Updated: March 01, 2023

13 Fun Corporate Event Themes for Company Celebrations

You found our list of best corporate event themes.

Corporate event themes are creative and engaging party or event ideas that enliven group gatherings. Examples include Heroes vs. Villains, Hollywood Theme, Wild West, and ’80s Bash. Event themes are great ways to make large gatherings memorable, unique, and fun for guests.

Corporate event themes are similar to holiday party themes and office theme days. You can work with corporate event management companies or virtual event companies to host your next corporate event for teams.

This list includes:

  • fun themes for corporate events
  • themes for business events
  • corporate event ideas
  • corporate retreat themes
  • marketing event themes
  • employee appreciation event themes
  • corporate award ceremony themes
  • company anniversary party themes

Let’s get to it!

List of fun corporate theme event ideas

From Masked Balls to Wild West to Summer BBQ, here is our list of best theme ideas for your next corporate event.

1. Heroes vs. Villains

Heroes vs. Villains is a classic themed party idea that you can adapt for your corporate event. You will need a suitable backdrop, some balloons, multi-color LED lights, and stickers of popular heroes and villains.

To organize this event:

  1. Decorate your venue to match the theme. For example, you may choose a Marvel theme and decorate the space with themed balloons, stickers of superheroes, and a Marvel backdrop.
  2. Encourage your guests to dress according to the theme of the event. Your guests can dress as Thanos, Dr. Strange, or Superman.
  3. Provide themed pastries. For example, you can share themed cupcakes with the faces of heroes or villains on them.
  4. Set up a photo booth. Consider using a Marvel-themed backdrop with stickers and colored lights in your decor.
  5. You can also create action speech bubbles with cardboard paper. You can use text like, “Pow!” or “Wham!”

At the end of the event, you can even choose the guests with the best hero and villain costumes and give them a reward. Some amazing gift ideas include hero-and-villain-themed costumes, water bottles, phone cases, and headsets.

2. Hollywood Theme

Hollywood Themes are fun themes for corporate events because they allow folks to dress like their favorite Hollywood stars. Guests can recreate iconic looks from Hollywood red-carpet events, galas, and concerts.

To organize this event:

  1. Create a guest list. Once you know how many attendees will be at your event, you can choose an appropriate venue. You may also allow each guest to come along with a friend.
  2. Choose a venue where you can roll out a red carpet. A hall or movie theater is great for this theme. Also, ensure your guests can take pictures on the red carpet with bright lighting for full effect.
  3. Decorate the venue. Red rope posts, bright lighting, gold and silver decorations, and movie reels are great ideas to decorate the venue. You can even create stars with cardboard and glitter for the walk of fame to honor special guests.
  4. Make seat arrangements. Consider adding guests with similar interests to a table.
  5. Send out invites via email or print invitation cards that will serve as tickets for entry.
  6. Hire a catering service to offer guests choice snacks, food, and drinks.

Hollywood-themed parties are elaborate affairs and may cost more than an average party. Therefore, this theme best suits company award nights or anniversary celebrations.

3. Murder Mystery Party

Murder Mystery Parties are one of the best employee appreciation event themes because they allow you to surprise team members. This theme enables you to assign different characters and roles to your guests for the game. Additionally, you can make this theme more specific by choosing a supernatural murder mystery game or opting for a scarier horror murder mystery party.

To organize this event:

  1. Send an RSVP invite. The number of responses you get in return helps you prepare for a specific number of guests.
  2. Choose a venue that can accommodate your invitees.
  3. Choose a theme for the murder mystery party, such as Zombie Apocalypse Theme, The Christmas Killer, and Mythical Monsters theme.
  4. Create a storyline. To create suspense, start your storyline with an incident. An event like the death of a character is the perfect way to get all your guests involved and engaged.
  5. Assign character roles to guests. Assigning characters based on your players’ attributes and characters is best. Evaluating your guests before assigning roles ensures that your guests enjoy the game and the part they play in it. Other colleagues can be in on the plan while you choose the employee you want to assign as the “killer.”
  6. Send out second invites with specific character roles and the storyline.
  7. Encourage guests to dress according to their roles in the mystery. For example, themed supernatural murder mysteries often feature characters like mages, witches, and ghosts.
  8. Decorate your venue to match the theme of the event. For horror murder mysteries, a few scary elements like fake blood at the crime scene or fake spooky spiders are great ways to spice up your decorations.
  9. When guests arrive, have them play their roles according to the instructions on the second invite.
  10. Find the killer among the characters.
  11. Share signature drinks like bloody marys and Witch’s Heart cocktails alongside snacks and food.

This themed party idea is a great way to surprise employees during appreciation events. At the end of the game, you may surprise and appreciate the “killer” employee with gifts and a speech. Then, end the event with some food and a group picture.

4. Summer BBQ

Summer BBQs are great outdoor ideas for colleagues. This party works best in an open area during summer’s peak when employees can dress comfortably.

To organize this event:

  1. Choose a venue for the event. Colleagues can gather at the beach, a park with a lake view, or by the poolside.
  2. Set up a BBQ grill, and have a group of colleagues with experience cook the meat.
  3. Set up white tents.
  4. Set up picnic tables with checkered tablecloths and balloons.
  5. Arrange food. Some great options include potato salad, burgers, or hotdogs.
  6. Share drinks. Some cold beers and lemonade are great options.
  7. Organize games and activities for teams. Some great ideas include dodgeball and badminton.

Summer BBQs are excellent ways for employees to unwind and have fun outside the office. This corporate event theme is a great way to encourage workers to loosen up and connect with other staff members.

Check out this guide to company BBQ’s.

5. Masked Balls

Masked Balls are exciting corporate award ceremony themes. This themed party allows colleagues to come dressed wearing embellished masks that may cover some parts of their faces or hide their features entirely.

To organize this event:

  1. Set a theme for the ball. Examples include The Great Gatsby, The Venetian Masquerade Ball, and an English Masked Ball.
  2. Choose a venue, and decorate according to the theme of the event. For example, gold and black are the main colors for the Great Gatsby theme. Then, find decorations, curtains, and other ornaments in those colors.
  3. Send invites.
  4. Encourage your guests to dress to match the theme and come to the event masked.
    Share drinks, appetizers, and snacks with guests. Masked balls tend to be lavish affairs, so you can offer drinks like champagne or expensive wines. Additionally, consider paying a catering service to make gourmet treats.

Masked balls are great themed party ideas for award ceremonies because they are elaborate and excellent for elite guests.

6. Wild West

Wild West is a fun Western-style party where guests dress in full cowboy or cowgirl gear. This laid-back event does not require excessive preparations.

To organize this event:

  1. Decorate your venue with cactus plants, and set up wooden tables and seats.
  2. Change out your white lights for yellow bulbs.
  3. Hang cowboy hats on the wall.
  4. Create wanted posters of special guests or high-ranking staff members and paste them on the wall.
  5. Set up barrels of beer for guests to drink.
  6. Create sheriff badges for your guests with their names on them.
  7. Encourage your guests to dress according to the event’s theme, with cowboy boots, cowboy hats, bandanas, and a lasso in hand.
  8. Share foods like western-style fried chicken with gravy, bacon-wrapped pork, mashed potatoes, and roasted brisket sliders.
  9. Share pint glasses of beer.
  10. Organize games like lasso tosses, balloon stomps, and tin can shootouts with water guns.

The Wild West theme is an excellent way to encourage employees to loosen up and have fun. The theme is simple and rustic, and the costumes do not require much effort.

7. ’80s Bash

An ’80s Bash is a classic event where guests must imitate the ’80s fashion trends. This party is one of the best company anniversary party themes because it is laid back, stylish, and fun.

To organize this event:

  1. Choose a venue for the event.
  2. Swap out your white lights for color-changing neon lights, and decorate with balloons and ’80s-themed posters.
  3. Encourage guests to dress in washed-out distressed jeans, leggings, colored headbands, neon bracelets, and fishnets.
  4. Play nostalgic ’80s music.

The ’80s were a time when folks expressed themselves through colorful fashion statements. So, guests can wear whatever they want as long as it is on theme.

8. Luau

Luau is one of the best corporate retreat themes because it allows attendees to enjoy themselves in a fun and relaxing environment. To enjoy the vacation-like effect of this theme, host it on the coast.

To organize this activity:

  1. Set up tables and seats by the beach.
  2. Decorate the tables with balloons and flowers.
  3. Set up a BBQ stand.
  4. Encourage attendees to come to the party dressed in Hawaiian shirts with leis around their necks.
  5. Guests can wear sandals or even walk barefoot.
  6. Share colorful cocktails or punch with guests.
  7. Play trendy songs over a loudspeaker.
  8. Share foods like grilled fish, poke bowls, and poi.
  9. Play games like beach volleyball, limbo, and hula hooping.

This theme is a perfect opportunity for corporate teams to meet and connect. This gathering helps foster camaraderie and creates a relaxing environment for colleagues to ease stress.

9. Journey to the Future

Journey to the Future is one of the most brilliant themes for business events because it is innovative and creative. This theme is best suited for tech companies, as it represents technological growth in the future.

To organize this event:

  1. Choose a venue. When considering a venue for this theme, imagine a futuristic scene in a sci-fi movie. Glass office buildings are often great choices for this type of event.
  2. Decorate with strings of LED lights on the floor and around the ceiling.
  3. Set up a futuristic backdrop with spaceship designs for guests to take pictures. Also, design space props for guests to use in their photos.
  4. Encourage guests to dress to match this event. Glow-in-the-dark accessories with black or silver outfits are great options.
  5. Serve glow-in-the-dark drinks and themed snacks.

Tech teams may then employ creative graphics and futuristic designs to present and share ideas with guests. The hosts can also organize a hackathon or any similarly challenging activity for tech teams.

10. Circus Party

Circus Parties are excellent marketing event themes because employees can use different acts to promote products.

To organize this event:

  1. Find a large open space for the event.
  2. Set up a large tent, and create a platform for presenters.
  3. Set up seats opposite the platform for guests.
  4. Outside the tent, set up booths or stands where representatives of the marketing team can display different products.
  5. Encourage employees and attendees to dress according to the theme. Attendees could go as clowns, ringmasters, or even unicyclists.
  6. Set up various marketing campaigns to present to guests.
  7. Invite professional performers to entertain guests in between each presentation.
  8. Share drinks and snacks with guests.

Circus Parties are fun ways to introduce new products to large audiences. This gathering also ensures you can market to potential buyers interested in your services.

11. Casino Night

Casino Themes are vibrant themes for business events. Guests get to dress classy, drink wine, and live extravagantly by wagering and playing with in-game currency.

To organize this event:

  1. Choose a venue.
  2. Decorate your venue with chandeliers, gaming tables, bright lighting, metallic chrome balloons, and casino backdrops for guests to take pictures.
  3. Encourage guests to dress according to a black-tie code.
  4. Hand each guest a specific amount of in-game currency to spend throughout the event on games.
  5. Share drinks like champagne and wine while guests play.

This event is an excellent opportunity for guests to share business ideas. You may also set up a wheel of fortune where winners win gift items to take home after the event. Optionally, you can raise funds for a cause by organizing a silent auction where guests can donate.

12. Sports Theme

Sports Themes are great corporate event ideas where colleagues can dress in their favorite team colors or wear a company jersey for workplace team Olympics. Employees can watch a popular game on TV together or organize team Olympics where colleagues compete against each other to win medals.

To organize this event:

  1. Encourage employees to wear jerseys in their team colors.
  2. Find a venue large enough to accommodate all members of the team.
  3. Set up a projector facing a large wall.
  4. Live stream a popular ongoing match for team members to watch.
  5. Alternatively, you can organize team Olympics by splitting attendees into teams for different activities.
  6. Organize games like tug-of-war, football, and relay races.
  7. Give medals to teammates with the best performances.

This event idea is a great way to build team spirit and encourage team bonding. Employees can also enjoy a drink and celebrate their favorite teams or players together.

13. Comedy Night

Comedy Nights are fun-filled events where employees get to watch different hilarious performances and laugh as stand-up comedians perform.

To organize this event:

  1. Rent a local theater. This venue ensures you do not need to go to great lengths to decorate.
  2. Invite a comedian to entertain guests.
  3. Share drinks and snacks as employees enjoy the show.
  4. Give the workers a chance on the stage to entertain their colleagues.

There is no specific dress code for comedy nights, as employees can simply be themselves and have fun. You may also skip renting out the venue and instead buy tickets to a comedy show for employees to attend together.

Conclusion

Corporate event themes are fun party ideas that help corporate event planners organize engaging and entertaining parties. These themes ensure party planners can choose and organize events that suit the taste of their audience and reflect the purpose of their gathering.

These events help team members connect and create an opportunity for clients to engage with businesses.

Next, check out our lists of work social events, virtual event software, and spirit week ideas.

FAQ: Corporate event themes

Here is our list of frequently asked questions about corporate event themes.

What are corporate event themes?

Corporate event themes are fun theme ideas that party planners can follow when organizing parties for large teams or groups.

What are the best themes for corporate events?

Some best themes for corporate events include the Hollywood Theme, Comedy Nights, and Luau.

Why is it important to choose a good theme for a business event?

Choosing a good theme for a business event is important because it determines how your guests engage and interact during your event. For example, a lively theme like a summer BBQ will best suit a group of employees who have recently concluded a project. This theme will allow teammates to relax and enjoy the project’s success. Alternatively, a Hollywood theme will fit elite clientele guests and give the hosts a chance to introduce a new venture or seek donations for a cause.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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