Pre-Christmas parties are back on companies' agendas, because people are craving more shared moments than ever. At Innovation Home, we're seeing more events being organised now than in recent years. In our view, though, this isn't a return to the old, heavy format: a big production with the programme in the lead role and plenty going on. These days, a lighter touch works just as well, when the space supports the purpose.
In our experience, genuine connection and time for unstructured conversation are no longer a nice extra, they're a permanent part of why companies hold events at all. A string of programme items is no longer reason enough on its own: staff and leadership alike ask why this particular event, and what it gives back. The answer is rarely found in how much programme there is, but in whether the event actually gets people to connect with each other.
The best approach isn't to cut the event down, but to rethink how the programme is structured, and that's what we'd recommend. For many teams, building the pre-Christmas party into the workday, an afternoon slot, works well: more people manage to join. For others, a calmer evening mood suits better, as long as the programme folds naturally into the evening. What matters most is a space that easily accommodates both a short programme and more open time together.
At the same time, the programme itself doesn't need to be big. A small, well-chosen piece of content is enough: the wow factor rarely comes from a performer or activity, more often from the atmosphere. Our spaces are designed for networking, and a relaxed atmosphere makes genuine connection easy. A central location helps here too, in a very practical way: it makes it easy for people to drop by for part of the event before other plans, or move on elsewhere right after.
Tuomas Järveläinen, who heads up the events side at Innovation Home, says a programme that works is one built together with an expert, going through what people actually want and bringing them into the programme rather than treating them as an audience in front of it. Even the formal part of an event is easy to make interactive, for example with Kahoot-style polls timed well around the breaks.
One thing is still worth keeping firmly in mind: events still need, maybe more than ever, time for unstructured conversation. Its value has only grown: hybrid work means people gather at the office together less often than before, and every so often a change of scenery outside your own desk is exactly what's needed. We've found that a relaxed atmosphere is enough on its own to create the kind of good feeling that no single programme item can produce. A pre-Christmas party is one of the few moments each year when the whole team is in the same place at the same time: room to talk and simply be present. These days, we think of face-to-face connection as a genuine luxury.
"When the space and the service just work, I can focus as the organiser on what matters most: people connecting with each other." Akira Ropo, Tampere Chamber of Commerce, Executive Network
The timing supports this too. Pre-Christmas parties land in the darkest part of the year, but also its most atmospheric. It's a natural moment to pause, say thank you, and acknowledge a year's worth of work.
Pre-Christmas party season doesn't wait for December: the best dates and venues are traditionally booked before midsummer. We repeatedly see that plenty of people still plan their events on a shorter timeline, and expect a turnkey solution. With more events expected this year than in previous ones, the available options narrow even faster as the year goes on. If you haven't booked yet, now's a good time to get moving, while the space and date that best suit your people are still open.
Pikkujoulu is no small thing anymore, and it doesn't need to be a big undertaking either. The right space and a service that works take care of most of it for you.
Innovation Home organises pre-Christmas parties and other company events right in the centre of town: in Helsinki's Kamppi and at Finlayson Meetings in Tampere. Our event spaces in Kamppi bend to anything from a workshop to a sauna-side Christmas gathering, right in the heart of the city. At Finlayson Meetings in Tampere, the setting suits everything from a smaller event to a private gathering of over 100 people, with the wider Finlayson area adding extra character. In both locations, alongside an atmospheric space, our service includes catering from our own kitchen and helpful staff who also assist with planning the event itself.