What are company drinks, and why are they more than just a round?

Not all company drinks are the same. It matters who you're organising the drinks for. Your own team, clients and partners, or a combination of both.

The internal team drinks: for your own people. The goal is relaxation and connection. Informal communication that doesn't otherwise happen in the workplace. Here the hierarchy can loosen up for a moment and people can show themselves beyond their job title. This type of drinks is most effective when it comes round regularly, monthly or after a completed project.

Client drinks are for clients, partners or potential clients. The goal is to build trust and give the relationship a personal face. The group size is smaller and more selective. The programme can have a little more structure: a short presentation or a two-minute speech. Then on to the drinks.

At mixed drinks, staff and clients are together. This calls for more attention to the programme. Make sure staff know they're hosts and don't just stand around with their own colleagues. Briefing the team beforehand is no unnecessary luxury.

Choose your format deliberately. Internal drinks have different requirements than client drinks. Drinks that try to be everything achieve nothing.

The choice of venue for company drinks has more influence on the atmosphere than many people realise.

At the office: the most low-key choice. People don't have to travel far. The downside: people are still in work mode. An office transformed with lighting, music and a different layout can make up for that difference. Drinks at the office that look like a meeting with alcohol aren't drinks: they're a meeting with alcohol.

Going to an external venue such as a bar, restaurant or pop-up location takes people out of their everyday surroundings and gives the drinks a festive character. This works well for anniversary drinks, client drinks and drinks that have something to celebrate.

In summer, a roof terrace, garden or terrace are also excellent options. The space invites people to move and circulate. Watch out for the weather-dependent nature and always have a rain plan.

Rule of thumb: the more important the relationship or the occasion, the more you invest in a special venue. Monthly team drinks can be at the office. Drinks for your 25 best clients deserve a different setting.

Drinks without any structure are convivial but fleeting. Everyone stands around chatting a bit and after an hour everyone's gone. Drinks with too much structure feel like a meeting in casual clothing.

The golden middle ground: one or two deliberate moments, the rest informal.

The opening: greet the guests deliberately. A short welcome from the manager or director (no more than 3 minutes). Personal, warm, with a reference to why these people are together. This gives the drinks meaning and direction.

Consider an activity as a trigger: not compulsory, but strong at drinks where people don't know each other well. A quiz in teams of five or a food station where people put something together themselves. A live musician who sets the mood. Activities give people something to talk about when they don't have a conversation starter.

Close the drinks deliberately. A toast or a word of thanks is enough. Don't let the drinks just drift off. Whoever closes the drinks gives them meaning.

Don't forget the catering: bitterballen are fine, but drinks with only bitterballen communicate 'we're making the minimum effort'. Think of food trucks, a chef preparing something live, or a culinary surprise.

That's where the real power of drinks as a format lies: in the regularity. One round of drinks a year makes little impression. Drinks that come round every six to eight weeks build culture.

Rules of thumb per type of drinks:

Internal team drinks: monthly or every six weeks for teams of up to 50 people. Quarterly drinks for larger organisations. Combine them with a short look back at the past quarter or an announcement for the next one.

For client drinks: two to four times a year. Once a year is too little to build a really trusted relationship. Twice a year is a minimum. Vary the format: not always the same restaurant, not always the same guests.

Project drinks belong after every completed project, regardless of size. This is the cheapest and most powerful way to recognise a team. Three rounds of beer after a milestone cost nothing but mean everything.

Budget plan for internal team drinks: €15 to €35 per person for two hours. That includes beer, wine, soft drinks and bar snacks. For client drinks at an external venue with a walking dinner: €50 to €100 per person.

Small drinks you can organise perfectly well in-house. Two crates of beer, some bitterballen ordered from the baker, and you're done.

But there are drinks where you want more. Anniversary drinks that are also a clear statement. Client drinks where 80 clients are invited and which have to radiate your expertise and hospitality. Drinks that are part of a larger event or series of events.

For those situations, an events agency pays off. The drinks themselves are simple. The simultaneous tasks cost time: venue, catering, entertainment, invitations and logistics. Time you might rather invest in your guests.

At Live Impact we support drinks of all sizes. From small-scale client drinks for 20 clients to a large mid-year party for 400 staff. We arrange the concept, the venue, the catering and the programme. So that you, as host, can do what you want: be present for the people who are there.

Drinks are never just drinks. They're a moment of connection, recognition and culture. Small, but powerful, if you do it regularly.

Call us on 085 401 40 14 or send an email to hello@live-impact.nl.

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