Conference News August 2020 | Page 49

Caring at Christmas 49 Christmas Parties CONFERENCE NEWS EXPLORES HOW YOU CAN GIVE BACK THIS CHRISTMAS t is widely believed that lockdown has led to an increase in social awareness; the NHS has seen a renewed respect and charity donations have increased over this period. Christmas is a time that prompts caring and consideration for others, so the general consensus is that this year, we will see an increase in the number of events that have a charity or CSR element. “Christmas celebrations this year will be more important than ever – as companies need to build a sense of togetherness and reward their staff for getting through a really tough year,” says Joanna Lunn, event sales manager at the Victory Services Club, a military members club and events venue in Marble Arch, London. “Covid has sparked a renewed interest in community and giving something back and Christmas is the ideal time to do this.” The Club is a registered charity that re-invests revenue from commercial events to fund schemes, including free weekend breaks for injured members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families, “which is a huge attraction for our clients,” comments Lunn. Choosing a venue that is a registered charity is one option, as too are team building activities with a CSR benefit. One of the key elements for new agency Huxley Events is social responsibility – the agency was launched on the premise that people need people, and the environment is, and should be, society’s biggest concern. There are many different elements to CSR and different companies put emphasis in different places. Some companies create a Christmas event by having team activities in the afternoon leading into their evening event- thus hitting both team and social objectives. Huxley Events have a range of activities that could be adapted www.conference-news.co.uk