Office Holiday Party and Employee Appreciation Ideas in St. Louis

"Everyone really enjoyed themselves, even the adults lol." That's Amber Cromwell, and the "even the adults" part is the whole reason this works in an office.

For a corporate event in St. Louis or Metro East, a Game Arena is a pop-up video game lounge built inside your office, break room or warehouse floor, with Xbox, Switch and PS5 stations on big screens. It runs $750 for up to 5 hours on the Pro package with LED lighting, or $300 per hour for larger events, with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour block. Setup and teardown are included, no venue is required, and a certificate of insurance and W-9 are available on request.

Updated September 2026

The problem with most office parties

The standard corporate holiday party asks people who work together all day to stand in a room and talk to each other for two more hours. Then somebody books a caterer, and by 7:15 the same five people are talking to each other and everyone else is checking the time.

What changes that is giving people something to do that has nothing to do with work. A Mario Kart bracket gets the quiet person from accounting into the room, and it gets them talking to somebody from a department they never deal with. That's the actual point of the party, and a buffet does not produce it.

What works inside an office

An indoor game arena is the one built for this. Console stations on big screens with their own tables, table covers and LED lighting, set up in a conference room, a break room, an empty floor or a warehouse bay. Up to 20 players at a time, and a group of 60 rotates through comfortably across an afternoon. Pro is $750 for up to five hours, or $300 per hour for larger events, with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour block.

Nothing about it needs a venue. You do not rent a hall, you do not arrange parking for a truck, and in December in Missouri you do not need a weather plan. It goes up in a room you already pay rent on.

Virtual reality is the one that draws a crowd around it. Four Meta Quest 3 headsets with a host guiding every player, and the people waiting watch the screen and heckle, which is most of the entertainment. From $450, or $300 per hour for larger events, on the same two-hour minimum.

Mobile laser tag works if you have the footprint, and warehouse and industrial spaces are ideal for it. It needs no darkness and leaves nothing to clean up. From $329 for private bookings, and hourly for larger corporate events.

For company family days and anything at festival scale, large event activations start at $5,000 and are quoted to your headcount and footprint.

Employee appreciation is the bigger opportunity

Holiday parties get all the attention and employee appreciation events are the ones that actually move how people feel about working somewhere. They also spread across the calendar instead of cramming into three December weeks, which means better dates and more choice.

The events that land are the ones where leadership is visibly in it. Herman Clay, after a booking with a mixed group of kids and adults, said the kids and adults absolutely loved it. Company family days work on exactly that principle, because an employee watching their kid have the best afternoon of the month is a different kind of appreciation than a gift card.

What HR and office managers ask us first

Insurance. We carry it and provide a certificate of insurance naming your building or property manager. Ask when you book and we will have it before your date. W-9 available the same way.

Space. A station needs roughly a folding table's footprint plus room to sit. A standard conference room fits a small build and an open floor fits the full twenty-player version.

Power. Standard wall outlets. The Pro package includes a router.

Noise. It sits at conversation level and does not fight a room where people are talking. If you need it quieter for a speech or an award presentation, we plan that with you.

Timing. Setup and teardown are ours. Tell us when the room is free and when it needs to be clear.

Booking and the December squeeze

December fills first and fills fast, and the first two weeks go before Thanksgiving most years. If your party lands in that window, hold the date early.

Employee appreciation events in February through April have far more availability and often better pricing flexibility, which is worth knowing if your budget cycle gives you the choice.

We serve St. Louis, St. Louis County and Metro East Illinois, with free travel within 29 miles of Granite City. Me 2 You has run events here since 2016 and holds a 5.0-star rating across 380+ Google reviews.

Call or text (618) 845-7171 with your headcount, your room and your date, and we will tell you what actually fits.

That's the whole thing, you get a party people stay at, and we handle the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What are good office holiday party ideas in St. Louis?

A pop-up video game lounge set up inside your own office is the most common request, because it needs no venue and no weather plan. A Game Arena brings Xbox, Switch and PS5 stations on big screens with LED lighting for up to 20 players at a time, at $750 for up to five hours or $300 per hour for larger events, with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour block. Virtual reality and mobile laser tag also work indoors for corporate groups.

Do you come to our office, or do we need a venue?

We come to you. Everything is carried in and set up in your conference room, break room, open floor or warehouse bay. There is no truck, no parking requirement and no venue rental.

Do you provide a certificate of insurance?

Yes. We carry insurance and provide a COI naming your building or property manager, along with a W-9. Request both when you book and we will have them before your event date.

How many employees can this handle?

Up to 20 players at a time on a Game Arena. A group of 60 rotates through comfortably across an afternoon. For larger headcounts we run multiple services at once or scope a full activation.

How much does corporate event entertainment cost in St. Louis?

A Game Arena is $750 for up to five hours on the Pro package or $300 per hour for larger events, with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour block. Virtual reality starts at $450. Mobile laser tag starts at $329. Full-service activations for company family days and festivals start at $5,000 and are quoted to headcount and footprint.

How far ahead should we book a December party?

The first two weeks of December fill before Thanksgiving most years. Hold your date as early as you can. Employee appreciation events in February through April have considerably more availability.