Posts Tagged ‘corporate event’

New Orleans, Louisiana is famous for its annual Mardi Gras celebration, complete with its parades, parade floats, and marching bands. The name Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French and the week-long event is held as a final indulgence before Ash Wednesday, when Catholics around the world begin Lent, a 40-day fasting period before Easter. Despite Mardi Gras’ religious background, people of all faiths and beliefs flock to the Big Easy for this extravagant party each year.

One of the biggest aspects of Mardi Gras is the multiple parades that run through New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. Parades generally feature live music, automobiles, and, of course, giant parade floats. A growing trend among New Orleans companies is the idea of organizing their own Mardi Gras parade for their business. Since there is no “right” way to have a Mardi Gras parade, business owners can incorporate the suggestions of their employees when deciding how to plan their celebration.

Since many parades include marching bands, employers can contact local high school band directors to inquire about having a band lead the parade in their full uniforms. While many of the show-stopping floats in New Orleans are made by local manufacturer, Kern Studios, corporations that want to plan their own company Mardi Gras parade can commission a professional float designer to produce a traditional float. Often, classic Mardi Gras floats feature the colors purple, green, and gold, accompanied by jester faces, beads, and a brightly painted scene on the sides.

It’s also a great idea to decide who from the company will ride on the float. Small businesses may be able to include everyone in the festivities, while larger companies might need to draw names to select participants. Since nearly 60 “krewes” or parade groups participate in Mardi Gras each year, you might want to select a day during the festival that doesn’t have a lot of planned parades. Ask the police department for an official escort and for a map of the city so that you can plan your parade route. Do this as far in advance as possible to avoid missing an available spot in the schedule.

With a little ingenuity and planning, you and your employees can have a classic Mardi Gras parade that will advertise your business to the city and improve company morale.

Image c/o: Chasqui (Luis Tamayo)

If you’re planning on hosting a corporate event in New Orleans, you’ve chosen a dynamic location that has the perfect balance of entertainment and cultural history. New Orleans is a popular choice to host corporate events, as the warm climate makes travel easy, and the tourist-friendly community caters to visitors. Not to mention, it’s easy to host your event any time of the day, while allowing corporate employees to catch some fun of their own later on. Most companies welcome the opportunity to learn about the culture of New Orleans, as well by paying a visit to such historic landmarks as the French Quarter.

To make your corporate event all the more interesting, you’ll need to have some creative ideas set aside for the special date. Since New Orleans is one of the most unique cities in America, there’s almost always something going on. To align your corporate event with what’s going on in the city, it’s best to work with a DMC like Accent DMC. This team of DMCs knows what events are going on and which ones can elaborate on your event. Knowing all the details of the city, you can pick the best time to host a corporate event.

Here are a few examples of corporate event ideas for your New Orleans event:

Pitching horseshoes for some competitive fun

Listening to live music at a music festival that features a collection of jazz, reggae and blues

Taking a tour of the city or places within the city such as the Garden District, French Quarter or cemeteries

For a spooky good time, taking part in a haunted history tour that travels to haunted places and cemeteries

Riverboat rides and classy dinners off the Mississippi River

A cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking

Finding your spiritual side by visiting a tarot card reader or fortune teller

Visiting the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium

Taking a swamp tour and seeing alligators up close

Exploring your creative side with a New Orleans School of Glass Blowing class

DMCs like Accent DMC can also arrange for guest speakers to speak at your corporate event to make the day more interesting. Depending on the needs of your business and what goals you hope to accomplish, DMCs will be best able to align the vision of your company with the interests of your employees. Teambuilding activities can be hosted around the meetings, providing ample opportunities for your team to come together in a fun, relaxing environment that fosters creativity and passion.

Start planning your New Orleans corporate event today!

Image: accent-dmc.com