Planning a Business Anniversary: 5 Crucial, Preliminary Tips

If you’re planning, or even just considering a business anniversary celebration, you may already be aware of an overwhelming array of options and suggestions. These range from opulent black-tie events to more subdued gatherings. They also run the gamut from corporate retreats to charitable initiatives to carnivals to open houses—and dozens of other possibilities. Obviously, a number of factors will influence how, and even if, an observance might be appropriate. These include your organization’s financial health, its size, its mission, industry conditions, logistics, and how much time—and money—can reasonably be budgeted.

The purpose of this post is not to provide yet another list of ideas for business anniversary observances. There are, again, already a number of valuable articles and resources devoted to that topic.

This post will focus instead on some preliminary considerations you might want to keep in mind in approaching a business anniversary—and regardless of the size or nature of that celebration.  And these initial considerations are relevant whether the upcoming milestone marks your organization’s 100th anniversary or its first. These tips are also helpful whether your budget will allow you to spend lavishly or only frugally.

1) Make Your Business Anniversary About More Than Your Business

Your business or organization should, by definition, be the centerpiece of your anniversary celebration.

But that doesn’t mean that it should be the exclusive focus.

Anniversary celebrations can often come across as too insular and self-absorbed. This inward focus can undercut interest in your celebration outside your organization and even stymie enthusiasm within it.

Mullerhaus, a firm that specializes in company brand storytelling, urges a broader perspective. Your celebration should be about more than the staying power of your company or organization. It should also be about the relationships that characterized and made possible, its longevity, and its success. These include relationships not only with staff, but also customers, community members, and those communities themselves.

2) Frame Your Business Anniversary Celebration Messaging

This broader perspective can also inform your messaging efforts surrounding the celebration. A recent article in Forbes makes the point that the “why” of your celebration can be critical. Why exactly should anyone care about the fact that your organization or company has been around for x number of years?

The article goes on to suggest some possible ways of providing that “why”, including podcasts with interviews with current and former employees, special newsletters with anniversary-related stories, etc. But the broader, more significant point here is that this kind of content can do more than serve the short-term goal of raising awareness of your anniversary observance. It can also have a permanent place (and function) in marketing your organization as, for instance, additional content for your website or landing pages.

3) Consider Creating an Anniversary Logo

A business anniversary celebration should go beyond simply recognizing your organization’s continued existence. At its core, it is also a way of showcasing,  and furthering, your brand itself.

A logo is one of the most visible symbols of your brand.

You may therefore want to solidify your messaging efforts by creating a special anniversary logo. Here again, a commemorative logo of this sort can provide marketing and promotional benefits long after your celebration event itself.

An anniversary logo doesn’t have to supplant your established logo. On its own, it can pay benefits long after the event or observance.

4) Tap (or Begin Curating) a Company Archive

Another preliminary business anniversary strategy involves amassing archival material. An organizational archive might draw on a variety of materials, including memorabilia, interviews, and other artifacts of the organization’s development and growth. For younger organizations, a historical archive might consist primarily of recollections of a company’s start-up and launch phases.

Historical material of this sort, whatever its form or vintage, can significantly enliven an anniversary observance. It can also provide invaluable source material for future observances as well as more immediate marketing and promotional campaigns.

5) Integrate Business Anniversary Awards & Gifts

There is a final suggestion that can both complement and unite the remaining strategies above. This is also a strategy aimed at not only heightening immediate interest in your event but also ensuring that it is remembered.

The gallery above showcases a selection of custom anniversary and milestone commemoratives. They reflect a diverse cross-section of organizations and companies.

Custom gifts and awards can provide this kind of visible, tangible, and most important—lasting— reminder of your event. They can be tailored for your organization: your logo, mission, service, product, or anything that uniquely captures your brand. These awards and commemoratives can be displayed for years to come throughout your organization, in reception areas, conference rooms, and individual employee offices.

At The Corporate Presence, we’ve been helping companies and organizations in a variety of sectors and industries celebrate milestone anniversaries and achievements for over 40 years. See how we can extend the celebration (and impact) of your business anniversary with truly memorable custom commemoratives. Get the design process started now.

David Parry is the Director of Digital Strategy for The Corporate Presence, and for Prestige Custom Awards, a designer and provider of custom corporate awards ranging from creative employee and client recognition pieces to the N.F.L. Commissioner’s Awards, and ESPN’s ESPY awards.