How Do I Make My Work Christmas Party Special?
Every December, work teams gather for the same generic formula; book a venue, order sliders and open up a bar tab. It’s a pleasant night, but is it special? Ask yourself how to make it special and the answer is to have an engaging activity, something that’s memorable because it’s unique. Food, music and drinks create the scene, all you need is an interactive experience to create the story.
Why do most work Christmas parties feel the same?
Predictability, it has both pros and cons. Predictability in the workplace ensures that staff complete their work on time, show up consistently and produce results. However, predictability during events can erode anticipation, reduce attendance and guests may not even bother attending because the event is the same each year. Events like your upcoming Christmas Party demand a level of novelty that counters the boring-ness of predictability. The event must also have an element of inclusivity because this helps to fosters stronger relationships between guests and finally, it must have a big moment - such as a friendly challenge, a winner or even a tradition. The combination of novelty, inclusivity and a memorable moment is what makes a ‘pleasant’ Christmas party into a monumental one that still gets spoken about months after December.
How to make your Christmas party feel special?
Surprise. The easiest way to have your Christmas party stand out as special is to introduce an element of surprise that piques your guests’ interest when they see it at the venue.
All-in participation. Having an activity that everyone can do, regardless of their activity levels, experience and age fosters a sense of community that will translate to stronger relationships with professional colleagues and teams.
Escape. I find small-talk conversations painful and I’m certain that I’m not alone on this. Escape the awkward small-talk conversations by participating in a mini, team-based competition.
Stakes. Everyone loves a bit of friendly competition. Not only does it bring your guests closer, but it also comes with bragging rights, photos and memories that can be carried to the next Christmas party.
Story. A story that carries into the new year is how you know your event was memorable, setting the stage for a yearly office tradition.
So if your party can simply discover an activity or experience that is novel, inclusive and momentous then that is a recipe for an immensely successful event.
What are some unique Christmas ideas that fit this criteria?
Sydney provides a wealth of opportunities and offers more than just bar tabs and sliders. When considering your Christmas event idea, think of an activity that’s high energy, engaging and eventful, working seamlessly around food services, speeches and loud crowds. Think of an interactive centrepiece professional event that your guests can cycle through in brief 10 minute bursts. The best option for your event is something that don’t overwhelm the Christmas party timetable, rather, it complements and elevates it. This leads to one of Sydney’s most effective crowd pleasers for professionals; an advanced and mobile golf simulator experience.
Why The Pop Up Golf is a standout add-on for corporate Christmas parties?
The Pop Up Golf introduces an exclusive, unique and unexpected experience that your guests will love, an advanced mobile golf simulator. Imagine the impression your guests will have as walk into a familiar venue and see a premium mobile golf simulator that provides swing analytics, HD visuals and spontaneous shot feedback. Just the sight of this is enough to lift the mood and get the party going. This event idea is accommodating to large venues and it’s perfect for your Christmas event because everyone can participate - regardless of their golf experience. Some may swing gently and experience golf for the first time, while others can push themselves in friendly distance competitions. Many people get satisfaction just from spectating too. The Pop Up Golf is the ultimate all-inclusive activity catering for everyone from interns to executives.
At The Pop Up Golf, we create friendly competitions - Closest to the Pin, Capture the Flag and Longest Carry are our crowd favourites because they deliver fast results, immediate laughs and offer highlights that create lasting memories. The mobility of The Pop Up Golf is curated for the Sydney event landscape. Our regular sizing can be accommodated to suit a CBD Office, hotel ballroom, pub or even a harbour-side venue. Our designs ensure that we’re practical indoors and outdoors. If you’re not convinced that The Pop Up Golf is the ultimate Christmas attraction, then consider the benefit on the organiser. By handling the delivery, setup, operation and pack-down of the entire activity, the organisers can relax and enjoy their party. A host will remain on site to guide your guests through equipment use, operate mini-games and keep the energy high of your activity.
What do your guests do?
Our crowd favourites include:
– Closest to the Pin: fast, inclusive and ideal for quick rotations.
– Capture the Flag: a playful target-hitting game that can be played in teams
– Longest Carry: a crowd favourite later in the evening for cheers and laughs.
Short, high-impact rounds ensure a steady flow, so queues move quickly and your guests eagerly await their next hit. If the event wasn’t already exciting enough, The Pop Up Golf offers small and valuable prizes to the winners of the competitions too. More importantly though, the winners get bragging rights until next December!
Throughout the night, your host can switch between casual free play and structured challenges to match the flow of speeches and any other events on the itinerary. Pack-down is seamless, with no additional labour required from your team.
Special events leave the breadcrumbs of a story behind. With a mobile golf simulator, the story writes itself: the first-timers who surprised themselves, the friendly rivalry between departments, the leaderboard screenshot that circulates on Slack the next morning. Because the activity is entirely customisable, you can remix it next year with new mini-games or a department-versus-department playoff. Before long, people ask in October, “Are we doing the mobile golf simulation again?” That anticipation is gold for culture, morale and attendance. It also makes life simpler for organisers: once you’ve seen how smoothly the format slots into your schedule, repeating it becomes the easy choice.
Planning tips to integrate an interactive centrepiece into your party
Schedule in pockets: Insert 30–45 minute windows for mini-games and free play between formalities.
Create natural foot traffic: Position the simulator within sight of the bar or photo area so people follow the curiosity and wander over organically.
Seed the competition early: Either our host or your organiser can announce the stakes of the competition. A simple leaderboard will be created and name a time for the final round.
Make it photogenic: Ensure there’s a clear backdrop and space for small groups so you capture shareable moments (great for your employer brand!)
Keep it accessible: If you have a mix of ages and abilities, lead with Closest to the Pin to build confidence before moving to other competitions.
Ties to recognition: Present a lighthearted trophy during speeches to close the loop and give the night a “moment.”
Answering common organiser questions in Sydney
Will this work in our venue?
Once we have discussed ceiling height, width and power access with you on our Complimentary Planning Consultation, this will give us a great insight to how our standard design can be customised for your event. The standard sizing of The Pop Up Golf enclosure can confidently fit into most CBD offices, function rooms and outdoor spaces.
Is it safe and venue-friendly?
High quality Impact screens and premium golf enclosure ensures that all shots are contained. Soft hitting mats protect the floors and the dark aesthetic of the mats act as the perfect overlay to place a premium grade square tee-box that your guests can take hits from. Our host remains on-site the entire time and are trained to ensure that the safety of your guests are the top priority.
What if some people don’t want to swing?
Spectators love the instant ball-flight visuals and cheering on their colleagues. The lively atmosphere includes everyone, not only players.
We have a dedicated page to answering more Frequently Asked Questions which can be accessed here↗.
Where to from here?
A mobile golf simulator concentrates fun into a compact experience with a single specialist host, minimal power requirements and flexible booking durations to cater for you. You get a premium feel without a premium headache. It complements but doesn’t replace your catering and entertainment—elevating the whole night while keeping your budget predictable.
If you want your Sydney corporate Christmas party to be the one people talk about in January, introduce a centrepiece that’s novel, inclusive and easy to run. A mobile golf simulator delivers surprise, participation and a delightful competitive edge—then leaves behind the story and turns into next year’s tradition. That’s how you graduate from a “pleasant night” to “can’t wait for the next one.”
December dates across Sydney fill quickly, and prime Thursdays and Fridays are the first to go. If you want an interactive centrepiece that guests haven’t seen before and a tradition they’ll look forward to next year—secure your spot now. View The Pop Up Golf packages [accessible here] or book a complimentary consultation to confirm your date and space requirements with our Event Specialists.