The Fourth of July offers reminders for why people gather
Who’s getting excited for the Fourth of July? You can almost already smell the barbeque firing up.
Whatever you do to celebrate our nation’s founding it’s more often than not the same every year, with certain must-haves: a barbeque, fireworks, handheld American flags, good people and sunshine. Overall, nothing too slick.
Meetings, on the other hand, are often far more over the top, with coordinated entertainment, specific programming, thought-out menus, you name it. As New York City-based planner Jaclyn Bernstein, president and owner of Empire Force Events, says, “We, as event producers, sometimes go out of our way to outdo ourselves. At corporate events, there’s an open bar, goodie bags—we don’t even see the centerpieces anymore because we’re so used to it.”
It might seem strange to link the Fourth of July to corporate and business meetings and events. But at the end of the day, both are about gathering—simply in different ways. And the ways people gather for the Fourth can offer some surprising lessons around making business and corporate meetings that much more impactful.
The Bare Bones (No, Not Babyback Ribs)
When it comes to Fourth of July celebrations, Bernstein says, “It’s something really down home—just being with the right people. Someone goofs on the barbeque, and you have the red-and-white checkered tablecloth, people are waving little flags.”
Jaclyn Bernstein
“It’s a state of mind, a feeling—not so much how much money is spent on it and how cool it looks.”
-Jaclyn Bernstein
And yet, people look forward to these simple Fourth of July parties with serious enthusiasm. Sure, part of that is as simple as having a day off, away from the workplace. But right there comes the question: How do you make a meeting feel that way?
The way people gather on the Fourth can show us, Bernstein says, “[A meeting or event] doesn’t have to be crazy…it’s really focused on the people you’re with. You don’t need a lot to celebrate or to have a good time.”
The No. 1 unifying factor between the goal of meetings and a Fourth of July gathering is…drumroll, please…you already know the answer: community.
On July Fourth, you might find yourself with family and friends you only see a few times a year, spending time catching up and enjoying these rare moments. At a meeting, you need to get business done. But what makes meetings so special is that while that business is getting done, people are also making and strengthening their bonds.
Perhaps you plan for a company with remote workers or offices across the country, but everyone gathers for an annual event; that’s the moment for these employees who only see each other once a year or so, but work together all the time, to connect face-to-face.
Valerie Ulrich
Valerie Ulrich, former vice president of special events and conferences at First Republic Bank and currently a consultant for special events and conferences, says, “It’s about creating new, memorable experiences for people. You meet new people, and you learn about their favorite things, they learn about your favorite things, and before you know it, you end up making a new friend.
“So, these are two different ways of gathering, but connection is part of a meeting, and it’s also part of a party. For planners, it’s about creating ways to get people to interact.”
The Role of Tradition
The way people tend to do a Fourth of July party is rooted in tradition. Hello, fireworks!
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“One of the things I think is really fun during this time of year is getting dressed up, with red, white and blue,” says Ulrich. “And decorating is really easy to do. It doesn’t cost a lot of money.”
Traditions vary by group, too. “Thinking about entertainment, maybe people have a special skill. Maybe someone is a singer, and they could sing at a party, or you can set up different food stations where you could have some interaction, set up a contest to see who makes the best pie.”
Ulrich says that, for her events, she also incorporates tradition. For example, she says, “I have a person who specializes in beers, so whatever my theme is, I have him do the beers. It could be for something themed around Oktoberfest, or a lobster fest or a beer tour. So, incorporate that kind of tradition, where you have a person who has a certain talent that could be part of your event every year.”
Ultimately, the role tradition plays for Fourth of July can bring a meeting or event closer to that ideal where attendees walk away describing it as really and truly fun: a setting where they made real connections and lasting memories, and that they want to return to.
“You’re trying to create an experience for people, in meetings as well as at a Fourth of July party,” Ulrich says. “Just try to find a certain type of tradition that you could create in a way that we see tradition in the Fourth of July.”
Can You Unite a Corporate Event with a Fourth Celebration?
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“Typically, the Fourth of July is not a big corporate event,” Bernstein says. “But there are corporate events that do happen. We’ve had clients say to us they’re going to bring some of their employees or colleagues to get out on a boat or be at a venue with the view.” The view Bernstein refers to is, of course, New York City, home to one of the biggest fireworks shows in the country—and that spells I-N-C-E-N-T-I-V-E.
Pulling off this kind of event, however, can be challenging. It’s a day off, a day people want to spend outside of work with their families. “Why would they come to XYZ corporation, whether they work there or are clients of theirs, on the Fourth of July, when they want to be with their family or friends?” Bernstein asks. “Well, give them something they can’t get on their own, such as a view of the fireworks next to the Statue of Liberty.”
With the United States’ semi-quincentennial anniversary—250 years—coming up in 2026, now is the time to start planning a major celebration, if a Fourth of July gathering is something your organization or clients are interested in. In New York City, Bernstein says, it will be part of a yearlong celebration, complete with America’s Fleet Week taking place on July 4th rather than Memorial Day that year.
So, why not let your attendees invite their families on a day that is traditionally spent with family? And, it’s an opportunity to be creative. “It doesn’t have to take away from their own Fourth of July gatherings. Maybe it’s an open house at the company—‘Come by, grab a hot dog or hamburger, get a little flag before you go to your other plans, or go to your other plans and come by afterwards,’” Bernstein says. “Companies just have to be mindful if they’re going to do an event during a time for this type of gathering.”
It’s Good to Gather!
There’s a phrase Bernstein uses all the time: The shoemaker’s children don’t wear shoes.
credit: Shutterstock
“So, what do [event planners] do on the Fourth of July? Well, I haven’t really figured it out yet. I’m going to a friend’s barbeque. That’s exactly it—we do it all the time, so it becomes the holiday for everyone else to plan while we can sit back and enjoy it.”
Planners, as you make your way to the end of this story, we wish you a happy, restful Fourth. Take a day to enjoy being full-attendee!
There’s no denying that a Fourth of July gathering looks different from a corporate or business meeting or event. But the ways in which people celebrate the Fourth can offer big-time lessons about going back to the basics—how people connect with each other, and why we want to.
Meetings and events, just like that Fourth of July gathering you’re getting ready to attend, have the same core. “It’s really just about gathering and being together,” as Bernstein puts it. “It’s the heart.”
