Celebrating a company anniversary: a running order for speeches, awards and a party
3 min read
An anniversary is the most formal event a company puts on. There are speeches, often guests from the town, clients and the neighbourhood, and a history that wants telling. The risk is obvious: the official part runs so long that nobody has any energy left for the party. That can be planned against.
Two events in one day
Most anniversaries contain two events with different guests: a reception for clients, partners and press, and a party for the workforce. Squeeze both into one evening and you get a reception that is too casual and a party that is too stiff.
A clear split works best – either two dates, or one day with a cut: a reception in the late afternoon, after which the outside guests say goodbye, and in the evening the workforce celebrates.
If there is only one date, make the cut in the invitation: outside guests are invited until 7 pm, the workforce for the whole evening.
Speeches: it is the total that counts
No single speech is too long. Together they are: management, the town, the chamber of commerce, the works council and a long-standing client – five speeches of eight minutes each are forty minutes in which nobody eats or drinks. Agree a total length in advance and divide it up, rather than promising every speaker their own slot.
A short musical bridge between speeches helps while the next person walks up. It gives the room a moment to breathe and avoids the silence in which everyone waits for something to happen.
Awards: names, order, music
When long-serving staff are honoured, preparation decides whether the moment feels festive or drags. The names are written down with the right pronunciation, the order is fixed, and whoever is called up knows in advance.
A short walk-up track on the way to the front turns a list of names into a moment. For that the DJ needs the list beforehand – names and order, not a note handed over on the night.
A running order for the anniversary
- 5:00 pm – reception, sparkling wine, quiet music
- 5:45 pm – welcome and speeches, half an hour in total at most
- 6:30 pm – awards
- 7:00 pm – outside guests leave, the buffet opens
- 8:30 pm – a look back in pictures, if planned
- 9:00 pm – the dance floor opens
- 1:00 am – the workforce party ends
Music for 25, 50 or 100 years
An anniversary is one of the few occasions where a musical look back really works: a block of hits from the decade the company was founded in, once the dance floor is already full. Founded in 1976? A few minutes of disco. Founded in 1999? A little Eurodance.
As a theme for the whole evening it does not work. The workforce ranges from early twenties to mid-sixties, and a pure seventies night loses half of them. As a block of ten or fifteen minutes it becomes the moment people talk about the next day.
Bring the founding year to the call with your DJ – together with the question of whether a look back is wanted at all.