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Old habits may die hard, but apparently - at least when it comes to celebrating the holidays with co-workers - so do recently acquired ones.
That's what Linda Skole, president of Chez Josef in Agawam, has observed over the past six years. In 2001, the holiday party business took a major hit nationwide when, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, no one felt much like partying.
That was understandable. The problem was, many of them continued to stay away in succeeding years, whether for economic reasons or plain old apathy about restarting the holiday party tradition. Fortunately, those days seem to be fading, and companies are increasingly rewarding their hard-working employees with a little food and festivity toward year's end.
"We're expecting a very busy holiday season," Skole told BusinessWest. "A few years back, after 9/11, some groups were holding back and doing fewer parties, but this year they're coming back, and we have more private parties scheduled this year than we've seen in a while. I think people realize the positive influence these events have on company morale, that employees really do appreciate it."
According to Battalia Winston International, an executive search firm that tracks business trends, 94% of U.S. companies celebrated the season with parties in 2006, up from 87% in 2005. Although it's too early to get accurate national numbers for this year, some area banquet facilities are reporting that this holiday season will be at least as busy as 2006.
"We get a lot of the same businesses every year, people we know are going to book," said Melissa Kratovil, event coordinator at Hofbrauhaus in West Springfield. "But we're getting new people interested in Christmas parties, so we're up a little more than last year."
In this issue, BusinessWest explores some of the options available to companies that want to take a break from the grind as the holidays approach.
One Size Doesn't Fit All
Kratovil has spotted some party trends that correspond to a company's size. "Cocktail parties are a popular thing for larger companies," she said. "They tend to go for open bars, passed appetizers, things like that. It's quick and easy. For smaller companies, with under 50 guests, they like sit-down dinners with a prix fixe type...