BuzzFeed, Hearst, other publishers, replace lavish holiday parties with more subdued celebrations

By Sara Guaglione

The media holiday party may be becoming a bygone of the pre-pandemic era, as some publishers opt for alternative end-of-year affairs.

While BDG, BuzzFeed, Hearst and The Washington Post will host in-person events for employees to celebrate the close of 2022, they will not be the stereotypical soirées. Instead, they will take the form of team-specific outings, award shows and festivals. And Vox Media decided for the third consecutive year not to host a holiday party.

The return of in-person celebrations for some publishers shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. In the past year, a number of publishers have shifted to hybrid work schedules, from Hearst to The Washington Post. The world has since reached a different stage of the pandemic as well, where COVID-19 testing and mask-wearing aren’t mandatory at events to the same degree as last year. But the celebrations this year are a bit more subdued than past gatherings, which may be as much a reaction to last year’s holiday party superspreaders as a reflection of this winter’s gloomy media landscape.

‘Party’ plans

BuzzFeed is taking a more sober approach to its holiday celebration this year. It isn’t having a “formal” party this year, a company spokesperson said in an email. Instead, BuzzFeed is hosting a “holiday festival” at both the New York and Los Angeles offices, with “refreshments, shopping and fun games” and a marketplace, according to a memo sent to staff and shared with Digiday. BuzzFeed is giving attendees $50 each to spend on small businesses featured at the marketplace. The company is also hosting a virtual marketplace and giving out a promo code employees can use with a curated list of small businesses.

At Hearst, teams host their own holiday celebrations. Events at the company, which is operating on a hybrid schedule, are mostly in-person this year, said Lizz Schumer, a senior editor at Good Housekeeping. Good Housekeeping did not have a holiday party last year, but this year will have one in-person, she said.

A Vox Media spokesperson declined to say why the company will not host a holiday party this year, but one Vox Media employee said there haven’t been any company holiday parties to attend since they joined in early 2020. Said the employee, “It feels pretty normal for me not to have one.”

The Washington Post hosts its annual Eugene Meyer Awards in December, which serves as its end-of-year celebration. It will return to being held in-person this year, after it was hosted virtually last year. “Now that we’ve been back in the office, with a hybrid schedule, the event is back in person this year,” said a company spokesperson in an email.

BDG isn’t making significant changes to its holiday celebrations this year either. Virtually, it’s hosting a wreath-making workshop and an ugly holiday sweater contest. As for its in-person activities, BDG is hosting a holiday mocha and cookie bar at the office, a happy hour and a holiday sale (where all proceeds will be donated to charity).

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Source:: Digiday