Holiday parties bring businesses together

11/4/2026

 

The holiday season means different things to different people. For some, it is a time to be with family, celebrate religious traditions or reflect on the past year. For businesses in Des Moines, it is often a time to celebrate their employees and clients, reflect on the year’s successes and challenges, and prepare for the year ahead. 

From Thanksgiving through January, hotels, event venues and office spaces are transformed for end-of-year gatherings. 

Many businesses in Des Moines host company holiday parties, inviting employees, their families and clients to come together and celebrate. 

 

Marketing Department 360 provides a break from the daily grind

Jana Rieker, one of the owners of Marketing Department 360, said the company’s holiday party is “a timeout from the day-to-day grind.”

Marketing Department 360 is a full-service advertising agency and podcast studio in West Des Moines with branches in Omaha and Tulsa. Employees and clients from Iowa and other states are invited to the company’s annual holiday party held at its office on Westown Parkway. 

Rieker said the company chooses to host its party at their office to showcase some of the work they do, creating a casual, relaxed environment where guests can mingle and enjoy the space. 

The office is also shared with other companies. 

“We’ll bring in their clients to mingle and meet each other, have some fun, share different best practices, and we always try to do something educational and give them a gift,” she said.

Marketing Department 360 has a social committee that organizes quarterly client events, including the holiday party. Food is purchased from a local bakery, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks are provided, and a Christmas tree decorates the office, with gifts placed underneath. The committee also organizes games and get-to-know-you activities because guests may be meeting in person for the first time, even though they email on a regular basis. 

“The party is an appreciation for both our clients and employees. A lot of times they’ll work together and email back and forth on a daily or weekly basis but don’t ever have a lot of time to mingle face-to-face, so it’s sort of a time to do that,” Rieker said. 

Marketing Department 360 has hosted holiday parties since they were established three years ago. Rieker said one of the most memorable parts of the event is the gift given to clients.

“It’s kind of a non-traditional gift,” she said. 

The holiday party at the Marketing Department 360 is a time for the company to show their appreciation towards their employees and clients while celebrating the holidays. 

Although Rieker is a Christian, she calls the event a holiday party rather than a Christmas party to ensure everyone feels included. 

 

Krause Group builds connections beyond the office

Krause Group, a founder-led parent and holding company in Des Moines, also hosts its annual holiday party at their headquarters Krause Gateway Center. 

“The architecture, art, and views of the Sculpture Park make it feel special, even for those of us who work here every day,” Meghan Satterstrom, the director of communications and public relations at Krause Group, said. 

Allora Café, located at Krause Gateway Center, caters the holiday party for Krause Group and for other companies that rent out the Krause Gateway Center for their own events. 

“At Krause Group, we value creating places where people feel welcome and connected,” Satterstrom said. “Sharing a table, enjoying a conversation, and making memories together brings that to life.”

Krause Group hosts the holiday party as a way to say thank you to its employees, and give them a chance to get to know each other in a more personal way.

“Some of the best conversations happen when there’s no meeting agenda,” Satterstrom said.

 

Venue experts share tips for memorable holiday parties

While some businesses host holiday parties at their offices, others choose venues throughout the Des Moines metropolitan area. 

West End Architectural Salvage in Downtown Des Moines has hosted company holiday parties for 21 years. The venue can accommodate 200 people, while its coffee shop also seats 110 people. 

Don Short, the owner of West End Architectural Salvage, has noticed a change in demand for company holiday parties. In previous years, West End hosted up to 20 events each holiday season. Now, it only averages about 12.

Short believes that companies have become more cautious about alcohol consumption at work events, and the pause in large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the company holiday party scene in Des Moines. 

“I feel like it is a lost thing that companies are missing out on, showing the appreciation they have for their employees and the people that make their companies run,” he said. 

Still, the companies that continue to host holiday parties are building morale for their employees and giving them an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy themselves.

Katie Rounsborg, the director of sales and marketing at Hotel Fort Des Moines, shares that perspective. 

“Every time you see a holiday party, there’s no one that’s upset, no one’s not having a good time,” Rounsborg said. 

Short said it is important for people to get to know each other outside of the workplace, and company holiday parties are the perfect way to do so. 

A business can host a holiday party at West End Architectural Salvage and know that most everything, from planning to execution, will be taken care of by Short and his team, leaving minimal work to the one in charge of planning the event for their company. 

“Holiday parties typically are handed to someone who reports to someone who reports to someone, and they’re like, ‘I don’t want to make all the decisions; I want to come to a place where we know what we’re going to get and we know it’s going to be good,’” Short said. 

The main thing Short sees when a company approaches him about hosting its holiday party at West End Architectural Salvage is creating an atmosphere where their employees will feel comfortable. 

“I also feel most people don’t want to sit around a six or eight tablecloth round table where you can’t really get around and talk, so the West End offers a little more of an intimate space with an amazing atmosphere,” he said. 

Planning a company holiday party involves several components, including food and drinks, music and entertainment, decorations, parking and transportation. 

Hotel Fort Des Moines typically hosts 30 to 50 company holiday parties each year, all varying in size. Some companies choose to be closely involved in the planning, while others rely on Rounsborg and the hotel’s event planning team to manage the process. 

“We get a lot of people that want that elevated, different experience. If you want a 1920s speakeasy feel, we have that. If you want the grand ballroom feel with a lot of people, we can go that route. If you’re a smaller event and you want something more intimate and cozy, we have an event space for that,” Rounsborg said. 

Rounsborg said themed parties can help make a company’s celebration memorable.

“Being able to have a theme and play that into whatever property or venue you’re hosting it at goes a long way, and we’ve seen that be really successful for events in the past,” she said. 

One theme that stuck out to Rounsborg was a “Hot and Cold” party. 

“They went out into the ‘cold’ to go to dinner, and they had the reception as the ‘warmth.’ They had sand in our grand ballroom, and everything was beach themed with a beach themed candy cart, like one you’d find on the beach, a hunky Santa and coconut drinks with the curly straws,” she said.

Each company has its own needs for holiday parties. Some planners want an interactive experience, while others prefer a relaxed setting where employees can unwind after a busy year. 

From Rounsborg’s experience, holiday parties offer an opportunity to build morale and strengthen relationships within a company. 

“I genuinely think it’s to build that camaraderie within their team, and it’s really a way for some of those guests to be able to breathe and recap their year,” she said. 

For larger corporate companies and small local businesses alike, Rounsborg recommends starting the planning process early, as early as August. 

No matter what kind of experience a business is looking for, an intimate gathering or a themed celebration, company holiday parties are a way for businesses to show their appreciation towards their employees, to enjoy each other’s company outside of a work setting and to take a break from daily routines. ♦