“We cannot have another lame company Christmas party that no one will ever remember,” I interjected. “I want to volunteer to be in charge of the entertainment for the evening, and if it’s okay with the committee, I plan to have my newly formed band perform at the event.”

“You started a band with people from work?”

“Yup,” I replied. “We are an 80’s hair band called Mega-Watt.”

“Okay. We trust you. Go for it.”

I couldn’t believe it. In a moment of frustration, I announced to the Christmas party planning committee that I was part of a band with some co-workers at First Choice Power. When the words came out of my mouth, I was telling a “true lie” (something that wasn’t true yet but would be in due time). And the band name like that within an electricity company - - Mega-Watt - - felt like an inspired moment of pun-filled genius.

I left the conference room and walked over to the pricing team when Eric Bratcher was busy with something related to forecasting. He paused his work and turned to me, inquiring, “Sir?” I wasted no time with my response. “Remember when we said it would be fun to jam together, with you on the drums and Gary Patterson on the lead guitar? I just announced that our band is headlining the company Christmas party, so we should probably start practicing.”

The next week, the members of Mega-Watt came together for our first of two meetings in band history and figured out the best way to entertain the crowd while creating a shared experience unlike any other. We settled on a mixture of Christmas classics, classic rock, and a parody of the Vanilla Ice classic, "First Choice, Baby.”

Party Time

The event was held at the La Cima Club in Las Colinas, Texas. The employees and their wives, all dressed up for the fancy location, looked puzzled at the drum set and guitars as they mingled to start the party. My bandmates and I slipped out during the cocktail hour to put on our wigs and tattoo sleeves before making our big entrance.

To say the night was a hit would be an understatement. Between the laughs, the great cover songs, the sing-a-longs, and the dance contest, Mega-Watt helped to make the 2007 First Choice Power Christmas party unforgettable. We gave away cheap prizes, referenced inside jokes, shared Christmas reflections, and, best of all, we gave 120 people the freedom to laugh and sing with child-like enthusiasm.

Mega-Watt provided a shared experience that brought everyone together, and that evening provided an ongoing camaraderie that echoed throughout the company for many years to come. I believe that shared experiences should be intentionally curated to match the direction and needs of the organization. I also recommend avoiding the temptation to repeat a great shared experience after it is completed. When you attempt to do something like Mega-Watt a second time, you find that attendees are already in comparison mode from one event to the next, and you lose the element of surprise (one of the key ingredients in any surprise and delight moment).

If you are looking for great ideas for your next shared experiences, contact us, we would love to help.