during the summer season. Don’t just float through life, catch some waves.
www.goldenknotys.com
@goldenknotyacht