Company Holiday Party Favors Employees Will Actually Keep
The best company holiday party favors are the ones that don't end up in a desk drawer or a trash can on the way out the door. A custom photo magnet is exactly that kind of favor: a sturdy, personalized keepsake of your team celebrating together, printed on-site in under five minutes and small enough to slip into a coat pocket. Instead of another branded koozie or tote bag, every guest goes home with a photo of themselves at the party — and it lands on their fridge, where it keeps your celebration in view long after the decorations come down.
If you're planning an office holiday party this year, here's why photo magnets have quietly become the favor employees actually hold onto, and how a live magnet station works.
Why Most Holiday Party Favors Get Tossed
Walk through any "corporate holiday favor" list online and you'll see the same items: koozies, tote bags, coffee blends, branded pens, mini candles. They're fine. But they share one problem — they're generic. Nothing about a logo koozie says you were here, this was your night. So it gets used once, or not at all, and quietly disappears.
A favor sticks around when it's personal. That's the whole reason a photo magnet works:
- It's a photo of the guest. People don't throw away pictures of themselves and their coworkers laughing at the holiday party.
- It has a home. A fridge, a filing cabinet, a locker — a magnet has an obvious place to live, so it doesn't get lost.
- It's useful. It actually holds up the wedding invite or the kid's drawing, so it earns its keep.
- It lasts. A quality magnet doesn't yellow or curl. Every Moment Magnets prints on sturdy, thick magnets built to last — not the thin, flimsy magnet sheets some vendors use, the kind that curl at the corners, fade, and slowly slide down the fridge.
That last point matters more than it sounds. A favor that physically falls apart isn't a keepsake — it's future clutter. The whole point is a party favor people keep, and durability is half of what makes that happen.
What a Live Photo Magnet Station Looks Like at a Holiday Party
At Every Moment Magnets, the favor is the entertainment. A live magnet station is a mobile magnet cart your guests gather around all night. Here's the flow:
- A guest scans a QR code with their phone.
- They upload a favorite photo — a group shot with their team, a candid by the tree, a picture from the photo backdrop.
- In under five minutes, they're holding a finished, custom photo magnet.
No posing on cue, no photographer directing the shot — guests pick the photo they love, which is a big part of why the magnets actually get kept. It doubles as a natural gathering point: people drift back to the cart, wait together, and compare their magnets. For a room full of coworkers who don't always see each other, that little bit of built-in mingling is worth a lot.
The overlay makes it feel like your company's party
Every live station from Every Moment Magnets includes a custom overlay designed to match your event, layered onto every single magnet. Each guest will have multiple overlay options to choose from — each customized to your liking before the event — your company logo, your company name, the date, your party's theme, your brand colors. If your party has sponsors or partner companies to recognize, their logos can go on there too.
So the favor isn't just a photo; it's a dated, branded memento of this holiday party specifically. A backdrop is included too if you'd like one, giving guests a dedicated spot to grab the kind of festive photo that makes a great magnet. There's no separate design fee for any of it — the overlay comes with the station.
Photo Magnet Sizes and How Many You'll Need
Every Moment Magnets prints in two sizes:
- 2x2 inches — clean and classic, great for a big guest count.
- 2.5x2.5 inches — a little more presence on the fridge, nice when the photo is the star.
For favor planning, a good rule of thumb is one to two magnets per guest — many people make one for themselves and a second for a coworker or their partner. Because the station prints on demand, you're not pre-ordering a fixed count and hoping it matches attendance; guests make magnets as they go.
Holiday Party Favor Ideas Beyond the Live Station
Not every holiday gathering calls for a full station. A few other ways teams use Every Moment Magnets around the holidays:
- Pre-made magnet packs from a team photo or a shot from last year's party — ordered ahead and set at each place setting as a favor.
- The magnet arch rental — a seven-sided display arch holding 14 custom magnets ($150), great as a "year in review" wall of team moments at the party entrance.
- Client and employee gifts — a small stack of branded photo magnets as a desk-drop or mailer that's warmer than another gift card.
For logo-forward or branded magnet options, the Business Magnets page has the details, and the Weddings & Events page covers the full live-station experience.
What Does a Holiday Party Magnet Station Cost?
A live magnet station from Every Moment Magnets starts at $750 for two hours and includes everything you need to create a mobile magnet cart experience your guests will never forget — the cart, the on-site setup and staffing, unlimited magnets during your event window, the custom overlay matched to your party, and a backdrop if you'd like one. Longer windows are quoted to fit your party. There aren't separate "upgrade tiers" for the overlay or backdrop; those come with it.
For context, many photo-magnet vendors run tiered packages in the $999–$3,000 range with smaller print sizes and backdrops sold as add-ons, and some price lower by using thinner, lower-quality magnets. Every Moment Magnets keeps it simple: one starting price, everything included, and magnets built to last. (For a full breakdown of what goes into the number, see our guide on how much a photo magnet station costs.)
One planning note: Every Moment Magnets caps bookings to a few events per month to keep every station personal and well-run — and December books up fast. If a holiday party is on your calendar, it's worth reaching out early.
How to Book Before the Holiday Rush
Most companies lock in holiday-party vendors between August and October, so late summer and early fall is the sweet spot. To hold a date:
- Reach out through the Weddings & Events page with your date, venue, and rough headcount.
- Send over your logo, company name, party date, or theme so the custom overlay can be designed to match — including any sponsor logos you'd like recognized.
- Decide whether you'd like the backdrop included.
That's it — the station shows up, sets up, and turns your holiday party into a favor factory your team will still be looking at in July.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best company holiday party favors employees will actually keep?
Personalized favors last longest — items with the guest's own photo or name, that have an obvious place to live, and that are built to survive being carried home. A custom photo magnet checks all three boxes: it's a photo of the guest at the party, it lives on their fridge, and a quality magnet holds up for years. Generic favors like koozies and pens tend to get used once or tossed.
How does a live photo magnet station work at a holiday party?
Guests scan a QR code, upload a favorite photo from their phone, and receive a finished custom magnet in under five minutes. Every Moment Magnets brings a mobile magnet cart, staffs and runs it on-site, and adds a custom overlay — your logo, company name, date, or theme — to every magnet.
How much does a photo magnet station cost for a corporate holiday party?
A live station from Every Moment Magnets starts at $750 for two hours and includes everything you need to create a mobile magnet cart experience your guests will never forget — the cart, staffing, unlimited magnets, a custom overlay matched to your event, and a backdrop if you'd like one, with no separate upgrade tiers.
What size are the photo magnets?
They come in 2x2 inches and 2.5x2.5 inches. Both are printed on sturdy, thick magnets built to last — not the thin sheets that curl and fade over time.
When should we book a magnet station for our holiday party?
Between August and October, before the December rush. Every Moment Magnets caps bookings to a few events per month to keep each one personal, and holiday dates fill quickly, so earlier is safer.
Can the magnets be branded with our company name or logo?
Yes — any logo you'd like. Every live station includes a custom overlay matched to your event, with multiple overlay options to choose from and all of them customizable, so your company logo, name, party date, theme, brand colors, and any sponsor or partner logos can all be built in. There's no extra design fee. For pre-made branded magnets to mail or hand out year-round, see the Business Magnets page.