5 Creative Corporate Event Theme Ideas

Maggie Korte

Anyone who has ever planned a corporate event will tell you it can be a daunting task. You have to find the right venue, choose a good caterer, find out what kind of entertainment to hire, and coordinate with different departments–all while staying within your budget.

Perhaps one of the most vexing things to decide on is a theme that will appeal to not only the majority of your guests but also fits the company’s vision and mission. We’re here to help you brainstorm interesting theme ideas that suit a wide variety of companies and are sure to be a hit with your guests.

Corporate Event Themes For Nearly Any Company

Whether you’re a global financial institution trying to end the year with a bang or a startup tech company trying to show its employees a good time during the holidays, here are some excellent themes to inspire your next corporate event:

Decade-Themed Party

There’s nothing quite like nostalgia to get people interested in an event. Even if it’s an era you haven’t lived through, wearing outfits and dancing to music as they did in the old days is sure to be a crowd-pleasing hit. The best part is that there are so many iconic decades to choose from.

You could go for the ‘70s and its love of disco and flared jeans, the ‘80s with its excess of colored spandex, or even the ‘40s that were filled with zoot suits and hourglass ensembles. Whatever you decide, you can be sure your team will have a blast.

Venue

It all depends on the decade you decide on. The ’70s would work wonderfully in a club or event hall dressed in disco, or if you think your crowd is up for it, you can throw it in a rollerskating rink. A ‘40s party, on the other hand, would be better off being held in a cocktail lounge or classy bar.

Catering

One of the upsides of throwing an era event is you don’t have to go out of your way to plan a specific type of cuisine or drink list. Sure, a few old-timey cocktails and appetizers would be a nice touch, but it wouldn’t be out of place if you just went with any meal spread and drink list of your choice.

Activities

This is another aspect that will be dictated by the era you decide to go with. For example, if you’re throwing an ‘80s party, you can set up karaoke and moonwalking contests, or perhaps a PAC-MAN competition. For a ‘70s event, a dance competition is an excellent choice. Whichever decade you choose, you can always have a costume contest near the end– and photo booths are definitely a must.

Outdoor Movie Screening

With the ongoing pandemic, hosting an outdoor/drive-in movie screening can be a great way to do something fun while still maintaining a high degree of social distancing. That way, more clients and employees will be comfortable joining in.

Venue

You could either rent a portion of a drive-in cinema or you can find any wide-open outdoor location and simply rent a large screen and projector.

Catering

Prior to the movie viewing, serve classic cinema snacks, like popcorn, nachos, candy, hotdogs, and soda. Afterward, you can go with pretty much any menu of your choosing.

Activities

You can opt to set up a trivia contest revolving around the movie that was shown where the winners receive prizes related to the film. You can also give out freebies that have something to do with the movie.

Escape Room/Murder Mystery

For those who are unaware, an escape room is a game that’s played in teams where players are supposedly locked in a specific area and have to solve puzzles and accomplish goals in order to make their way out.

Murder Mysteries follow a similar team-based idea, but the focus is on a fake murder the players have to get to the bottom of. Whichever you choose, your event is sure to be highly interactive and will foster teamwork and camaraderie between contestants.

Venue

The beauty of choosing his kind of event is that you can leave the venue to companies that specialize in escape rooms or murder mysteries. They’ll set the stage and bring in the necessary equipment and staff. This also saves you the trouble of having to find and rent a space, as well as clean up after the event is over.

Catering

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can plan a menu and drinks list in line with the type of mystery or escape room being played. Consider some themed cocktails, mocktails, and finger foods.

Activities

The event will be one big activity, and the best part is you can put it in the hands of the escape room/murder mystery company you hire, leaving you with more time to deal with other aspects of the event. For the murder mystery, a prize can be given to the team who solves it first. As for the escape rooms, you can give out gifts to teams who manage to make it out, with a special reward for the team that does it in record time.

Trivia Night

This kind of event doesn’t require much in the way of organizing. The important thing is you find a suitable host to oversee the event who could also be the one to come up with the trivia questions. Trivia contests are usually played in teams, so it’s great for promoting cooperation and friendship.

Venue

For smaller crowds, you can rent out a bar or pub with experience hosting trivia nights. That way, they would already have an idea about how to arrange the venue for that type of event. If you’re expecting a larger turn-out, you’re better off seeking a larger space, like an event hall.

Catering

Since your attendees will be busy brainstorming and discussing answers all night, you’re better off sticking to various snacks and finger foods that are easy to eat and require little attention. You’ll want to include some run-of-the-mill cocktails and beverages as well.

Activities

Similar to the Escape Room/Murder Mystery theme, trivia night is basically one big activity that runs throughout most of the event. You can give out a grand prize for the winning team of the night, as well as some runner-up gifts for the succeeding teams.

Costume Party

A costume-themed corporate event can be an excellent excuse to dress up as your favorite character. It also brings out the creativity in people, especially when there’s an enticing prize awaiting those who do a particularly good job. You can even make the event more specific by selectinga central theme, like superheroes or movie franchises.

Venue

Pretty much any venue will do, as long as it’s big enough to accommodate your headcount and it includes a decent stage where you can show off your best-dressed attendees. Event halls and clubs are both good choices for larger events.

Catering

It’s best if the menu isn’t anything too fancy so you can make themed versions of the food you’re serving. A little effort goes a long way, like making cookies out of popular Marvel characters or drinks that look like potions à la Harry Potter.

Activities

There’s an endless number of fun activities you can plan for a costume party, including photo booths, trivia rounds, and dance numbers, with the main event being a flashy costume contest.

Get Your Ticketing in Order

Selling, distributing, and tracking tickets for a corporate event can be a tedious and time-consuming job. Make your life easier by using a top-shelf ticketing platform that’s flexible and user-friendly, like EventSprout. EventSprout is free to use for event organizers, allowing them to effortlessly sell or distribute tickets online or in person.

Tracking attendees for your event is also a breeze thanks to the EvenSprout mobile app that helps monitor the number of guests who show up. Furthermore, there’s no limit to the number of events you can organize, and there are never any fees for the organizer.