A fairly common arrangement: a year-end ceremony at the office in the morning, with speeches and awards, then the whole group travels to a restaurant or hotel for dinner in the evening. There's nothing wrong with it, but it has a weakness few companies notice: the travel and rest time between the two parts often leaves some staff absent in the evening, especially those with families or who live far away. An all-inclusive year-end party that combines both parts at one venue saves more than transport. It is a way to keep the program flowing and keep more people present.
The real problem with splitting the two parts
When the ceremony ends at midday, many people use the gap to go home, rest and handle family matters, and then some decide not to come back in the evening because they are tired or already have other plans. The company loses part of its attendance without anyone deliberately leaving, simply because the break between the two parts reduced the motivation to return.
Hidden costs of holding it in two places
Beyond the attendance problem, holding an event in two different places also adds the cost of extra transport, two venue rentals instead of one, and double the coordination work for the logistics staff, who have to look after both places.
One venue, two separate functional areas
At Infinity Racing, the complex has two separate areas in one venue: a 73-square-meter warm-up zone for warming up and cheering before the race, and a 115-square-meter premium networking lounge, an upscale space ideal for ceremonies, networking and brand displays right inside the event. A company can hold its wrap-up ceremony, kart racing and networking party in one session without moving between venues.
This arrangement also lets a leader speak right after the racing, while the mood is high, instead of waiting for a separate occasion when the energy has gone cold.
When it still makes sense to split the two parts
For a very large company with branches in different provinces, holding separate regional ceremonies before bringing everyone together for a final shared party remains a sensible choice. But for most companies in Ho Chi Minh City with staff concentrated in one place, combining everything at one venue is usually cheaper and keeps more people attending.
How to split the time between the ceremony and the entertainment
The ceremony should be short. About 20-30 minutes is enough for speeches and awards, and shouldn't run longer, because this is when the energy in the room sags most if the speeches go on too long. Entertainment and networking should take more time, since that is the part people remember after the evening.
One effective arrangement: put the kart racing first to set the mood, move to a short ceremony when everyone is already excited, then end with food and open networking without a rigid time limit. This order keeps the peaks at exactly the moments they are needed, instead of letting a formal ceremony drain the atmosphere in the middle of the session.
Who leads the evening
For a program that combines ceremony and entertainment, one person should follow the schedule from start to finish, making sure the ceremony doesn't overrun its planned time and the racing doesn't eat the time reserved for networking. This person doesn't have to be a professional MC. It can be the HR and admin lead, as long as they know the script well and have the authority to adjust flexibly when a segment runs faster or slower than planned, instead of rigidly sticking to the original times. This role should be agreed clearly before the day, to avoid a situation where nobody decides proactively when a segment runs late.
Tell me how your company currently holds the event, and I will advise how to combine the program and send a quote.