Whether you’ve been operating for five years or 50 years, your business’s anniversary is an auspicious occasion in your company’s history. Throwing a business anniversary party is not only a great morale-booster, but it can also raise awareness of your company in your community and beyond. Check out our tips for celebrating and marketing your company anniversary, so you and your team can get the most out of this important milestone:

 

 

 

Why Celebrate a Business Anniversary?

Celebrating a business anniversary is about more than marking time. It’s a prime opportunity to thank employees for their work, to acknowledge loyal clients and attract new customers, gain media attention for the milestone or even raise money for charitable causes in your company’s name. Some companies choose to use their office anniversary to also highlight the tenures of longtime employees who have stayed with the company over the years. Still not convinced? Here are four simple reasons to celebrate your business anniversary:

 

 

  1. You’ve Earned It — and So Have Your Employees Building and growing a business is hard work. Celebrating an important anniversary can help with employee morale and keep everyone motivated to keep working to the next anniversary!
  2. Celebrating an Anniversary Can Bring Positive Attention to Your Business Savvy business owners know never to overlook a chance for positive marketing. A business anniversary is an opportunity to grab the attention of potential clients and media.
  3. Clients Love a Reason to Celebrate, Too Offering fun, creative promotions or events during your anniversary can entice customers to patronize your business.
  4. It’s an Easy Reputation-Booster Did you know that only 44% of businesses survive their first five years? If your company is celebrating an impressive milestone like 10, 20, or 50 years, it lets customers know you have strong roots in both the industry and the community. You’re here to stay!

 

 

 

Business Anniversary Ideas for 5 Important Milestones

Every anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate and market your business, but not all anniversaries are created equal! Your gift or celebration marking a one-year business anniversary than, say, your 50th business anniversary. Here are some creative ideas for celebrating the five major milestones in your company’s life:

One-Year Business Anniversary

For any business owner, the first anniversary of their company can feel huge—because it is! Celebrate your 365 days of success with one of these fun work anniversary celebration ideas:

  • Send handwritten thank-you notes to customers, partners, and staff for helping you reach your one year business anniversary.
  • Offer a promotion or sale for your anniversary day, week or month, such as a free gift with purchase or a specialty menu item. 
  • Put together a slideshow or video showcasing your business’s team, pivotal moments in your history, etc. and share it on social media.
  • Gift your employees an anniversary-specific item, like a custom-labeled bottle of wine or a branded laptop bag.

20-Year Business Anniversary

Twenty years is a major milestone, so don’t be afraid to celebrate it with some year-specific gifts or celebrations! Consider one or more of these creative 20-year anniversary ideas:

  • Host a “20 Days of Giving” charitable giving campaign that coincides with your company’s anniversary.
  • Design a brand-compliant 20 Years anniversary logo that can be used throughout your company’s 20th year. 
  • Give a special award to any employees who have been with the company for 20 years.
  • Highlight long-term customers at a company anniversary event or in other communication materials.

25-Year Business Anniversary

A whole quarter of a century, and your company is still going strong. If you’re looking for 25th anniversary company celebration ideas, why not try one of these ideas for company anniversary events, gifts and promotions: 

  • Design a custom pin for your company’s 25th anniversary to be worn by employees.
  • Take out a billboard near your company’s headquarters in honor of your 25th anniversary. Don’t forget to include a special anniversary logo!
  • Offer 25% off certain items or services for a period of time during your anniversary week, month or year.
  • Throw a 25th anniversary gala and invite past and present employees to attend. This is a great opportunity to give out awards, share photos/videos and memories from your company’s 25 years of business, and build morale.

40-Year Business Anniversary

After 40 years, your business has undoubtedly made an impact on your community. In addition to any of the above ideas, consider these “40 years in business” celebration ideas:

  • Commission a mural, metalworks timeline, statue or other significant artwork from a local artist to be hung in your company’s headquarters or showcased in the community.
  • Invite the mayor or other local dignitary to speak at your company headquarters in celebration of your milestone. Don’t forget to invite the media!
  • Plant a tree (or 40 trees!) in your community or areas of operation in honor of your anniversary.
  • Host a company “Do Good Day,” during which employees can volunteer together on a project to benefit the community.

50-Year Business Anniversary

This is the mega-milestone, the one every business hopes to reach. Half a century has gone by and your company is still thriving! Celebrate with any of the above ideas, or try these 50th anniversary celebration ideas: 

  • Collect early company photos and artifacts from your company’s history and have them made into a collage, mural or display for your company’s lobby or office.
  • Design and print a company anniversary book with photos, a company history, and quotes from employees, leaders and customers.
  • Share with the media/display future prototypes to show your clients and your community what the next 50 years will hold.

Take a cue from Disney World and have a year-long celebration of your 50 years including specialty merchandise, anniversary-specific logos and marketing, a party (or parties) for the general public as well as one or more internal, employee-only parties or outings. It’s your 50th anniversary, after all—why not go really big?

10 Innovative Ideas for Celebrating Your Business Anniversary

Craving even more exciting business anniversary event ideas? Here are 10 more company anniversary ideas to help get your creativity flowing as you brainstorm work anniversary ideas for your company, employees, customers and community:

Take a Group Photo

This is a classic among work anniversary ideas for employees: Freeze the moment in time forever by gathering up the whole team for a company photo. There’s no need to hire a professional photographer, though you certainly could—a smartphone on a tripod will serve just fine. Be sure to frame a print for the office and share a digital copy on your company’s social media channels!

 

Make Custom Apparel

A business anniversary is a great time to get t-shirts, hats or other apparel made with your company anniversary logo or tagline. Employees love wearables, and it turns them into walking billboards for both your company and your impressive anniversary. Win-win!

A Message from the CEO

Employees want to feel seen and valued by management, and are especially proud when the CEO takes notice. Have your company CEO record a short but heartfelt message to the team to celebrate your business’s milestone. 

If appropriate, this video could also be used as a compelling company anniversary social media post. Customers like to put a face to the businesses they regularly patronize, so seeing the CEO warmly celebrating an anniversary with their team can be a very effective marketing tool.

Gift Something Special

Especially for smaller anniversaries, like one or five years, a small but thoughtful employee gift can go a long way for morale. Let your employees know they’re appreciated by gifting them a small item that is symbolic of your organization or business, like a branded camping mug, or something that shows an investment in their well-being and work-life balance, such as a gift card for a relaxing spa treatment.

Make Donations in Employees’ Names

As your business anniversary approaches, consider asking employees to provide the name of a charity or cause close to their hearts. On the day of your anniversary, let your employees know that the company has made a donation to the charities of their choosing in their names. It’s a thoughtful gesture that shows you care about your community, pay attention to what’s important to your employees, and know that your business could not have reached this milestone without their contributions.

Dance Through the Decades

Already planning on hosting a business anniversary party for your employees? Why not make a playlist of the top songs from each year your company has been in business? It’s a fun way to acknowledge the passage of time, and hey—every party needs some great tunes! 

To really turn up the fun, consider theming the party to the decade your company was founded and invite your guests to dress accordingly. Then grab a drink and watch the decade-inspired fashions hit the dance floor!

Give a Gift to the Founders

Present your company’s founders with a personalized company ring or logo watch. This idea is especially useful for those in-between anniversaries, like 20, 30 and 40, as it shows appreciation and recognition of the milestone without being overly spendy.

Ding Ding Ding! It’s Trivia Night!

Host a trivia game where contestants can compete to demonstrate their knowledge of company history and quirky company factoids. Whether you open this event to the public or keep it closed for employees only, consider livestreaming the excitement on social media so your customers (and prospective future customers) can tune in to the fun!

Look Behind the Curtain

Consider opening up your headquarters, factory, etc. to the public for a period of time and offer guided tours of your business. This is a great way to connect with prospective customers and your community, and share the history of your business as well as your passion for what you do.

Spread the Celebration Around

Throughout your anniversary month or year, consider sponsoring sports teams, community entertainment or events in exchange for publicity surrounding your anniversary. Imagine your 25th anniversary logo emblazoned on the helmets of your favorite hockey team or projected onto the floor of a charitable gala! A generous company is a popular company, and a sponsorship (or multiple sponsorships) is the perfect way to market your anniversary while contributing to your community.

5 Clever Marketing Ideas for Your Business Anniversary

When it comes to marketing your business anniversary or anniversary party, you’ll have to do better than the typical “company celebrates anniversary” press release or basic business anniversary post on Facebook. Here are five clever ways to get the word out about your company anniversary:

Create a Custom Campaign & Landing Page

An anniversary is a great time to do some creative branding, so why not create a special landing page customized to your anniversary? This web page can be linked on all your social media posts and can feature your unique anniversary logo, company history, and branding that’s specific to your anniversary. Consider a special slogan, like “30 Years of Excellence” or “A Decade of Fun” and build your campaign from there.

Get Creative with Your Media Pitch

Anniversaries themselves are not necessarily newsworthy, so it’s important to take a unique approach to pitching the media on your anniversary or event. Try attention-grabbing pitches like an interview with the CEO, a company culture story, or a multimedia package. A simple press release is not going to cut it, so it’s time to think outside of the box!

Hit the Streets

We’ve all heard of the Weinermobile, so why not try getting behind the wheel of your own Anniversary-Mobile?. Consider investing in a colorful, eye-catching wrap for a company vehicle that advertises your anniversary, then hit the streets. Drive around traffic-dense, heavily populated areas, stopping occasionally to pass out branded freebies like water bottles, keychains, lanyards or snacks.

Start Talking

This is no time to get shy! Work with local radio and TV stations to book short on-air interviews centered on your anniversary. Be sure you’re well-versed in company history and stats, and don’t be afraid to have some fun with the hosts! If you’re having an event to celebrate your company anniversary, this is a great opportunity to “personally” invite the general public. No radio or TV stations in your immediate area? No problem! Facebook or Instagram live lets you become the broadcaster.

Invest in Social Media Management

If you don’t have an in-house social media manager, investing in one for even a short time can have a significant impact on your company’s reach while marketing your business’s anniversary. A social media manager can help craft branded business anniversary social media posts across all social media channels for the week, month, or year of your anniversary, not to mention handle the strategic planning beforehand and the follow-up PR after. 

While this company birthday marketing idea isn’t as “showy” as a branded truck or blow-out public event, social media management ensures you get the very best brand anniversary campaigns on all possible platforms.

 

 

Host Your Business Anniversary Celebration at the Heritage Center

The Carriage Hall

A business anniversary is a big deal, no matter how many years your company has under its belt, and the Heritage Center team would be honored to celebrate with you! Our flexible spaces and extensive experience planning and hosting corporate events makes us the ideal choice of venue for your next anniversary celebration. Contact us today for more information, or to start planning your next extraordinary company event.