Hosting a memorable in-office event isn’t just about having the right activities and décor — it’s about making sure everyone, everywhere, can participate.
At performance marketing company Liftoff, this means hosting celebrations for every region in which employees live. Isabel Lim, associate manager of employee experience, said that employees based in the Americas get to take part in a “Après Winter Lodge” celebration at the end of each year, while employees elsewhere get to attend other regionally based events, whether that’s a team-building retreat in Beijing or a creative experience in Singapore.
“The goal is to create experiences that reflect the culture of each region while reminding everyone that they’re part of one connected team,” she said.
Meanwhile, C-suite content creation platform Applecart empowers its employees to spearhead events themselves by enabling them to guest-host weekly happy hours. According to Office Manager Leslie Caddick, employees have enjoyed a variety of fun employee-led events so far this year, such as a “Celebrity-Branded Snacks Soiree” and a “Love Island”-themed happy hour.
“Our goal as an events team is to foster creativity among our employees and bring their ideas to life,” she said.
Opportunities such as these go a long way in making employees feel like they belong. This is especially true at product network platform Altana, where a wide range of events, from seasonal happy hours to an annual Halloween celebration, ensure everyone has the chance to connect with each other.
“At Altana, our holiday celebrations reflect the same spirit that drives our culture year-round — community, creativity and inclusivity,” Office Experience Specialist Jontil Hunt said.
Below, Lim, Caddick and Hunt, along with employees from four other companies, share how their employers host inclusive, engaging in-office events throughout the year.
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Liftoff’s AI-powered performance marketing platform is designed to help mobile businesses grow.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
At Liftoff, celebration is part of how we strengthen connection across a global team, which includes 12 offices in eight countries. Every December, we host end-of-year gatherings that bring our values to life through a global mindset and local expression. The goal is to create experiences that reflect the culture of each region while reminding everyone that they’re part of one connected team.
In the Americas, our Bay Area “Après Winter Lodge” celebration brings together employees from across the United States, Canada and Brazil for an evening of recognition and connection. Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions, events take different forms: a formal dinner in London, a creative experience in Singapore or a team-building retreat in Beijing. These traditions have evolved through ongoing feedback and reflection. Earlier in our journey, we hosted separate East and West Coast gatherings, but engagement was uneven. Transitioning to a central Bay Area event for the Americas, alongside hub-based celebrations in other regions, created a model that is inclusive, scalable and true to how our teams work and connect today.
How does Liftoff best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
Inclusion is at the center of how we celebrate. Our employee experience team plans every gathering with care to ensure that every “Liftoffer,” regardless of location, role or even dietary needs, can participate and feel connected. In the Americas, where many of our employees are remote, Liftoff covers travel and lodging for those attending the Bay Area event. In EMEA and APAC, where most employees work in local hubs, each region has its own celebration. We also stay closely connected to our people through local employee roundtables in our regional hubs. These conversations give us firsthand insight into what resonates with teams and where we can improve. The feedback shapes future gatherings and ensures an iterative, employee-driven culture of celebration.
“Our employee experience team plans every gathering with care to ensure that every ‘Liftoffer,’ regardless of location, role or even dietary needs, can participate and feel connected.”
Our end-of-year gift program is a long-standing tradition where each employee receives a curated gift or experience, wherever they are in the world. It’s a simple but meaningful way to show appreciation and ensure that everyone feels included in the celebration.
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
The most impactful traditions are built with intention and evolve alongside people. At Liftoff, we believe meaningful celebrations don’t need to be grand — they need to be thoughtful, inclusive and designed around people. When you listen first and plan with empathy, you create experiences that last.
The Principles That Guide Liftoff's Traditions
- “Lead globally, empower locally: We define shared values and give teams the freedom to celebrate in ways that reflect their culture.”
- “Design for equity: We consider access, inclusion and travel at every stage of planning for our employees, and support local, diverse and environmentally friendly vendors as often as possible.”
- “Evolve through feedback: We listen to employees and adapt each event to shape the next.”
Applecart’s platform is designed to help C-suite executives make different types of content, from brand marketing to corporate communications, visible to key decision-makers.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
Applecart has experienced rapid growth in the past few years, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have some of the original Applecart crew members stick around to continue old traditions and welcome our new joiners in creating new ones. Whether it’s our annual Halloween Karaoke Bash (singing in front of co-workers is way easier in costume!), swapping our weekly in-office Tuesday bagel spread with a donut buffet on April Fool’s Day, or using our weekly happy hour to celebrate International Nacho Day, we try to surprise and delight with celebrations that foster engagement and reflect Applecart’s unique and fun-loving employee population.
How does Applecart best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
At Applecart, we encourage our employees to guest-host our weekly happy hours based on their interests. This year, we’ve celebrated the Celebrity Branded Snacks Soiree, Hispanic Heritage Month and a very special Love Island-themed happy hour, to name a few. Our goal as an events team is to foster creativity among our employees and bring their ideas to life. We also try to keep a robust calendar of events, so even if the Love Island happy hour isn’t an employee’s cup of tea, the prescreening of Wicked: For Good might be! Having a high cadence of opportunities for engagement leads to more inclusivity for all employees.
“Having a high cadence of opportunities for engagement leads to more inclusivity for all employees.”
Caddick's Advice for Building New Traditions
- “Getting to Know You: For new organizations, focus on who your employees are during the first year. Take a few out for coffee, ask for feedback, and ask about their hobbies. Learning about your employees can provide valuable insights into your events and festivities throughout the year.”
- “Find the Patterns: Try to look at the calendar and identify events that occur annually. If every spring your remote team comes to the office for the next quarter’s planning, that’s the perfect time to coordinate a trip to a baseball game. Every fall, does your city get windy and cold? It sounds like it’s time for the first Annual Chilly Chili Cook Off in the office! Let the seasons and other events outside of the main holidays inform your event schedule for a more inclusive celebration.”
- “Early Bird Gets The Engagement: The sooner you block events off on calendars, the better engagement you’ll have! Adding calendar holds early makes the event a priority for your employees, and the anticipation of the event details being revealed makes for an exciting conversation topic for the work week. Even if you don’t have everything ironed out yet, hold the space that you want your employees to hold for your event!”
Flatiron Health aims to “reimagine the infrastructure of cancer care,” offering solutions designed to facilitate better clinical trials, accelerate drug development and deliver better care.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
At Flatiron, we acknowledge occasions like Cancer Survivors Day and National Cancer Prevention Month, which reconnect us to our mission. We also celebrate with fun rituals — Halloween and year-end festivities — that bring us together.
“At Flatiron, we acknowledge occasions like Cancer Survivors Day and National Cancer Prevention Month, which reconnect us to our mission.”
This year, for World Cancer Survivors Day, we launched a global initiative bringing together employees from our hubs and offices to create paper bouquets for local cancer centers and patients undergoing treatment. We also opened a Slack channel where employees shared personal stories as cancer survivors or care partners, offering support through words of encouragement and emojis.
Our other celebrations include Halloween and end-of-year festivities. Our Halloween celebration, which started as a startup celebration, has evolved into a beloved tradition featuring a virtual costume contest and in-person activities. Our virtual gratitude wall invites employees to tag individuals or teams and share what they’re grateful for, fostering inclusion for remote employees and highlighting our collective impact throughout the year. Finally, our December end-of-year office party features winter-themed decorations, such as snowflakes and snow people, to ensure all employees feel included.
How does Flatiron Health best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
Our ERGs are central to our inclusive celebrations. With 10 active ERGs, we empower our co-leads to commemorate holidays and events most significant to their communities, including the anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, Diwali, Pride Month and International Women’s Day. By letting employees choose celebrations meaningful to them, we foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.
To better serve our remote and global workforce, some ERGs have launched lunch-and-learn sessions where members read an article or watch a short video beforehand, then discuss their thoughts together. Topics range from AI’s role in our modern workforce to book discussions on inclusion and belonging.
Another critical aspect is offering a wide range of food options to accommodate dietary needs: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher and halal. This ensures every attendee can enjoy the celebration without concern and reflects our broader commitment to inclusion and belonging.
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
It’s crucial to first engage with employees and understand their priorities. I recommend using tools such as a survey or one-on-one conversations to ask employees directly what’s important for them in the workplace. A lot of the traditions that we have here at Flatiron started with grassroots, employee-led initiatives that eventually became a part of our culture and organization.
Maintaining an open mind to try something new is also very important, and new traditions, whenever possible, should align with the company’s mission and values. For example, a tech company might celebrate Pi Day on March 14 with pies for employees, while a mission-driven organization focused on learning from the experiences of cancer patients might observe Cancer Survivors Day. Ultimately, successful new traditions should resonate with employees and a company’s values and mission, and they should be fun and memorable!
Altana is the world’s product network connecting businesses and governments on a common platform for global trade.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
At Altana, our holiday celebrations reflect the same spirit that drives our culture year-round — community, creativity and inclusivity. As the seasons change, our office transforms with thoughtful décor that captures the festive energy of each time of year. In the fall, we fill the space with warm colors, pumpkins and candy bowls leading up to our annual “Pizza & Boos” Halloween celebration — complete with costumes, games and spooky movie visuals in our Town Hall.
As winter approaches, our office celebrates multiple traditions side by side. You’ll find a menorah for Hanukkah, a kinara for Kwanzaa and small light-up evergreen trees that bring seasonal cheer. We love the sparkle of lights, metallic accents and festive greenery that create a cozy yet neutral environment where everyone feels welcome.
These traditions evolved naturally as our company grew through feedback from employees across hubs and a shared goal of creating joyful, low-pressure moments to connect. Whether it’s a bake-off, trivia night or seasonal happy hour, our celebrations are rooted in togetherness and fun.
How does Altana best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
Inclusion is at the heart of every celebration we plan. We’re mindful to ensure our events and décor honor all cultures and preferences without assuming everyone celebrates the same way. For example, we avoid large Christmas-specific displays, instead opting for seasonal décor that celebrates light, warmth and togetherness across traditions.
“We’re mindful to ensure our events and décor honor all cultures and preferences without assuming everyone celebrates the same way.”
We also aim to provide variety, from remote-friendly programming like our upcoming Fall Mixology Class and virtual raffles to in-person activities that mix casual fun with creativity, such as our monthly bake-offs, Heritage Happy Hour, and Wellness Month challenges. This gives everyone a way to participate comfortably and authentically, no matter where they work from.
Above all, we create space for employee input. Our Culture Club and Women’s Community Group encourage cross-team collaboration on event ideas, ensuring our celebrations reflect the voices and values of our entire community.
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
Start small, listen often and keep people at the center. The most meaningful traditions are the ones that grow organically from your company culture, not from a checklist of holidays. Ask your employees what types of gatherings or themes resonate most with them, and build from there.
Balance is also key. Mix moments of joy and celebration with opportunities for reflection or giving back, such as volunteer drives or “Giving Tuesday” initiatives. And remember that inclusivity isn’t about doing everything; it’s about being intentional with what you do. A few small, thoughtful touches, like multi-holiday décor, a shared meal or an office playlist curated by employees, can make everyone feel seen and appreciated. At the end of the day, it’s not just about the size of the event. What matters most is fostering connection, gratitude and belonging.
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Wolverine Trading specializes in derivatives valuation, trading and value-added order execution across global equity, options and futures markets.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
In our office, we love helping others and supporting those in need. Every year, we organize a coat drive, a food drive and a gift drive for children in the Chicago area whose families could use a little extra help during the holidays. It’s a great way for all of us to give back to our community.
“Every year, we organize a coat drive, a food drive and a gift drive for children in the Chicago area whose families could use a little extra help during the holidays.”
Of course, we also like to have some fun! We host an ugly holiday sweater and cookie exchange in our Wolverine Kitchen every year, and it’s always a blast. The grand finale of the season is our annual holiday party. Each year, we go all out with a themed event, and it’s definitely a favorite among employees. We also love decorating our office to get everyone into the holiday spirit; it really brings a warm, festive energy to the workspace.
Wolverine is a special company, and we genuinely enjoy coming together during and outside of work to celebrate the season and give back. Our gift, coat and food drives have always been a way for us to make a difference in the community, which is something we’re passionate about. The holiday party started small back when the company was founded, but it’s grown each year. We’re always coming up with new ideas to keep things fresh and exciting.
How does Wolverine Trading best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
At Wolverine, we make sure there’s something for everyone. Inclusivity is important to us, so whether it’s donating, joining in on the events or taking part in our friendly contests, like finding the best ugly sweater or best-tasting cookie, everyone has a way to get involved. It’s all about creating an environment where people feel welcome to celebrate in their own way.
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
My advice is to think about how you celebrate with your own family and friends, and try to bring that same spirit into the workplace. At Wolverine, we truly feel like a family, and I think that’s what makes our celebrations so special. Focus on creating traditions that everyone can enjoy and feel a part of, which is the key to building something meaningful.
PatientPoint’s software connects patients, healthcare providers and life sciences companies with information that drives informed care decisions and stronger patient engagement.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
At PatientPoint, we love any excuse to celebrate, and the holidays are no exception. The fall and winter months tend to be the busiest season for the Culture Collective, our dedicated culture team.
In October, we have our Halloween celebration in the office and remotely, which includes an all-company costume contest with prizes plus an abundance of candy in our offices. November brings our annual Chili Cook-Off, a delicious PatientPoint tradition of many years. We have our holiday giveback program, where we partner with local and national organizations to make an impact through donations of gently used items, fulfilling wish lists and volunteer time. To round out the holiday season, PatientPoint cultivates connection among our teammates by hosting holiday gatherings in person and virtually. As we’ve grown our remote base, we strive for new and creative ways to connect virtually.
PatientPoint traditions are what make our culture so special. Some of our holiday celebrations have been going strong for more than 30 years, while others are newer but are quickly becoming beloved PatientPoint traditions. We’re grateful to our dedicated teammates for keeping the spirit of celebration alive.
How does PatientPoint best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
We recognize that our teammates come from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and traditions, so we aim to create celebrations that everyone can enjoy comfortably. Our Culture Collective takes care to plan events and moments that are flexible, thoughtful and centered around connection.
“Our Culture Collective takes care to plan events and moments that are flexible, thoughtful and centered around connection.”
As part of our holiday giveback initiative this year, we came together to brainstorm a fresh concept to spread kindness during the season. Inclusivity was at the heart of our session, as we did not want to lean toward any one specific tradition. From there, the Wall of Wishes was born. The Wall of Wishes is a space where we highlight individuals in need from the local organizations we’ve partnered with. On the wall, we share a brief bio of the person in need, their holiday wish lists and how members of our team can help make those wishes come true. We are excited to see what kind of impact we’ll make together this year through our holiday giveback.
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
My advice to organizations seeking to build new traditions and festive holiday gatherings comes in three parts.
First, secure leadership and executive buy-in. Leadership support ensures alignment on budget, timing and overall vision. Most importantly, it signals to teammates that the initiative matters. When leaders are engaged and visible champions of an event, participation and enthusiasm naturally follow.
Second, assemble a dedicated team to help with brainstorming events, walking through logistics and carrying out the execution. Bringing multiple perspectives to the table not only sparks creativity but also ensures that your plans reflect the diverse interests and backgrounds of your organization.
Third and final, communicate clearly and at the right time. The right communication cadence can make or break participation. Don’t promote too early or too close to the event. Use multiple channels to keep the message fresh. At PatientPoint, we go beyond just email; we use our company intranet, newsletters and in-office screens for passive content. Depending on the initiative, we’ll also have our C-suite promote the event in large scale or all-company meetings.
Invoice Home offers customizable invoice templates for small businesses and freelancers.
What do holiday celebrations look like in your office, and how did these traditions develop?
Our team at Invoice Home genuinely enjoys celebrating holidays, and our approach to these events is always collaborative and social. Every member’s contribution and ideas are highly valued, making the planning process very enjoyable for everyone involved.
How does Invoice Home best support inclusive celebrations that allow everyone to participate comfortably?
To ensure our celebrations are inclusive and comfortable for all, we gather information on likes, dislikes and specific holiday observances during the onboarding process. For example, we ask new team members if they wish to be recognized for their birthday or if there are any holidays they do not celebrate. This proactive approach helps us meet individual needs and avoid any awkward situations.
“To ensure our celebrations are inclusive and comfortable for all, we gather information on likes, dislikes and specific holiday observances during the onboarding process.”
What advice do you have for organizations seeking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings?
For other organizations looking to build new traditions or festive holiday gatherings, my advice is simple: Just ask! We frequently use Google Forms to discreetly gauge the team’s preferences and comfort levels regarding celebrations. This method provides an excellent way to collect opinions and ensure everyone’s voice is heard.
