Bar None

Does this mean today's parties have to be staid and straight-laced? Definitely not. "Company parties can still be lots of fun--if you plan properly," says West. "Better still, now the partygoers will be able to remember the party the next day."

Whereas once the purpose of company parties seemed to be to hold a drunken bash, today's goals are inspired more by the bottom line and a desire to contribute to a positive corporate culture. "With a well-planned party, you can expand trust among employees and improve their ability to communicate with one another," says Joel Whalen, an associate marketing professor at DePaul University in Chicago. "Today's business parties are about relationship-building."

You'll have to work harder than the hosts of yesteryear did, however. For starters, if you want the party to be successful, you've got to take off your boss mask. "You've got to minimize the `I'm the boss' cues you give employees," says Whalen. Fail to do that, and workers will respond in kind--they'll stay within the parameters of their workplace personalities and will neither relax nor interact with co-workers in new ways.

Even so, discarding that boss mask can be very hard for some business owners. How can you meet this challenge? Whalen gives a simple strategy: "At the party, circulate and talk to people; you don't want to stand in a corner waiting for employees to come up to you. And you'll probably need to take the lead in conversations, coaxing employees to talk freely."

Another rule to remember: "Plan the party for the guests, not for yourself," says Whalen. "Just because you like golf doesn't mean your country club is the best venue for a company party. Think about what your employees like--what would be a special event for them? Knowing that is crucial to holding a party that succeeds."

This article was originally published in the December 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bar None.