Planning The Perfect Office Christmas Party! (5 Rules)
Planning an Office Christmas Party is no small task, specifically when you already have a full-time job to do. Many of our clients are often tasked with the daunting and somewhat anxiety-ridden feeling of planning ‘the perfect Christmas Party’ for their company with no clue where to begin!
There are often lots of elements to plan including the guestlist, food, venue, transport, theming and entertainment.
Prior to pulling your hair out, why not take a look at some of our Christmas Office Party Planning tips? They might make your own venture into Christmas Party Planning that bit less stressful!
With expert advice from Christmas Party Planners with years of experience, here are the five rules to planning the perfect Christmas Party.
Christmas Party Planning: 5 Key Rules
1) Budget
First things first, set the budget for your Christmas Party and do not be afraid to use it! Yes, you might gain brownie points when you present back to the bosses that you have planned an event for under the budget given but will it be the best it can be?
Perhaps not. By all means, do not go crazy. Most Event Agencies are of course creative, but the really good ones know how to be creative with budgets too.
Break your budget down into segments:
- Cost of the Venue (including food, drink and room hire)
- Cost of Christmas Entertainment and Interaction
- Cost of Christmas Venue Theming and Christmas Decorations
- Cost of AV & Production
- Cost of Christmas Party Invites and Print (don’t underestimate this)
- Cost of Transportation
- Cost of your Time
Now you have your budgets set to a degree, you can get started!
2) Be Brave With Theming!
Do not be afraid of ideas! The Event Theme is always the best place to start for the foundations of your event. The initial idea is where you start to build and plan from, so think big and work your way back from there.
I hate it when someone says ‘you can’t please everyone’. That’s rubbish – you can and you will!
As Christmas Party Planners we have created a large number of quirky and different Christmas Parties that have included themes such as:
…and more!
The possibilities are endless! Christmas Party Planning definitely doesn’t have to be a boring experience with bog standard theming.
3) Get Quirky With Your Christmas Party Venue
Do you have to go for the conventional venues such as the central hotels with large function rooms? If yes, then great! You have the luxury of choice – as long as you book in advance of course.
You ultimately have a plethora of brilliant venues to choose from for your Christmas Party, especially if you are in a major city.
These venues are great for many reasons – one of them being that they can cater to you specifically. Most venues will of course let you go in and get creative too, so this is also a bonus amongst other things such as:
- High-quality Christmas Event Catering
- Experienced Staff
- Preferred suppliers often work with venues and are chosen for their high standard
- Location and Accessibility
If the answer is no to needing a conventional venue, well then this is also great news! As Christmas Party Planners, we are often asked by clients to find them a venue which might be a blank canvas or something with a lot of character that they may not have considered before e.g Dock x London or Motel Studios.
This goes back to my point about being brave – do not rule anything out! Even the most unconvincing of potential Christmas party venues can be transformed into the most amazing spaces.
4) Entertain Your Guests
Entertainment can often make or break your event.
On the one hand, you want the entertainment you hire to be exceptional and create an unforgettable experience for your guests, but on the other hand that entertainment can’t break the bank!
When Christmas Party Planning, have a think about whether you would like Musicians to perform at your event or have Walkabout Performers entertaining around the venue. Once you have some ideas in mind then you can get started with making an entertainment list.
We have some amazing entertainment options on offer, including:
…and more!
It is extremely rare to find something such as an Event Band or Christmas Themed Entertainment that does not fit the theme of your Christmas Party. However, as expert Christmas Party Planners, if you’re struggling to find entertainment that will tick the boxes for your Event Theme then we can create Custom Concepts and Bespoke Productions just for you.
Just to let you know, entertainment doesn’t have to be the most expensive part of your Christmas Party but if done right, can be the most impactful!
5) The Experience
When Christmas Party Planning, you will often want to put yourself in your guests’ shoes and think about what the experience will be like for them. What will my guests see when they first get to the venue? How have I decorated the entrance and what are the first impressions? Everything down to the sights, sounds and even the smells of the event are important.
‘Immersive’ is often a word used in today’s events industry and there is a good reason for it! Having your guests participate in the event is a good way of making sure they are part of the experience and creates treasured memories for years to come.
As Christmas Party Planners, we have plenty of great ways to ensure that your Christmas Party is as immersive as can be! With our Event Technology Services, we can add modern solutions and technology to your event – perhaps you fancy jazzing up the yearly Christmas Quiz or want to let your guests leave their reviews on the wall? We have plenty of out-of-the-box solutions to add to your Christmas Party.
We hope that you feel a lot more inspired and comfortable with the idea of planning your own Christmas Party!
If you would like to learn more about any of the ideas or services we have discussed or would like some help with planning your Christmas Party, then get in contact with us today.
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