It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year for a Holiday Mixer

Are you hosting a member appreciation event this holiday season? It’s the perfect time to bring people together.

Ditch the Fruitcake: Throw a Holiday Mixer Your Members Will Love

The holidays will quickly be upon us. That means now is the time to plan a holiday mixer or end-of-year member appreciation event. But it’s also one of the busiest times of year for most people. If you want members to attend, make this event special.

Ditch the tired formula of lukewarm cider and small talk. Let’s create an event that truly wows your members, boosts morale, and leaves everyone feeling festive and connected.

Here’s how to throw a holiday mixer that stands out from the crowd:

Make it an Experience, Not Just a Mixer

Ordinary just won’t do. Your members have a lot of invitations and they can’t accept all of them. For a memorable member mixer:

• Choose a festive theme that encourages interaction. Think “Winter Wonderland” with cozy decor, a “Holiday Movie Night” with a classic film screening, a “Pet Parade” where you encourage pet owners to bring their pets dressed in their holiday best, or a “Gingerbread Showdown” with a friendly baking competition. Not feeling any of those ideas? Ask AI to help come up with something that fits the time of year and your community. Stephanie Mueller shared that at her chamber luncheons work best. She wrote, “We have fun games during the 30 minutes of pre-networking. We ask members to provide wrapped gifts that are used as centerpieces. We play a game and someone from each table wins the centerpiece. We always get more gifts than needed for centerpieces so we give them as prizes for the games. Many companies bring multiple people and use it as a holiday luncheon for their employees. We always have a theme. Last year, it was Christmas Movies. We asked people to come dressed as their favorite character. We weren’t sure how many would do it but we had quite a few. We had a red carpet when people entered and they “walked the red carpet” into the luncheon. We had our ambassadors taking people’s photos. We had a couple “selfie stations” set up with inflatables from Chrismas movies.”
• Go beyond background music. Hire a live band, Santa, a caricaturist, or a magician. Set up a photo booth with fun props. Offer a DIY ornament decorating station (cookies work well too).
• Skip the usual conference room. Host your event at a creative spot like a museum, escape room, art gallery, a local brewery, or even a street in your town.

Paid Event Idea

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford hosts a paid event at the end of the year. It comps tickets to the board, major volunteers, the mayor and council, and a few others.

Celebrate the Year’s Successes

The end of the year is the perfect time to wax nostalgic and review everything that happened in 2024. You can do that by:

• Unveil an Interactive Year-in-Review. Instead of a dry presentation and words of thanks, create an engaging recap of the year’s achievements. Use visuals, videos, and interactive polls to highlight member successes and chamber milestones. Show b-roll footage and bloopers for extra laughs. Include funny stats like how many pounds of hors d’oeuvres you served at mixers or how many beverages were consumed over the year at chamber events.
• Recognize Outstanding Members. Go beyond the usual awards ceremony (you likely have a special night dedicated to business awards anyway). Create fun, personalized awards that reflect individual contributions. (“The Networking Ninja,” “The Community Champion,” “Most Festive Golf Pants” etc.)
• Showcase Member Businesses. Incorporate member products or services into the event. Feature a local caterer, offer samples from a member’s bakery, host a fashion show or parade of last-minute gift ideas from members, or have a member florist provide the decorations.

Boost Attendance and Engagement

Get more people in the doors by:

• Running a “Bring a Friend” Promotion. Encourage members to bring a guest (bonus if they might be interested in joining the chamber).
• Making it a Family Event. There’s only so much “grown-up” time in the holiday event calendar. Make sure your members know the whole family is invited. Have activities for the kids.
• Generating Social Media Buzz. Create a hashtag for the event and encourage members to share photos and updates. Run a contest or giveaway leading up to the mixer such as a naming the event contest. Have some fun with video and create a hysterical video invitation.

Give Back to the Community

While the chamber is always thinking about community, December is when many nonprofits receive their largest donations. Think of ways you might combine efforts, not compete against them such as hosting a:

• Charitable Component. Partner with a local charity and incorporate a giving element into the event. Host a toy drive, a food collection, or a raffle with proceeds benefiting a worthy cause.
• Volunteer Opportunity. Organize a pre-mixer volunteer activity where members can give back together.

Remember the Festive Touches

You can thank social media but people expect a lot more out of holiday parties than they used to. If you want to create an Instagrammable night, you’ll want to:

• Make a special invite. Whether you mail it or post it online, creating a festive invitation will catch their attention.
• Offer a variety of holiday-themed food and drinks, including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. Reindeer made out of pretzels and brownies? Grinch-colored drinks? Snowman dip? Yes, please. Social media is ripe with ideas for things your guests will take pictures of and share with their networks. The Bonsall Chamber of Commerce takes a community approach. Ruth Harris Chamber CEO shared, “We completely changed ours to a party. Everyone brings a dish to share, whatever they like to drink to share, and we add in a few things. It is better attended than any of our other events except the annual dinner.” At the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Christine Kennedy shared that they host “a holiday open house from 11-2. The staff makes some of our ‘special’ holiday favorites. We fill the rest of the table with foods purchased from member restaurants and caterers. We do tent cards to promote the members who we get food from. It’s our chance to thank our members. We also set up a slide show with photos from throughout the year which we use again at our annual meeting that happens after the first of the year.”
• Create a festive atmosphere with decorations, lighting, and music. Again, the idea is to be so impressive that it inspires people to your decor. Nothing generates feelings of fear of missing out and word-of-mouth marketing quite like people posting pictures of a party. Those who aren’t in attendance will want to be next year.
• Holiday Favors: Send guests home with a small, thoughtful gift as a token of appreciation. Some chambers have special holiday ornaments made for the occasion.

Now is the time to plan your holiday chamber soiree or member appreciation mixer. This year, ditch the dusty punch bowl and predictable playlist. Throw a holiday bash filled with laughter, connections, and maybe even a little friendly competition (gingerbread house showdown, anyone?).

It’s time to celebrate the wins, spread some cheer, and remind everyone why being part of your chamber is a gift to the community. Let’s make this holiday mixer one for the record books!