Company Christmas dinner in Turin: how to make it different
A set menu and an end-of-year speech are no longer enough: practical ideas for a company Christmas dinner in Turin the team actually looks forward to.
The company Christmas dinner is one of the few moments in the year when the whole company gets together in one place, outside the office. That's exactly why it risks becoming a tired ritual: tables assigned by department, a set menu, the end-of-year speech and everyone home before they've really talked to anyone new.
Making it different doesn't take a huge budget. It takes thinking about the evening as an experience with a beginning, a middle and an end, not just a restaurant booking. Here's how to do it in Turin.
First things first: when to book
In Turin, as in any city, December evenings are the most in demand for corporate dinners: restaurants, rooms and activities fill up weeks ahead. The right time to move is October or at the latest early November, with an approximate date and an estimate of participants, even if the details are still open.
If the December calendar is too full, consider a new year party in January: the same feeling of closing and restarting, much more availability and a team less worn out by year-end deadlines.
The real problem with the Christmas dinner: everyone sits all night
The dinner itself is rarely the problem. The problem is that once seated, everyone talks to whoever is next to them, which is almost always someone they already see every day. New people stay on the sidelines, departments don't mix and the evening ends up looking like a longer lunch break.
The most effective fix is to add something before dinner: an activity of a couple of hours that mixes people into teams different from the usual ones, so when they reach the table they already have something to talk about.
Ideas for before dinner
- A team game trail in the city. Puzzles solved by walking through the city centre lit up for the holidays, with warm stops in local venues. It works with big groups because the teams play in parallel.
- An aperitivo with a challenge. A quiz about the year that's ending, with questions on projects, clients and inside jokes prepared by a colleague: minimal cost, guaranteed effect if the quiz is done well.
- A short guided walk. In December Turin has its Luci d'Artista light installations and a historic centre that lends itself to a stroll: better if short and ending near the restaurant.
- A gift exchange with a rule. The classic Secret Santa, but with a clear theme or spending cap: the exchange becomes a game instead of an obligation.
How to choose based on your team
For a small office, under twenty people, it doesn't take much: a compact activity and dinner somewhere everyone can sit at one table. For a larger company, choose a format that can be split into teams and brings everyone back to the same place for the finale, before dinner.
Think about who's actually coming, too: if some colleagues travel in from out of town, choose an area close to a station. San Salvario, next to Porta Nuova, is convenient both for those arriving by train and for walking between an activity and the restaurant.
Our idea: the Christmas party as a game trail
GoCicero organises the company Christmas party as a team route through the streets and partner venues of San Salvario: puzzles, challenges between teams and references to the company and the year that's ending, all designed to finish in time for dinner. It works from 10 people up, with no real upper limit, and one dedicated contact follows the organisation from start to finish.
You'll find all the details on the page dedicated to the company Christmas party in Turin, and more ideas for the rest of the year on the one about corporate events in Turin.
Checklist for the organiser
- Date and backup. One main date and a backup, communicated early.
- Number of participants. A realistic estimate, to be confirmed a week before.
- Dietary needs. Collect intolerances and preferences together with the confirmations.
- Getting around. Activity and dinner close to each other, reachable on foot or by public transport.
- One moment for everyone. A short shared toast or finale in which the company closes the year together.
