Every December our crew spends most nights in hotel ballrooms, galleries and museums, turning a company’s year into a party. Last December that meant holiday parties and year-end events at Samuel Lynne Galleries in the Design District, three nights at the C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas Live! in Arlington and the Venetian Ballroom at the Fairmont Dallas. The rooms change from year to year. The plan for a corporate holiday party comes down to the same four things every time: the toasts, the music, the room and the date.
What does a corporate holiday party need for sound?
Two moments decide it. The first is the toast: the CEO’s thank-you, the awards and the raffle. Every table needs to hear it, so it runs on a wireless microphone with our AI-powered De-Feedback system, which lets the speaker walk the room while the sound stays clean. The second is the dance floor once dinner ends, which needs speakers with enough low end to fill it. One sound system covers both, set for speech during dinner and for music after.
How much sound for 50, 150 or 300 guests?
About 50 guests
A private dining room, a gallery floor or an office lobby. A pair of powered speakers on stands and one wireless handheld covers it, with a subwoofer added if the night ends with dancing.
About 150 guests
A hotel ballroom or an event space set with rounds. Two 12 or 15 inch speakers on stands and a subwoofer, plus two wireless microphones so the person introducing the speaker and the speaker each have one. If the room is long, a second pair of speakers halfway back keeps the far tables at the same level as the front.
About 300 guests
Four speakers and two subwoofers is the usual starting point, with a technician running the sound for the speeches and the hand-off to the DJ or the band. Our guide to how many speakers you need for 100, 200 or 500 guests goes room by room.
Lighting that turns a ballroom into a party
Uplighting along the walls in the company colors changes a beige ballroom faster than anything else in the room. A logo projection puts the company name or the year in light on a wall, a drape or above the stage. When the speeches end and the DJ starts, dance floor lighting takes over and the room becomes the party.
DJ, band or both?
A holiday party plays to a mixed room, from the new hires to the founders, so the music has to read the room. Our DJ services run on the same system as the speeches, so the hand-off from the last toast to the first song takes seconds. If you have booked a band, we run sound for the band and the DJ plays between sets on the same rig.
Screens, slideshows and the year in photos
The year-in-review slideshow, the award winners and a video message from someone who could not make it all need a screen the back tables can read. We size the projector and screen to the room and the light in it. Offices in other cities can watch the toasts through a live stream run from the same sound board.
When should you book a December date?
For a Friday or Saturday in December, book six to eight weeks out, which puts the booking window in October and early November. Holding the date early also gives us time to design a logo projection and plan the load-in with your venue.
What our crew does on the night
Every rental is delivered, set up, tested and picked up by our crew, with an on-site technician for the services that call for one, which on a holiday party usually means the speeches and the band. We are insured and send a certificate of insurance to any venue that asks for one, and we coordinate load-in with the venue directly. If the party follows a conference or a kickoff, our corporate event AV services cover the daytime sessions with the same crew and the same load-in.
FAQ
Can you work alongside our venue’s in-house AV?
Yes. Hotels in Dallas-Fort Worth often have an in-house AV company, and most allow an outside vendor. Ask the venue for its outside vendor policy and load-in times; we send our certificate of insurance and coordinate the rest with them.
Do you provide the DJ or just the equipment?
Either. We book the DJ with the sound and lighting, or we set up speakers for your own DJ and hand over a system that is already tested.
Can you project our company logo?
Yes. Send us the logo file and we design a full color projection of it, shown in light on a wall, a drape or the stage.
Planning your company holiday party?
Tell us your date, your venue and your guest count, and we’ll send you a straightforward quote within 24 hours. Call 817-210-7957 or request a quote.