Cinco de Mayo office Party

I was really excited for this party! Our office, Quantifind had a mix of cultures I always wanted to accurately represent so I would talk to individuals and ask for suggestions for food, activities, customs, etc, I would always include everything that they suggested. I loved to be able to bring my coworkers together to learn, love or celebrate culture. I wanted an all inclusive feel to the culture. I loved everyone to participate.

First I always start with the flier. I would send this out in employee email communication. I would also update our internal newsletter so I would include this in the appropriate section.I really pulled all the stops on this one! I had some help from a couple of girls here for ideasSo first my contests were best dressed, a Salsa making contest and the game Loteria.

 

I decorated the office it was so pretty. I had people participate in making paper flowers. I had my coworkers coming to the front to learn to make these beautiful flowers and gather their supplies. I loved having an activity for my coworkers to participate in. Again this was a low cost event because I paid for tissue paper and a couple decorations. My co worker donated to me her daughters Quinceañera decorations. I used those and our flowers to decorate.

  

 

I always had a budget to work with for the month for the events. When I came to the office they were doing a weekly "Happy Hour" which I saw people just using it as an excuse to leave early so we would sort of be paying for nothing. So I decided to take those weeks budget each month and combine them into one big event for the office to come together and actually create memorable moments together. In doing these events I would come in early and decorate their desks with candies or tokens from theme. Everyone came to their desk with Mexican candy treats, Loteria Card and Frijoles!

  

 

I got mini piñatas, thats where I stashed the gift cards, so each winner got a mini piñata with a gift card in it. 

People dressed up...

The winner!

We played Loteria. For the game I made it a digital version. I had my front end guy create a randomized program to display the cards and we played from our desks, with the cards on the screen and on slack. It was so fun, Everyone was making the funniest comments on slack it was so hilarious. I wish I had screenshot them. Our office was so fun.

I made my own Loteria deck. 

Here are some of the deck images. I used some of the classic original images for the integrity of the culture. I chose images that I loved and I changed the other images by I mixing in fun and modern takes of the meaning of the word ie El Musico <3 Prince. 

I ordered Enchiladas for lunch..

  

And we had snow Cones!!!

   

I made Horcata and We had Beer of Course!

 

And we made Salsa

  And Judged Salsa! *We did a lot of co-events with Globality. I would always ask them to participate as judges because they were impartial to our team and our entries would have fair and impartial judging.

   

And the next next morning we ate Pan Dulce 

White Elephant in Ugly Sweaters office party

I planned a Holiday party for our home office, Quantifind. I decided a White Elephant and Ugly Sweater Party would be perfect for our group. So I created and sent out the flier.

Planning. I decided that tin order to protect and honor everyones individuality and cultures during the holidays the office would be decorated with simple snowflakes. We were the corner office in a beautiful building in Menlo Park next to the USGC and shared and office space with *Globality.  Our office had enormous windows that wrapped around the office and everyone had a view. I decorated the office in snowflakes. The windows and the conference room windows. I asked everyone participate in the snowflake project and cut at least three snowflakes so I had enough to cover all of our windows. I told my team that if they wanted to learn how to cut snowflakes I would instruct them. People would find time individually to come and learn and cut snowflakes with me at the front desk. The snowflakes were so beautiful our neighbors and neighborhood loved them they would always admire them when they walked by our windows! We had a fun time and it was an office party that didn't cost anything! For party refreshments I made some Whiskey Sour and Danny made Egg Nog.

I always have contests so I did a best dressed this time. At the office I would snap shots of my co workers in their costumes and then I would have fun in photoshop and create holiday pictures for them. They loved them so much and it was so fun for me. 
Here are the contestants... 



Our Winner!

 

 

*We did a lot of co-events with Globality. I would always ask them to participate as judges because they were impartial to our team and our entries would have fair and impartial judging. Since this was a dress up contest I would print two of the finished photoshopped images. I would give one to the individual and I would use this beautiful gallery wall to hang up each of the entries. I would give everyone in the office a specific small sized post it flag and to mane their vote they would affix the tag to their favorite Ugly Sweater. The winner always received a great prize I always had so many gift cards.

 
 I set up a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Everyone participated. The gift was to cost between $15-20 and wrapped. 

The contest Rules are the following. 
Parties who bring a gift will take a number in sequence of the # of gifts. 
#1 picks a gift from the pile, Person unwraps and shows everyone 
#2 Has the option to steal #1's Gift or pick a new one form the pile, If #2 steals #1's gift #1 gets to pick a new one from the pile 
#3 Has the option to steal from #1 #2 or pick a new gift, If #3 steals a gift, then whomever he stole from may steal a gift or pick a new one... And it goes on like this stealing gifts. 

Rules 
No one can directly steal the same gift that they just had, they have to wait until the new gift they have is stolen to gain back their old gift. 

Now you can add rules like after something is stolen 3 times its frozen. 
The #1 person gets to go in the end and steal anything they want and the person they stole from is left with their gift. 

This game is so fun and funny!