Your end-of-year event is more than a thank you for your team’s hard work over the past 12 months. It’s a chance to reinforce culture, build alignment and drive future performance. With this is mind, how can you ensure your investment delivers a high ROI and is more than just a flashy dinner date?
Make The Event Work For You
Define what you want out of it. Recognition? Reconnection? Direction? Culture alignment? Setting the tone for the next year?
Pick one or two outcomes. Then build the event around them. For example:
- Lift engagement scores
- Strengthen alignment to company values
- Reinforce strategic priorities
Anything that doesn’t support those goals? Trim it.
And you’ll notice, we haven’t yet started to speak about how much to spend.
Reward with Purpose
Recognition matters. So does how you deliver it. Throwing money at prestige venues or expensive gifts might impress some, but it rarely sticks. It sets the tone that flash equals value.
If you’ve focused on hiring people who are only motivated by money, then yes, this option works. However, they will always be chasing more, and this foundation is never going to last.
Instead, ask: “If someone puts in effort, what do they get in return?” If the answer is clarity, growth, or genuine appreciation, you’re on the right track. If you haven’t done any value work yet with your team, speak to our Leadership Coaches, and let’s help you find clarity through knowing your team better. Contact Us
When you know what you’re people value, what fills their cup, you’re more able to meet their needs. If your people want meaning, if they want to feel seen, then you need to align your rewards to behaviours and values you want repeated. Make it personal. Make it specific.
Watch the Spend Signals
Every dollar you spend sends a message. If the loudest message is luxury, you train people to chase perks. You also risk creating two cultures: those impressed by status, and those left cold by it.
High spend doesn’t equal high impact. A smartly run team experience will do more for morale and retention than a three-course meal with no substance. Keep the glitz in check. Spend where it counts.
If you’ve been running on a lean budget all year long, reinforcing to your team to watch how much they spend on projects and tools, then throwing a lavish party sends a message that we don’t care about improving the team’s day-to-day. Your budget needs to reflect the tone of the year past.
If you’ve had a major surplus from all your cost-cutting over the year, consider doing the following:
- Acknowledge your team’s hard work to reduce costs, and share the savings
- Vocalise how you will re-invest X% into improvements to help their day-to-day (tools, equipment, support, staff)
- To say thank you for their hard work, Y% will be given in the form of grocery store vouchers to help with their end-of-year grocery shopping needs (this is a big help, especially for those who have families)
- Vocalise that you will use Z% to boost the budget for the end-of-year event
- Express how their savings allowed the company to achieve X, which benefited them all in the following ways..
By showing thanks for their cost savings measures, it will help your team feel more appreciated, and not that they are only helping line the pockets of the executive team.
Measure the Right Stuff
Track both return on investment (ROI) and return on experience (ROE). You need to know what worked.
Useful metrics:
- Pre- and post-event surveys
- Participation levels
- Alignment to values
- Behaviour shifts after the event
Don’t rely on gut feel. Get the data. Use it to improve.
With the help of our Culture Audit, or 360 Reviews, we can support you in monitoring the data to support your moves going forward.
Focus Forward
Yes, celebrate. But don’t stop there. Use the event to position next year. What are the priorities? What behaviours will drive success? What does each team member need to commit to?
Keep it sharp. What happened. Why it mattered. What’s next.
Run a Tight Checklist
- Define clear goals
- Align your goals to future steps in business
- Link rewards to values
- Review the excess spend
- Collect useful data
- Align the event to next year’s focus
When it comes to reviewing your actions or spending, we recommend using a simple chart. It’s where we compare Outcomes to Feelings.
For example: Having an open bar
Feelings:
- I like how it makes me look to offer an open bar
- People seem happy at the event
Outcomes:
- It sets the tone for future events that open bars are a thing to be expected
- Hungover the next day, low performance at work
- X staff took Ubers home due to excessive drinking
- Didn’t offer any personal fulfilment for the team
- Sets the tone of flashy over value
Embrace Change
Don’t fall for the classic “this is how it’s always been done” trap. Things change. People change. And so too must businesses.
Be a brave industry leader and review what has been done typically, question its benefits and motives, and ensure it’s offering the best ROI for you moving forward.
Change is hard, and change is scary. If you’ve always thrown luxurious end-of-year parties, but you now recognise they do not align with company values and goals, you’re probably going to have some pushback.
When it comes to changing how you do things, it’s important to communicate clearly why you’re making these changes. Consider making small adjustments over time to create a better buy-in for your team. Lead by example of setting the tone at other events mid-year.
As the great Theodore Rosovelt once said:
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty,“
Bringing Your Event To Life
Culture isn’t built on champagne. It’s built on clarity, alignment and consistent action. Your end-of-year event is a tool. Use it to reward, reset and refocus. Spend smart. Lead sharp.
If you’re unsure of how to lead a culture shift within your organisation or need to speak with a leadership expert on how to set the tone, /s/PNt-H4mx6UW_TYWy9JzdAg2?ismsaljsauthenabled" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">book a complimentary strategy session with one of our leadership coaches.
In parting, we want to leave you with this. Ask “What VALUE does this offer my team and organisation?”. If you can focus on value, you’ll be taking the first step towards making a real impact.
