How to enjoy an employee trip in Cingjing? Turning a night for 80 into a starry-sky party
Cingjing is great for photos by day but hard to plan at night: dinner is over by about 6, and then what? A trip to 7-Eleven, TV in your room, drinking and playing cards. That's the reality of most Cingjing employee trips at night.
This post records a Cingjing employee trip iTour ran for a listed company from Yilan: 80 people, two days and one night. We turned "the night with nothing to do" into a starry-sky cocktail BBQ party. How we did it, from choosing the site and lighting design to on-site execution, is all here.
- The brief: accommodation for 80, an evening activity, and a fresh take on the classic sights
- Venue: the 雲之瀑 (Cloud Waterfall) Resort in Cingjing; the view, the outdoor lawn and the number of rooms were key
- Core of the setup: hanging lights + decorative ground lights to solve "mountain guesthouse lighting is too concentrated and the surroundings too dark"
- The party: an Instagram-worthy tent, cocktails mixed by a bartender, BBQ, open-air karaoke
- The result: from dusk until the sky was full of stars, nobody wanted to leave before 10; sunrise on the lawn the next morning
Why are "nights" the hardest part of a Cingjing employee trip?
Cingjing is in the mountains along the Central Cross-Island Highway, with no large flat land, so there are no big hotels and every guesthouse has a limited number of rooms. As a result, travelers' evenings are all alike: after dinner there's no shared space and no program, so groups just go back to their rooms.
But Cingjing has a wasted asset: starry skies with almost no light pollution. That's the best reason to hold an outdoor party.
Choosing a venue for an 80-person employee trip in Cingjing
Cingjing has many beautiful guesthouses (Old England, 霞飛城堡 castle guesthouse), but they can't provide the number of rooms a group needs, and the budget isn't realistic. We chose the 雲之瀑 (Cloud Waterfall) Resort, with three key criteria:
- View: facing the valley, unobstructed; the outdoors is a natural stage backdrop.
- Outdoor lawn: big enough for BBQ, a cocktail bar, singing and activities all at once.
- Number of rooms: enough for about 100 people, so the group doesn't have to split between two places.
Practical things to note: the resort isn't on the main road, so you switch to smaller shuttles at a convenience store (and stock up on late-night snacks); rooms have no air conditioning (nights in the mountains are about 10°C cooler than in the lowlands, so opening the window is enough); facilities are old-fashioned, so bring your own toiletries.
The hardest part of decorating a mountain guesthouse: light
The guesthouse's own lighting is concentrated around the building, and everywhere else is dark. To make the whole outdoor area "atmospheric, bright enough and consistent," we used two kinds of lights:
- Warm hanging lights: draw the eye up and out, with soft, gentle light that brings a relaxed holiday feel.
- Decorative ground lights: fill in the dark areas around, so everywhere they reach feels like "the party zone."
Setting up was harder than usual: the route for carrying things after parking and the terrain on site made everything take longer. The main tent, cocktail prep, lighting and sound positions and power all depended on improvising on the spot. We finished 10 minutes before the client arrived.
The party: plenty of meat, plenty of drinks
An Instagram-worthy tent and prop wall, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, a bartender mixing signature drinks, and BBQ: with simple props and setup, an old guesthouse became an "American backyard cookout." Colleagues, friends and family around the same table, stars above and mountain forest all around.
A few drinks and everyone wants to sing: open-air karaoke
We thought open-air karaoke would be a favorite of the older guests, but it was the younger colleagues who rushed to the stage: the one known at the client company as "little Jam Hsiao" (after the famous Taiwanese singer) started singing right away. From dusk until the sky was full of stars, and before 10 nobody wanted to leave.
And the venue has a hidden bonus: the next morning, the sunrise is right in front of the lawn. The party was photographed by a photographer iTour works with, and the photos were delivered to the client afterwards.
Holding a company party in Cingjing: FAQ
What group size suits an employee trip in Cingjing?
Because guesthouses have limited rooms, about 80–100 people is the comfortable maximum for a single venue. Larger groups need split accommodation or a different location; we'll advise after the site visit.
What if it rains on an outdoor party?
We prepare two plans, sunny and rainy: the rain plan usually moves to a covered semi-outdoor area, with more lighting and tents to extend an indoor feel. We decide which plan to use on the day, before the equipment goes in.
How long does it take to plan a party like this from scratch?
Including the site visit, theme design and coordinating props and catering, allow at least 3–4 weeks; the later you confirm, the less room there is to customize.
How should we budget for it?
It depends on group size, accommodation level, menu level, decoration and how complex the program is. Tell us your group size, budget range and the feeling you want first, and we'll give you a direction and a rough estimate.
See corporate & employee travel See themed event design
Further reading: iTour party site visit: Yunshui, Miaoli