With summer on the wane and the festive season coming up fast, it’s the perfect time for multifamily boards, managers, and committees to start thinking about holiday social programming. And with the new year right around the corner, why not grab that blank calendar and brainstorm other year-round community-building events while you’re at it?

Howdy, Neighbor 

“We hold events all year that bring the community residents together, which is positive for a multitude of reasons,” says William Dyckman, a general manager with FirstService Residential in Chicago who handles daily operations at Park Place Tower, a 901-unit high-rise condo building in Lakeview. “These events pay dividends—including reducing tension between neighbors. You’re going to have moments where tempers run high because of a dog barking or a leak, but when people interact, they can get to know one another and ask questions. Once you put a face to your neighbor, it changes the entire association’s overall dynamic for the better.”

Dyckman plans events year-round for Park Place Tower’s approximately 1,400 residents with a group consisting of himself, a few board members, and sometimes a resident or two, depending on the size of the event. 

“We try to do two major events every year—an end-of-season summer resident party and a formal holiday party in December—and try to have something for everyone,” explains Dyckman. “It’s a great way for residents to interact, not only with each other, but with their management, too.” 

For the end-of-summer event, Dyckman and his crew put a menu together, order a variety of drinks, and gather up volunteers to man the grill. A resident who happens to be a professional DJ has even volunteered to spin records during the function to add to the festive vibe. “The event is an overall effort from everyone,” says Dyckman. 

For the holiday season, Dyckman says he looks forward to the resident events, and makes sure they are inclusive. “We have a sizable number of residents who celebrate Christmas and others who celebrate Hanukkah,” he explains. “Some celebrate Kwanzaa, too, so we don’t label the event for just one particular holiday. We just call it a holiday party, and everyone comes out and has a great time with good food and drink and engages with their neighbors.” 

The popularity of these bigger resident events has encouraged Dyckman to put together smaller events as well, like a monthly book club and other get-togethers. 

“It could be trick-or-treating, a small sports viewing party, or maybe even an art class out on the sundeck,” he says, adding that the management publishes use and crowd capacity guidelines for the various common areas in the building, “so any resident can talk to management if they have an idea [for an event] and then just follow the guidelines. The events don’t have to be for long—they can be 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there. The point is that we want the residents to engage.” 

Putting the Word Out 

Not all property management companies undertake the organization of holiday parties, events, or monthly clubs for their residents—but even those who leave that up to residents or committees may be available to help spread the word of any community-wide event that residents would like to host. 

“We do not put up a Christmas tree, a menorah, or other religious symbols in the lobby or hallways,” says Casey Olson, director of real estate management for Chicago-based firm PRG Management. “We’re hired to take care of the stuff that needs to get done, but what we’re good at is communication to the residents through our systems. So if one of our residents wants to have a barbecue in the courtyard, or a holiday party, we can help them to spread the word.”  

Other communities are more informal. 

“We don’t brainstorm, we just do it,” says John Roskopf, a board member at The Verona Condominium Association, a 26-unit condo community in Wilmette. “For example, in the summer, an anonymous owner will post signs throughout the building that there will be a get-together on a given evening in the courtyard. Attendees bring their own drink and a nosh to share. These typically last about 90 minutes, with people coming and going based on their schedules. We typically have three or four of these a year. 

One fall, after the association had just refurbished its shared veranda, Roskopf says an owner sponsored a Sunday morning brunch on the veranda so all the residents could enjoy the newly upgraded space. “The owner provided bagels and lox; other owners volunteered to bring coffee, juice, fruit, or whatever.”

Most years, Roskopf says that another resident hosts a holiday party in their unit. “To the best of my knowledge, we have never used association funds for any of these events,” he says. “These are owners just enjoying the company of their neighbors. It is simply announced as a holiday party, and has no religious or social references.” 

Safety & Security

Of course, the hope is always that an event will run smoothly, but sometimes it can get out of hand. Let’s say that Mrs. Jones invites residents to the common area to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and those residents invite friends who invite friends, and so on. If a party gets too large or too rowdy, what happens? 

“It’s definitely our job to maintain the safety and value of the association, so if a party reaches ‘Project X’ levels, then we need to step in,” says Olson. 

Dyckman also suggests having a set of written guidelines before an event takes place. “Our guidelines say that the resident running the event has to be the responsible owner of that event, which means if damage occurs and a chargeback has to take place, we know who we should go after. They are the ones on the line and responsible.”

If the event gets too loud, Dyckman says that approaching the resident in charge to handle the situation is typically the easiest method. “We just ask them if they can turn it down a little bit,” he says. “We might have some people sleeping or have complaints coming in, but we try to be reasonable and keep the event within city guidelines as far as quiet hours.” 

For his part, Roskopf explains that the informality of his association’s resident events is what makes them work so well to build the community. “Our owners have varied schedules, from a night shift nurse to people who travel, and some that have winter condos, so as small as we are, you don’t see everyone every day at the mailboxes. If a resident can’t make one event, they can always try to make the next one. Consequently, the informality is embraced as a way to share stories, catch up, and in some cases just get reacquainted.”

Lots of Input…and Snacks

If your management company or board is new to running resident events, Dyckman has one very important tip: “Overbuy food,” he says. “You don’t know what you’re going to get as far as attendance, and you don’t want to be that party that ran out of food.” 

Dyckman also suggests getting input from as many residents as possible as you put your event calendar together. “I work at this development, but I don’t live here, so talking to the residents who can give great insight is important,” he says. “You want to make the events memorable for everybody.” 

Finally, once the event is over, ask for feedback from attendees, and learn from it for the next one. “We have a pretty vocal resident group that will say, ‘Hey, this is what we love, and this is where we can maybe do better,’” says Dyckman. “That’s actually helped from year to year. The residents might also say that the event was great, but next time, have veggie dogs.” 

Dyckman explains that letting the residents run events does not bog down the board and management. “They already have a lot on their plate, but if the events are run by residents within a very informal set of guidelines around capacity limits, the common area to use, etc., and have all that in place, it creates more opportunities that just kind of run themselves.”

The takeaways here are to be creative, to offer a variety of options, and to make sure there’s plenty of refreshments. The holiday season will be here before you know it, so now is a great time to get your festive ducks in a row. Even if it’s just picking a date, stocking up on snacks, and letting your neighbors know where to show up, that in itself can be exactly what makes the holidays happy.