It’s Time to Start Planning Your Christmas Party
While it may still feel a while off, Christmas is certainly coming. It may only be early September, but darker nights are already closing in. Now is the time to look forward and begin planning those festive celebrations for the company Christmas party.
As a corporate event specialist, we know that planning a Christmas party or event is often a daunting task: time consuming and stressful even for the well organised. There is a lot that can go wrong, so, here are 6 key tips to think about to set you in the right direction.
1. Set Your Budget
As with organising any event, the first thing you will need to do is set yourself a clear and sensible budget to work within, then decide what areas are most important for spending that budget.
Is it the venue, the fancy food or the entertainment, maybe even a free bar? Deciding this early in the process will help to manage expectations and make sure you that you get the best value for your money.
2. Who to invite?
You will need to decide who will be invited to your company Christmas party as this may affect everything else that you plan. It can be a tricky area as you will want to make sure you don’t forget or offend anybody.
Are you inviting the whole company? Should you invite partners along? Should you go as far as inviting children?
This will depend on the time and date your event is taking place, as well as the budget, of course. Importantly, your decision will also be influenced by how well you know your colleagues, what their expectations are, and who they may or may not appreciate being invited to their party.
Remember, whatever you decide you will want to get the invitations out as soon as possible. After all December is a busy month for everybody, and diaries fill up quickly.
3. Date & Time?
Most companies will opt for an event in the second or third week of December, on a Friday or Saturday. But will these dates suit everybody? Does your event need to be an evening party, or could you host a Christmas Lunch during the day? It’s worth knowing that Christmas Events are usually in full swing from mid-end of November with some venues even offering dates into the New Year, so there is more flexibility on dates than you might initially think.
The key will be to find a date and time that will achieve maximum attendance for your party.
4. Where?
Do not underestimate the importance of the venue and location for your Christmas Party. When making your choice, perhaps think back to the last time your company was all together outside the office. Did the venue go down well? What did you learn for choosing future venues? Venues can offer everything from a blank canvas to a full event package so choosing the right one for your company is critical.
Do you want somewhere local, so people have a quick ride home or somewhere that offers accommodation? Is it convenience or a picturesque setting that will help decide the venue?
If you are struggling to find the right venue, please do get in touch as we have knowledge both local and nationally and even offer a free venue finding service. Once again, the sooner you make your mind up, the more likely you are to get the venue you want.
5. Theme & Entertainment
The biggest question you will hear in the build up to the party will be… What do I wear?
If you have a theme, that will help people make their minds up straight away, as well as generating some fun and excitement. From formal to smart casual and all the fancy themes in between, making sure you have a theme set as early as possible will help your guests plan and prepare accordingly.
Once you have a theme you can plan your entertainment. Other than the alcohol what will get people going? A DJ? A Band? Or even a Quiz? Why not check out our Evening Entertainment range for inspiration?
6. Food & Drink
Whilst everyone loves a good Christmas dinner – roast Turkey with all the trimmings – do they love 4 or 5 of them? By the time Christmas Day arrives that is usually how many people have had, which is too much of a good thing.
Ask yourself if people want a choice of something different and whether they looking for something fancy or simple? Do you have dietary requirements to consider? And is sitting down for the formal meal the best thing or is a buffet more sociable?
Drink is often the one thing on everybody’s mind come the Christmas party, but should you provide all the drinks? Should you provide any at all? Again, this depends on the budget and the type of evening you are looking to deliver.
If you just want to offer everyone a couple of festive drinks, and not have people take advantage, then tokens are always a good option.
Talk to us About Your Company Christmas Party
For more information on how to organise that perfect company Christmas party, or to have someone take the stress off your hands, please contact the team at Bright Vision Events or call us on 01295 770933 for a free initial chat. Our event specialists can help guide you along the way, from simply helping you find the right venue to planning the whole event for you as well as managing it on the day.