10 Top tips for the perfect Christmas Party!
- alyspeart
- Aug 4, 2019
- 5 min read
It is only August and I already know how many days it is until Christmas (143 days BTW), but you may not be like me and you may hate the idea of Christmas, let alone the Christmas Party! If that sounds like you, then fear not; I have pulled together a list that will help you plan a Christmas Party everyone will remember. And not because someone behaved badly, but because you executed a fabulous event and didn’t lose your mind whilst doing it!
It is never too early to start planning, therefore don’t leave it too late otherwise you might miss out on the party venue of the year!
1. SET THE DATE! This may seem like an obvious one, but so many people forget to do this first! I would highly recommend a planning tool, like Doodle, which allows you to send a calendar to a number of people, allowing them to pick a number of dates they're available. The results are collated automatically allowing you to work out the best date for everyone! https://doodle.com
Once a date has been decided I would then send everyone a save the date, with invites to follow. That way the date is held in their diary.
2. MO MONEY MO PROBLEMS! Well this isn’t the case, but with every event, you need to decide on how much money you want to spend. I would suggest setting a budget per person, that way you can keep a track easily of your overall spend.
3. LETS PARTY! You have your date, you know how much you want to spend, so next is the venue, right? Wrong. You need to decide what kind of party you want to host.
Here are some questions to ask:
Daytime or evening?
Will it be a sit down dinner?
Will it just be a standing reception?
Did you want something private, or shared?
There are a number of options available to you:
o Bespoke - you can organise a bespoke party – where you do everything from scratch, venue, catering, the lot. You will need to bring everything together to bring this event to life. This will however, take a lot of hours to pull off successfully!!
o Being creative – hiring out an area in a pub is a great idea, booking a table for dinner, or arranging a team activity.
o Package deals – there are a number of package deals on the market, where you buy tickets/tables to a venue that is turned into a winter wonderland and you share the experience with a few other hundred guests!
4. VENUE SEARCH!I Personally, I think this is the best part of any event. Finding and searching for a venue can be really fun, especially if you know what you are looking for. And even more so when you know where to find it! I would highly recommend getting in touch with a venue finding agency if you are struggling to find a suitable venue. They offer their services free of charge and should be very knowledgeable with the different venues in their area. You are often able to get better rates when booking through them as they tend to have great relationships with venues. I would suggest looking at some venue search engines as well.
5. STYLE BABY STYLE! Once you have your venue, now is the time to think about styling your event. This includes theming, table decorations, entertainment, and music. What you go for will all depend on your budget. I would suggest Pinterest as a starting point to create a board where you can collate your ideas. There are several companies out there that can help you decorate and theme your venue. If you are looking for entertainment ideas, firstly speak to your venue to see if they have a preferred supplier list.
I have included some further ideas about what you can include!
6. EATING IS CHEATING! The one mistake we have all made, or we know that someone has made, is not eating at the work Christmas party! We have all heard the horror stories. The type of party you decide on will dictate what kind of food you order. If you are doing a sit down dinner, you will get a 3 course package and that potentially includes canapes. TOP TIP! If your budget can’t stretch to canapes, speak to the venue/catering company and see if they can switch this out with nuts, olives or vegetable crisps and have them either passed around with welcome drinks or have them scattered around the bar/welcome area!
If you are just offering canapes, I would suggest you order at least 6-8 per person and make sure some of them are carb based! No one wants the worst happening.
When it comes to booze, I would suggest using a drinks calculator! Most will suggest half a bottle per head.
Another TOP TIP! Always ask if you can do a menu tasting if you are doing a full sit down dinner. Some venues will include this free of charge but others will charge a small rate. Always ask for this, then you know what you are getting!
OH and don’t forget to collate dietary requirements and share them with the venue.
7. CINDERELLA IS INVITED TO THE BALL! So you have everything in place, you now need to get your invites out. I would suggest that you use an online RSVP tool; calendar invites can look a bit naff and not that easy to work out who is and isn’t coming. And there is no way to collate dietary requirements.
If you have an in-house designer, I would have them create a design for you, or you can find plenty of free images online. Alternatively, you can ask the venue if they have some images you can use.
A few suggestions for online RSVP tools:
8. IT IS ALL IN THE DETAIL! You will need to confirm all your details with your chosen venue and suppliers. Below is a check list of who and what you need to confirm.
VENUE/CATERING: Numbers, timings (include flow of the evening), menu choice, drinks choice, dietary requirements, and AV requirements. You may also need to think about seating plans and name cards. Lots of venues offer this service for you!
SUPPLIERS: Photographer/Entertainment/Catering/Transport. You will need to confirm timings and locations with all of the above. Create a spreadsheet with your timings and flow on to share with everyone.
ATTENDEES: Sending out a final confirmation of details is always a nice touch. This should confirm the location, timings and dress code. TOP TIP! Be very clear on dress code; Smart Casual means different things to different people. If you want them to wear trainers, then say so!
9. BRIEFING IS KEY! Having an event brief with your venue is always a great idea. I would still suggest, regardless of how many people you have coming to your party, arriving before your guests. This allows you to run through timings and set up with the venue/catering company. There is nothing worse than everyone drinking champagne whilst you run around putting name cards down! Trust me!
10. SIT BACK AND ENJOY! There is nothing like the feeling at the start of the event when all your hard work has come together. Now is the time to sit back and enjoy! Tag me in your Christmas Party Planning Process #elfalys
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