The holidays are the perfect time to recognize your office staff for a great year and a job well done. What better way to celebrate than with a party that gathers everyone together? As a small business owner, you have the opportunity to plan a personal small office Christmas party with ideas that incorporate your employee’s personalities, hobbies, and strengths. Check out this list of fun small office holiday party ideas and activities for 2023! 

Christmas Movie Trivia 

 Have your office test their knowledge of classic Christmas movies with a trivia game! From new additions to the Christmas movie canon like The Santa Clause and ELF to oldies like White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life, there’s plenty of material available that spans several decades, so everyone in the office can participate. This game is great for multi-generational offices to bond over a shared love of the holidays and movies.  

Plan a Fun Activity  

Skip the office gift and plan an experience for this year’s Christmas party. This idea for a small office Christmas party encourages your team to get out and do something together outside the office. Some examples of activities you can plan to do together include: 

• An escape room  
• A nice dinner out  
• A scavenger hunt through a local park  
• Viewing Christmas lights and decor at a local downtown area  
• Ice skating (there are several rinks in Central Florida) 
• A beach day  
• A one-day retreat at an Orlando retreat center  

Ugly Sweater Party  

Wearing ugly sweaters has been all the rage for the past few years and has become a fun holiday tradition. Even though it may be warm in Florida, guests will be happy to don festive, over-the-top sweaters to spread Christmas spirit. Set up a photo booth at the party with props so guests can take pictures all decked out in their tacky attire. You can also make it a competition where everyone votes for the best sweater. Be sure to set some parameters if going this route, like setting a budget for people to spend on purchasing an outfit or only using clothing items you already own.  

Office Gift Exchange 

No small office Christmas party would be complete without this idea! The possibilities for organizing your office gift exchange are endless, from White Elephant to Secret Santa. Be sure to communicate expectations ahead of time and set a budget so everyone’s on the same page.  

Christmas Karaoke 

This game is an excellent choice if you have several extroverts in the office who won’t shy away from the spotlight. After all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! For a simple setup, purchase a few karaoke microphones from Amazon. These microphones are Bluetooth speakers, so music can play through them. Hook them up to an iPad with internet access, search for Christmas songs on YouTube, and you’re all set!  

Christmas Recipe Exchange  

This small office Christmas party idea requires some pre-planning. Have everyone in the office submit a family recipe for a holiday dish. Once you’ve gathered the recipes, get them bound into small books that can be given to each employee at the party.  

Ornament Decoration 

The crafters in your office will love this! Create a crafting station at a side table at the party so people can participate as they please. Guests can create a one-of-a-kind keepsake, and it’s easy to make this a tradition at each holiday party your business hosts.  

Gingerbread House Competition 

This activity works well when people sit at large tables with plenty of working space. Break everyone into groups of two to four people. Then, give each group a gingerbread house kit. Set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and have everyone race to assemble the most creative house possible in the time frame. Crunched for supplies? Instead of complete gingerbread kits, use graham crackers, icing, and toppings. When the timer goes off, have guests walk around the room to view everyone else’s creations. Allow guests to vote on their favorite house and award a prize to the winners.  

Unique Small Office Christmas Party Ideas for 2023 

Christmas parties are a great way to show your employees you appreciate all they do throughout the year. If you’re a small business owner, you have the unique opportunity to plan creative small office Christmas party ideas and activities for your party.  

Looking for a place to host your office’s holiday party? Look no further than the Canterbury Conference Center in Oviedo, Florida. With six meeting rooms, a dining room, and an outdoor terrace, there are plenty of places for you to host your party. Our spaces can hold anywhere from 60 to 200 guests. Call us at 407-392-9138 to learn how we can make your next event great!  

As a solo business owner, you wear many hats. Unlike small businesses with employees and partners, you have to handle all aspects of your business independently. Keeping yourself focused and prioritizing important projects with daily tasks such as business planning, marketing, sales, product or service development, customer service, and administrative tasks can be challenging. That’s why solopreneurs like you need to take time to reevaluate your business and create goals for the future. Learn how a solo business retreat may benefit you and how to plan one below.  

Why Should Solopreneurs Go on Retreats?  

There are several reasons why planning a solo business retreat is a good idea for individual business owners:  

Focused Time On Your Business  

Carving out time to focus on your business plan, marketing efforts, and new launches can be challenging. Business retreats give you dedicated time to brainstorm new business ideas, marketing strategies, update your admin process, and review past sales.   

Improve Skills 

Business owners are constantly learning. Today, there are more ways than ever before to update your skills and credentials in specific areas of your business. You can set aside time during your business retreat to finish that business self-help book you’ve been meaning to read, implement ideas from a conference you attended in a distraction-free environment, take an online course, and more.    

Evaluate Your Business 

Solo retreats are the perfect time to reflect on how your business has grown and strategize how to improve it in the future. Are you hitting the financial goals you set at the beginning of the year? Have you made goals for next year? Do you have a five-year plan for your business? If you don’t, a solo retreat is a great time to analyze the numbers behind your business to see where you need to improve.  

Planning Your Retreat  

Without a solid schedule and list of top priorities you want to accomplish during your retreat, time will quickly slip away. You may finish your retreat disappointed about your lack of productivity. To prevent this from happening, list a pie-in-the-sky overview of everything you wish you could accomplish during your retreat. This could be anything from updating your website, analyzing sales reports, and creating marketing materials for your next product launch. Then, star the highest priority items. This will allow you to base your schedule on what you can realistically accomplish. The key to planning a successful retreat is to refrain from cramming too many tasks into a short timeframe. Setting aside time for relaxing and rejuvenation is also essential.  

Picking a Venue 

The most important decision you’ll make about your solo retreat is picking the right venue. The possibilities are endless! The important part is that you pick a venue that inspires creativity while keeping distractions to a minimum. Determine whether you want to find a retreat center close to home or fly to a new destination to be inspired by the change of scenery. 

If you’re looking for a serene, secluded business retreat place in Orlando, FL, Canterbury Conference Center is for you! Here, you can enjoy nature without the distractions of everyday life. Situated on 48 wooded acres in Oviedo, Florida, the Canterbury Conference Center is conveniently located in Orlando. It’s easily accessible by the Orlando International Airport and the Orlando/Sanford International Airport.  

Our conference center offers 45 private guest rooms that are artfully designed to be distraction-free zones (without phones or televisions) and free from the noise of crowds and other hotel guests.  

Scheduling Time Off  

Many choose to schedule their solo business retreats between two or three days. Whether it’s a holiday weekend or mid-week, you’ll want to share clear communication guidelines with your current clients, customers, and family members while you’re away. Don’t wait to secure childcare, and ensure pets are cared for during that time so you can focus on your business without stress.   

During your retreat, work during your natural peak hours. You may find you’re most productive in the early morning, or you may thrive when working in the evening. The important thing is to do what works best for you. 

Recreation  

Another vital element of planning your solo retreat is scheduling time for rest and relaxation. Our business retreat place in Orlando, Florida, is perfect for that! With activities like canoeing on beautiful Lake Gem, enjoying a good book on our dock, writing in our garden, or walking through our mile-long nature trail, you’ll have plenty of ways to enjoy a relaxing time in nature. Listen to the comforting sounds of crickets at night and gaze at the heavens for a completely refreshing experience.  

Canterbury Conference Center—Solo Business Retreat Place in Orlando, FL 

Canterbury Conference Center is a retreat place in Orlando that offers serenity from the moment you walk through the doors. We’re located in Oviedo, Florida, just outside downtown Orlando. We’re about 30-45 minutes from many Orlando attractions. It’s the perfect retreat if you’re a solopreneur looking to travel to an off-the-beaten-path destination for your next business retreat. Learn more about the types of events we offer. 

Ready to book your next retreat with us? Contact us to get started.  

Retirement parties are a great way to celebrate an employee for years of dedication. It’s a huge milestone and deserves to be celebrated! If you’re a business owner fortunate enough to have employees stay with you through the long haul and retire from your company, ensuring they feel loved and celebrated will boost morale for everyone on your team. It’ll also inspire other employees to reach similar goals. Here’s how to throw a perfect retirement party for a member of your staff.  

Know Your Budget  

A set budget will allow you to allocate funds to specific areas from the start. You’ll want to consider whether the company will provide all the funds to host the party or if co-workers will contribute. You’ll want to ensure you create a budget for each aspect of party planning, from invitations to food and gifts. That way, you won’t spend your entire budget on decor but fail to secure a venue.  

Invite Guests  

Inviting guests may seem straightforward, but there are many things to consider. Will you invite your whole office? Are extended families welcome? Are young children invited? Generally, the retiree’s immediate family is invited, but what about your office staff’s families? Be sure to discuss your plans with the team so everyone is on the same page. Many low-cost or free ways exist to invite guests and manage replies online. Be sure to utilize something easy and efficient for everyone to RSVP promptly. 

Plan Activities  

Ensure every guest remains engaged by setting up fun, interactive games. One easy way to incorporate activities into your retirement party is to turn classic party games into ones honoring the retiree. Check out this list of retirement party games to get your creative juices flowing. If you don’t want to plan formal activities, you’ll at least want to carve out some time for speeches and toasts.  

Activities like a picture wall or a photo booth that are available throughout the evening add a nice touch to any celebration. You can also ask your co-workers to submit pictures of them and the retiree and assemble a slideshow that can be shown throughout the event. 

Create a Keepsake for the Honoree  

Having everyone in the office gathered together for a single purpose is a great time to create something the retiree will be able to take home and keep. From a yearbook-style photo book that people sign with wishes for the future or a simple guestbook of who attended the party, there are many ways to commemorate the occasion and the friends and family who came out to celebrate.  

Give the Perfect Gift  

It’s a nice gesture to give the retiree a nice retirement gift, and the retirement party is the perfect place to give it to them. Make sure the present is personalized and incorporates the retiree’s favorite hobbies, sports, or food. Get the retiree’s family involved if you need ideas for what would make a great gift. Also, don’t forget party favors for guests!  

Host a Retirement Party at Canterbury Conference Center 

Canterbury Conference Center, located in Oviedo, Florida, is a unique event center with several indoor and outdoor facilities to host a wide range of events for up to 200 people. Our center is easily accessible for anyone in Central Florida to visit. Request a proposal for your next event from our team, or call our office to learn more about hosting your event at our facility. 

If you’re a writer looking to tackle your next big project, sometimes finding a distraction-free time and space to write is difficult. The daily responsibilities that pull at you can have you wanting to get away with dedicated time to write and work on your craft. That’s why writing retreats have become increasingly popular for new and seasoned authors looking to spend several days of devoted time solely focused on their projects. Author retreats can help hone your craft and offer a distraction-free, tranquil place to complete your writing work. Looking to plan an author’s retreat for yourself or a group? Here are some tips for planning a productive and rejuvenating writing retreat.  

Set Goals  

Before you plan your retreat, you’ll need to set goals for what you’d like to accomplish and how you’d like to structure your retreat. Do you want to collaborate with other authors and editors? Looking to complete an online course you’ve been meaning to take? Need a few days to finish the last chapters of your novel? Thinking about your retreat goals before getting involved in heavy planning will help you use your time wisely and allow you to determine the success of your retreat afterward. Write down your goals and keep them in a prominent place you’ll look at often during the retreat.  

Pick a Venue  

Once you know the goals of your retreat, it’s time to find the perfect location to host it. If your goal is to dive in deep and improve your writing skills, you may want to attend a writer’s conference, where you’ll hear from industry experts and build an in-person community of writers. If you need distraction-free writing time, pick a secluded retreat venue that allows you to enjoy nature but has everything you need to focus on your work. 

Eliminate Distractions  

When you are ready to focus on deep work, do everything you can to eliminate distractions. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and silence unnecessary messages or calls. Discuss these intentions with your family beforehand so they know to keep contact to a minimum during your focused work time.  

Use Time Blocking  

An unstructured retreat day is a recipe for feeling overwhelmed and unproductive by the end of it. Create a daily itinerary for each day of your trip, even if it’s a solo retreat. Use a schedule that blocks specific hours for writing, outlining, editing, and other tasks like meals and recreational activities. Whether you use a digital calendar or a paper planner, it’s important to make a schedule and stick to it. This will reduce procrastination and distractions. 

Take Breaks  

Sometimes the best ideas come when you step away from your project and enjoy some time in nature. Sometimes, a change of scenery is all you need to foster creative thought! For this reason, take several breaks during your retreat. At Canterbury Conference Center in Oviedo, Florida, we have a wide variety of peaceful and creativity-stimulating activities you can enjoy during writing breaks on our 48-acre property. From taking a scenic walk to canoeing on Lake Gem, we have everything you need to relax and refresh.  

Host your Writing Retreat at Canterbury Conference Center 

We have a wide range of facilities that are perfect for planning your next writing retreat. Our facility can help you plan solo or group retreats, with room for up to 200 people to spend the day. We also have 14 hotel rooms on-site, perfect for solo retreaters. Whether you want solo solace or to bring together a community of local writers, Canterbury Conference Center can help you plan a successful writing retreat. Learn more about our services and facilities, then contact us today to start planning your retreat.  

Team-building exercises are integral to any leadership retreat or business workshop. These activities allow your team to get to know each other better and bond outside work. They can also help teach valuable lessons that translate into everyday operations, such as communication and problem-solving. They challenge your team to use their mental and physical abilities to develop creative solutions to various tasks. Looking for some engaging team-building exercises for your next leadership retreat? Check out these activities! 

Photo Scavenger Hunt  

A scavenger hunt allows your team to enjoy the great outdoors and explore our conference facility, which is nestled on 48 acres of lush landscaping, tranquil gardens, walking trails, and Lake Gem. For this activity, break into small groups and hand each group a list of 15 to 20 items they may find around the property, such as birds, flowers, specific colored stones, and other wildlife. Give everyone about 30 minutes to explore the area and take photos of as many items off the list as they can. Encourage your team to bond as they walk around the property, discussing commonalities and getting to know each other better.  

Interpretive Drawings 

This indoor game can be done anywhere but works best for groups seated at tables of six to ten people. The goal is to show your team how the same image can be interpreted differently and the importance of providing clear and precise instructions when completing a task. Fill several jars with slips of paper with the names of simple drawings (think geometric shapes, stick figures, and doodles) and place a jar on each table. Then, give everyone several pieces of paper and writing utensils. One volunteer at each table selects a slip of paper and draws what’s it without showing anyone else. Have another volunteer take the picture the first person drew and describe it to the rest of the table (without them looking at it). Everyone else at the table must draw the picture based solely on the second volunteer’s oral description of the drawing, trying to create the original drawing to the best of their abilities. Set a timer to give the game more urgency. Once the timer goes off, have everyone share their pictures, the original drawing, and what was on the slip. Discuss the differences between the paper, the original image, and everyone’s interpretation of the image. Play this game in multiple rounds so everyone has a chance to provide instructions. Then, discuss how communication styles differ between teammates.   

Who Am I?  

This icebreaker game encourages your team to interact with each other. First, write out several name tags with names of fictional or historical characters on them. Theme the game by choosing characters from a specific genre, such as cartoon characters, superheroes, or biblical figures. Hand out the name tags (face down) and instruct each player to place them on their backs without looking. Then, encourage your group to mingle around the room, treating those they come in contact with as the character listed on their nametag. The object of the game is to guess who is on your nametag based on everyone else’s behavior towards you. Anyone who correctly guesses their character can sit out.  

Recess Time  

Give your team unstructured time to let loose and have fun! Set up a series of classic recess games inside and outside the facility, such as “Head’s Up Seven Up,” kickball, four square, chalk, and bubbles. There are no rules—it’s guilt-free time to act like a kid! Encourage your team to discuss their favorite childhood memories with others during this time.  

Team Building and Leadership Retreats with Canterbury Conference Center 

Canterbury Conference Center is the perfect place to host your leadership retreat, with a wide range of facilities to accommodate youth and adult groups of up to 200 people. We have everything you need to make your next leadership conference, church retreat, or corporate workshop successful! Call us at 407-365-5571 to learn how we can help you plan your next event. Or, request an online quote from us here. 

Looking for an out-of-the-box way to raise money for your organization? Consider hosting a music event as a fundraiser! Music is a universal language that brings people together, which makes hosting a music event a unique experience to help raise awareness and funds for your organization. Here are some music events you’ll want to consider for your next fundraiser. 

Benefit Concerts  

Benefit concerts are a great fundraising option for non-profit organizations. Benefit concerts can be structured in several ways, from one-night concerts featuring one artist to multi-day events with various acts. Benefit concerts can draw large crowds, making them advantageous for your organization and the performing artists. Guests pay for admission, and a percentage of each ticket sale goes to your organization. You can raise additional funds by selling merchandise and having raffles during the concert. If your organization cannot host a large concert alone, consider contacting an artist and proposing a partnership for one of their upcoming concerts. They can donate a portion of the ticket sales to your organization on that particular date. This cuts expenses since you wouldn’t have to pay for sound equipment, a venue, and lighting. To properly market your event, you’ll want to work with the artist to communicate what your organization does, its benefit to the community, and why you’re seeking support now and in the future.   

Tribute Concerts  

Another type of fundraising music event is hosting a tribute band at a venue of your choice. Tribute bands typically play music of one genre or artist. These bands are dedicated to honoring the original acts they tribute, so you often get high-quality talent similar to the original band at a fraction of the cost. Tribute bands can get a headliner name to bring crowds to your concert without the headliner price tag. When planning a tribute band, know your audience and pick a band they’d like to see or one that means something special to your organization. Like benefit concerts, fundraising occurs through ticket sales and other event-related activities.  

Local Artist Showcase  

Highlighting local talent is a great way to unite people to support local artists and your organization. People love supporting local causes, and when you choose a music fundraising event that includes local causes and artists, you get to do both! Gathering artists who play different genres of music ensures a large, varied crowd. Local bands will also be willing to help market your event, as they’ll want to share their next gig with their audience through social media, email, and word of mouth.  

Worship Nights 

 Hosting a worship night as a fundraiser is an excellent way to bring your church community together to support a specific cause. Setting up a worship night with multiple musical acts throughout your venue is a unique way to speak to church members who prefer different types of music and enjoy new settings. Canterbury Conference Center offers many venues that are ideal for this type of setup, from an acoustic set on our outdoor patio to an a capella group performing at our on-site chapel. We also have indoor space for over 200 people, which can be turned into a central worship area. To raise funds for your organization, consider hosting the event for free but encourage donations or selling general admission tickets.  

Hosting Fundraising Events at Canterbury Conference Center  

Whether you’re a non-profit, church, or other religious organization, hosting a music event at the Canterbury Conference Center in Oviedo, FL, is an excellent choice. We’re centrally located to many of Orlando’s attractions but secluded enough to enjoy a tranquil environment. Learn more about our events. Have questions? Contact us for more information about how we can help you with your next fundraising event.