The date of a company anniversary matters most to the company itself. A client or a new hire has little reason to care about the founding year until someone tells them the story and thanks them for their part in it, and the company anniversary celebration ideas that work are the ones that do both.
We start with the events and the story, then spend most of this guide on the keepsake people take home, since it is the part they will still have a year later. For the gifts we make for companies, see our commemorative corporate gifts.
A company anniversary gives people a reason to say thank you
The heritage firm History Factory puts it well: an anniversary on its own gives outsiders no reason to care, so the company has to give them one. Saying thank you is the easiest way to do that, because it makes the date about the people who were there for those years, inside the company and out.
The short answer
- Match the scale of the celebration to the milestone year.
- Tell the company's own story, drawn from its archive and its people.
- Leave every guest with something they will keep.
The milestone year sets the scale
Not every anniversary needs a gala, and the number of years is a good guide to who should be invited.
A 5th or 10th anniversary suits a celebration for the team
Early milestones belong to the people who took the risk. Thank the founding team with a dinner or a day out, and give everyone a small mark of the year to wear, such as a lapel pin.
A 25th or 50th anniversary brings clients into the celebration
By the 25th year, clients and partners are part of the story, so invite them and thank them in writing. For the longest relationships, add a keepsake made for the year.
A 100th anniversary calls for a commemorative collection
A centennial usually calls for a history book or an exhibit, and a dinner. It is also the year to commission a set of gifts drawn from 1 design idea, with a piece for every audience. Institutions often mark centennials this way, as the Emory Goizueta example below shows, and a company can do the same.
For the years in between, such as a 70th, pick the scale of the nearest milestone and lean on the story.
These 10 ideas work for most company anniversaries
- A dinner or gala. Bring staff, clients and partners into 1 room and let the founders or longest-serving people speak.
- A client appreciation day or open house. Open the doors and show clients the people and places behind the work.
- An awards evening for long service. Honor the people who have been there longest, by name, in front of their colleagues.
- A company history book, exhibit or film. Collect the photographs and stories while the people who remember them are still in the building.
- An anniversary mark. Design a mark for the year and use it on everything, from invitations to email signatures.
- A time capsule. Seal letters and objects to open at the next milestone.
- A volunteer day or a gift to a cause. Choose a cause with a link to the founding story, so people can see why you picked it.
- A special edition. Release a product or service in an anniversary edition for the year.
- A retreat or day out for the team. Give the people doing the work a day to enjoy it together.
- A commemorative gift. Give each audience a keepsake drawn from the company's own history, covered in depth below.
A commemorative collection gives each audience its own gift
A commemorative collection is a set of gifts drawn from 1 design idea and made as different pieces for different people. An honoree might receive a paperweight and the newest employee a lapel pin, with the same design on both.
Emory Goizueta's gifts reach 3 different audiences
Our clearest example comes from a business school. For Emory Goizueta Business School we made a silk scarf and tie drawn from the Goizueta building, along with leather goods for top donors. For the 100 honorees of the School's centennial, we made brass coasters.
Campaign launches use the same idea
Any milestone can be handled this way. Lurie Children's campaign launch gifts paired a pashmina with a silk tie for the For Every Child campaign, and for the Smithsonian Campaign we carried one motif across both pieces of the Smithsonian sunburst scarf and tie. These were institutional projects. A company marking its 25th or 50th year could use the same method.
The right gift depends on who receives it
Most anniversary lists suggest mugs, polos, fleece pullovers and tote bags, which are useful and usually gone within a year. For a milestone that took decades to reach, choose something people will hold on to. The prices below are catalog "from" prices.
Honorees and founders receive the most lasting piece
A brass paperweight
A Brass Paperweight starts from $58, engraved with the crest and built to outlast a career.
A medallion or blazer badge
A Medallion & Blazer Badge starts from $52, handmade in gold and silver gilt bullion thread, the same thread used for the Guards' uniforms at Buckingham Palace.
A merino throw
A Merino Throw starts from $88, a milestone gift made to last a lifetime. For directors, see our gifts for board members.
Top clients receive a keepsake they would not buy themselves
Brass and nickel coasters
A Brass & Nickel Coaster starts from $40, engraved with your mark and presented as a set, much like the Goizueta centennial coasters.
A silk scarf or tie with an archive motif
A Bespoke Silk Scarf starts from $65 and a Bespoke Silk Tie from $48, printed with a motif from the company's archive.
Enamel cufflinks
Enamel Cufflinks start from $45, with the anniversary mark set in enamel. Our corporate gifts page shows more for clients and executives.
Every employee receives something to wear
A Lapel Pin starts from $15 and can carry the anniversary mark on every lapel in the company. A Woven Club Tie starts from $55, with the company stripe carried through the weave. For gifts that mark each person's own years, see our employee recognition gifts and our years of service gift ideas.
Event guests take home a small piece of the story
Embossed Leather Coasters start from $35, in bridle leather blind-embossed with the anniversary mark. A Luggage Tag starts from $28 and is easy for a guest to carry home. Browse brass coasters and paperweights and leather goods in the catalog.
The best anniversary designs come from the company's own history
An anniversary gift should look as if it could only have come from your company, and the archive is the place to start. Good sources include:
- the founding building, its windows, doors or stonework
- an archive logo, seal or monogram
- a founder's signature or handwriting
- the 1st product, drawn as it was made
- the home city, its map or skyline
Institutions have shown how it works
Each of these designs came from a detail that belongs to one institution. Emma drew Columbia University's gifts from details on its campus, and The New School's scarf and tie from the windows of its Manhattan building. For the University of Chicago, the source was a Babylonian lion mosaic at the Oriental Institute. The most personal was Purdue's scarf and tie for its retiring Dean of Engineering, Leah H. Jamieson, printed with her final remarks and her own signature.
The notecard carries the story
Every Harris Made gift is hand-wrapped in a foil-embossed presentation box branded for the client. The thank-you message is printed on a notecard, with the gift's provenance on the reverse. For an anniversary the card can explain where the design came from, and it stays with the piece after the evening is over. Each design is drawn from scratch and never sold to anyone else, so no other company will be handing out the same piece.
"We were fortunate indeed to find Harris Made when looking for special gifts for our alumni and parents. Harris Made delivered items of exceptional quality with lasting appeal and with a special significance, items that are uniquely KENT." Kathy Nadire, Director of Development, Kent School
Gift planning starts 6 to 9 months before the anniversary
Event planning for a milestone year often starts a few months out, and the gift needs to start earlier than that. Most Harris Made projects take 8 to 16 weeks. Designs begin as hand-drawn sketches, and samples are made for your approval. If you brief us 6 to 9 months before the date, there is time for all of it without a rush at the end.
| Before the anniversary | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9 months | Set the audiences and the story, and gather archive material. |
| 7 to 8 months | Brief us. Emma draws the first sketches from your history. |
| 6 months | Approve the samples and the notecard message. |
| 5 months | Confirm quantities for each audience and place the order. |
| 1 month | Gifts arrive in their presentation boxes, and you check them against the guest list. |
| On the day | Present them, ideally with a word about where the design came from. |
Our requested minimum is 125 per design, so build the design around the widest group, such as staff or guests, and ask us about pieces for smaller groups like the honorees. Our process page explains how a Harris Made project runs.
Harris Made designs anniversary collections from scratch
We draw each collection from the company's own history and have it made in Britain by mills and a foundry that hold Royal Warrants. Every piece arrives in a presentation box branded for you. We have made 585 bespoke projects for over 300 institutional clients, from university and alumni gifts to gifts for corporations and clubs. If you have a year coming up, start a project and tell us who you want to thank.
"Our Harris Made Alumni Collection is gorgeous! We have nothing but praise. I highly recommend working with Harris Made." James Best, General Merchandise Manager, The Cornell Store, Cornell University
Frequently asked questions
What are some good present ideas for a company anniversary?
A keepsake that carries the anniversary mark. A brass coaster set from $40 or a paperweight from $58 suits clients and founders, and a lapel pin from $15 can go to every employee. For a design drawn from the company's history, consider a silk scarf from $65 or a tie from $48.
How do you celebrate a company's 100th anniversary?
Start with a history project and a dinner or gala, then add a commemorative collection made for the year. We made brass coasters for the 100 honorees of Emory Goizueta Business School's centennial.
When should you start planning a company anniversary?
Start the gift 6 to 9 months before the date. Most Harris Made projects take 8 to 16 weeks, and designs start as sketches with samples made for approval.
What do you give clients for a company anniversary?
Something tied to the history you share, such as a coaster set or a silk scarf, with a notecard that thanks them for their part in the story.
What is the difference between a company anniversary and a work anniversary?
A company anniversary marks the founding of the business, and a work anniversary marks an employee's years of service. For work anniversaries, see our employee recognition gifts.