# A company anniversary timeline that outlasts the party

> Build a company anniversary timeline for your 25th, 50th or 100th year: milestones, people and photos on a lobby touchscreen and your website.

Source: https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/company-anniversary-timeline · HistoryShowcase · Updated 2026-11-07

Anniversaries get a book or a slide deck that is seen once. Build the timeline on a touchscreen instead and it runs at the celebration, greets visitors in the lobby afterward and keeps growing with the next chapter.

## What goes into a company anniversary timeline?

A company anniversary timeline tells the story from founding to the anniversary year: the first customers, moves, products, leaders and the people who stayed for decades. With HistoryShowcase, each milestone is a story with photos and a write-up in a Timeline layout, shown on a lobby touchscreen and at its own web address.

- Made for: marketing leads, HR teams and company founders
- Where it goes: Headquarters lobby, The anniversary event, Your About page
- Layouts: Timeline, Portrait gallery, Honors ledger, Photo gallery
- Visitors can filter by: Decade, Year
- Cost: Free to use. No payment details required.

## Anniversary material usually gets seen once

A company anniversary sends someone into the archive boxes for months. The result is a handsome book or a slide deck shown at the dinner, and then it goes on a shelf. The photos, the founder’s stories and the long-service list are seen by the people in the room that night and almost nobody after.

A company anniversary timeline puts that same work on a touchscreen. Each milestone becomes a story with photos and a write-up, and the timeline runs at the celebration, then moves to the lobby where new hires and visitors see it every day. A printed book still makes a good keepsake; the timeline is what keeps the story in front of people.

## How does a company anniversary timeline compare with an anniversary book or slide deck?

| What matters | Anniversary book or slide deck | HistoryShowcase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Something to take home | A book guests keep on the shelf | A web address guests can open later |
| After the celebration | Presented once, then filed away | Stays in the lobby and keeps growing |
| Late corrections | Printed errors stay printed | Fix it and the live site updates |
| Contributions | A small committee writes it all | Colleagues added as editors add stories |
| Finding a name | Look through the index or the slides | Search by name or word |

## What to include in an anniversary timeline

- **The founding story.** Who started the company, where, and with what. The first invoice or first photo of the shop if you have it.
- **Firsts.** First customer, first product, first employee, first award, each on its year.
- **Moves and expansions.** Every building and location, with photos of the move.
- **Leaders and long service.** Owners and presidents in order, plus the people who stayed twenty years or more.
- **Hard years.** The downturn or the fire the company came through. An honest timeline is more believable.
- **The anniversary itself.** Add photos from the celebration as the newest story, so the timeline records its own event.

## How to structure an anniversary timeline

The timeline carries the story; a couple of extra collections answer the questions employees ask most.

Site: 50 Years

- **Our timeline** (Timeline): Every milestone from founding to this year, with a sub-collection per decade.
- **Our people** (Portrait gallery): Founders, leaders and long-serving employees with profiles.
- **Long service** (Honors ledger): Employees with twenty-plus years, listed with their start year.
- **The celebration** (Photo gallery): Photos from the anniversary event itself.

Visitors can filter by: Decade, Year.

## How do you put together a company anniversary timeline?

1. **Start six months out.** Collect dates in a spreadsheet and import it, then ask retirees and long-serving staff for photos and stories.
2. **Let departments add their chapters.** Add colleagues by email as editors so each team writes its own milestones, and keep stories Private until they’re checked.
3. **Show it at the event, then in the lobby.** Run the timeline on a touchscreen at the celebration, then pair a lobby screen so it stays on show afterward.

## Where should the anniversary timeline be shown?

- **Headquarters lobby.** Visitors and new hires see the company’s story the moment they arrive.
- **The anniversary event.** Guests tap through the decades while they talk.
- **Your About page.** Link the live site so customers and recruits can read it online.

## Company anniversary timeline questions

### How far ahead should we start?

Six months is comfortable for a 50th or 100th. Most of the time goes into finding photos and checking dates with people who were there, not into building the screen.

### Can we still print a book?

Yes. Many companies do both: the book as a keepsake for guests, the timeline on a touchscreen and online for everyone after.

### Can employees see it at home?

Yes. The live site has its own web address, so you can share it in a company email or link it from your website.

### HistoryShowcase is for schools. Can a company use it?

It was built for schools, so setup asks for a school name and colors. Enter your company name and brand colors there; the timeline, editor and touchscreen setup are the same.

## Related

- [Company History Wall](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/company-history-wall): Founders, milestones, products and people on a lobby touchscreen that grows with the company, unlike a printed graphic.
- [Digital Timeline Wall](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/digital-timeline-wall): A wall-mounted touchscreen timeline for a lobby or corridor that you can correct and extend from your desk.
- [Interactive Timeline Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/interactive-timeline-display): A touchscreen timeline where any year opens into the full story, with the photos and documents behind it.
- [School Anniversary Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/school-anniversary-display): Give a 50th, 75th or 100th anniversary a display that keeps running after the celebration ends.

Mark the anniversary with a timeline that stays Free to use. No payment details required. Start building, no account needed: https://history-showcase.com/start