Diwali Celebration at Ajency.in
At Ajency.in, all festivals are an excuse to ‘have fun’. Diwali is no different.
Diwali at Ajency.in is ‘hatke’ each year (or so it has been this far). Over the years, we have organized lunch & beer parties, DJ, games, competitions etc. All of it, in house. Of Course it takes a lot more effort but we would rather take that effort and have fun than go out for boring team lunches or dinners.
In 2015, we hosted lunch in the office. The team was dressed in traditional attire and the office was decorated with marigold flowers for Diwali celebration. Photo props added a new flavor to the party. The evening ended with the lighting of diyas and firecrackers.
Diwali Celebrations 2016
In 2016, our office was nothing less than a dance club, thanks to the professional DJ we hired and of course our enthusiastic team members.
The best part about both the celebrations was that everyone in the team was involved. The entire planning, purchase of supplies, deciding activities, decorating and everything else was planned and executed by the team. Not just the final day activity, making all these arrangements together was a lot of fun too. With a very small budget, we had a fabulous party.
Diwali Celebrations 2017
This year, however, we thought, let’s give “going out” a shot. So we split our Diwali celebrations over 2 days. First day’s dress code was ethnic wear. The team got along to decorate the office. Some lit diyas, while others prepared paper lanterns. Furthermore, a team of boys made a mini-narkasur effigy out of cardboard, while the girls showcased their creativity with flower rangoli. A twist to the celebration was an impromptu mannequin challenge!
Day 2, we went bowling to the mall. To make it more fun, we turned it into a bowling tournament (we are fond of our tournaments :P). We felt the excitement building up ever since we announced bowling. It was something new for everyone. The tournament lasted for about 2 hours. The team cheered the strikes and had a good laugh when the ball made its way to the gutter. This was followed by a treat at McDonald’s.
From an HR point of view, I would always measure the Return on Investment in terms of fun. The treat at McDonald’s included a small burger meal plus bowling. Event cost: Rs.10,000. Even though we got a group discount, the cost was on par with previous years celebrations (we have catered food, DJ, booze, decorations, sweets, etc. in a similar budget). Different type of celebration – yes, but a grand dance party as opposed to bowling + McD, I would definitely pick the former!