Choosing the Right Venue for a Business Cocktail Party

A Business Cocktail Party is a simple and effective way to build strong connections between new clients and thank your team for their hard work. It’s also a great chance to celebrate company achievements, introduce new products or services, and mark important milestones in a relaxed setting. Also, the best way to refresh your employees and clients.

Don’t know how to plan one? Don’t worry. We’ve put together easy ideas and tips for your corporate cocktail event, professional networking party, and business social gathering, including themes, food and drink suggestions, and venue ideas. So, you can focus more on networking and less on planning.

How to host a Business cocktail party

Planning a Business Cocktail Party involves more than just picking the right drinks. To make your event smooth, professional, and well-organized, have to pay attention to some key points.

• Budget: Set a clear budget before you start planning. Budget includes costs like venue hire, marketing, furniture, food and drinks, and any vendors. Support from sponsors or business partners is also important.
• Guest List: Invite company leaders, valued clients, and important partners. 
• Venue: Check if your company has a suitable space. If not, choose a venue that comfortably fits your guests and suits the tone of your Business Cocktail Party.
• Invitations: Use invitations that match the professional feel of the event. Clearly share the purpose, date, time, dress code, and any special highlights so guests know what to expect.

• Branding: Let everyone know who’s hosting the party with various branding opportunities. Personalized cocktail napkins from Paperless Post Party Shop are a sophisticated way to get the name of your company into guests’ hands and minds.
• Name tags: Make mingling and networking a little easier with name tags so guests can identify one another. Print tags with guests’ names and the company they work for in advance or provide blank name tags for guests to write their information.
• Food and drink: Decide between a full bar with a menu, or drink tickets for cocktails, beer, and wine. Either way, leave a little extra room in the budget for more drinks than you think you’ll need. Plan on having an appetizer table where guests can pick up food as they converse, or hire servers to walk around with platters.

Business cocktail party theme ideas

1. Retro cocktail party

Take a trip to the 1960s when you host a retro cocktail party. Encourage guests to wear their finest “Mad Men” attire, including suits with skinny ties, fedoras, vintage dresses, cat-eye glasses, and the stiffest hair (and drinks) you can get. Play soft music from the ‘60s—record player optional—and hang decorations to get everyone in the mid-century mood.

2. Roll out the red carpet

Perfect for an employee appreciation event, a red carpet theme treats guests like they’re celebrities walking into a movie premiere. Lay a red carpet outside your cocktail party with a festive balloon arch, then take photos of guests dressed like movie stars. Once inside, screen a “movie” about your company’s accomplishments and each department’s hard work this year.

3. Launch into space

Launching a new product? Host a cocktail party that’s out of this world with a “launch into space” theme. Add space-themed decorations and have guests wear their most futuristic cocktail attire (think silver). During the party, give a demonstration of your new product or pass out free samples as a door prize!

4. Happy anniversary

Celebrating an exciting business anniversary? Use that as your cocktail party theme! Whether it’s year 50, 10, or even the end of your first year in business, use your company’s accomplishments as inspiration. Decorate with anniversary decorations that match your big year—and for extra fun, set your party in that decade (1920s for a 20th anniversary, 1950s for a 50th anniversary).

5. Holiday party

If you’re planning your event around the time of an upcoming holiday, consider using that as inspiration for your party’s theme. From St. Patrick’s Day to an end-of-year holiday party, you can plan a festive celebration around any annually celebrated day. Add holiday decorations to spice up your venue, like dressed-up tables with tinsel and holly, a holiday-themed cocktail (or three), and company swag as smartly wrapped Christmas gifts.

What to serve at a business cocktail party

Shore up your cocktail party’s bar menu with a mix of classic and creative drinks, and don’t forget the food, which the guests like.

Classic cocktails

For cocktail parties on the traditional or formal side, you can’t go wrong with classic cocktails on the menu. 

Celebratory drinks

Celebrate great moments and team achievements with a glass of Champagne. Sparkling Champagne cocktails are perfect for those special moments when everyone raises a toast together. 

Light appetizers and dips

Cocktail parties usually focus on light snacks instead of full meals. You can set up a food table with easy-to-eat appetizers and dips for guests to enjoy. Food options like a smoked salmon dip or roasted red pepper hummus work well and feel a bit special vibes. Serve them with pita bread or crackers so guests can snack while having fun together in your cocktail bar.

Delicious desserts

You can arrange some delicious small desserts instead of a big anniversary cake. It will easy to grab and go for clients and employees.

Corporate cocktail party venue ideas

Your cocktail party venue depends on the size of your guest list, your party vibe, and what’s available nearby.

The office

If your company has a space larger than a breakroom, it can be a great place to host a party. This could be your office, headquarters, or even a store that’s closed for the evening. Using your own space makes it easy to show your brand and creates a comfortable, familiar setting for guests.

A restaurant or A Cocktail bar

If you can’t set up a bar at your event, take the party to one instead. Hosting your event in a restaurant or bar’s private room can make planning easier and more affordable. The venue usually provides the space, staff, food, and drinks all in one package. Many places also let you choose the menu in advance, so everything suits your event perfectly.

A dining hall or banquet room

Big and more formal cocktail parties need plenty of space to feel comfortable. Look for a large dining hall or banquet room to host your event, either in a hotel or at a dedicated event venue. 

Someone’s home

If a senior leader has a home with a great view and enough space, you can host the party there. Let them know the planning team will handle everything, including drinks, food, and clean-up. This allows them to simply enjoy welcoming colleagues and employees into their home and celebrating together.