It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but organizing the annual Christmas office party can also be a bit of a pain if the responsibility falls on your shoulders. These get-togethers are a great way to celebrate all of the hard work that the teams within the company have been doing all year, as well as helping people get into the festive spirit. However, if you are dealing with a large group of people who all have different interests, creating a party that everyone will enjoy can be tough. So, if you are tasked with organizing the Christmas party for your office this year, use this quick guide to make your life a bit easier.
Keep It Simple
As mentioned above, it can be hard to give everybody what they want when it comes to a Christmas party, so rather than trying to cater to various tastes, it’s best to keep it simple. Food, drinks, music, and festive décor. A lot of venues will already have a set menu or general package for corporate Christmas parties, so it’s worth looking through your options and finding something that suits the budget out of these.
Book in Advance
It might feel like Christmas is still months away, which is true, but it is also one of the busiest times of the year for the hospitality industry. To avoid disappointment, you need to start planning your office party now and book things as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might struggle to hire any space at all or be stuck with awkward dates that people won’t want to do. Just make sure you check everyone’s dietary requirements so that you can let the venue/catering company know, and if there are people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility attending the party you must make sure that the venue is accessible.
Music and Entertainment
A generic Christmas playlist is usually what is put on at the office party, and this can sometimes be the easiest option, your venue might have its own on repeat as well. However, if you have a bigger budget to play with, why not step things up a notch? Consider hiring a live band or artist to perform at the party instead as this will be far more interesting and entertaining. Use websites like this one that show you bands for hire London to help you book the right performers. You could even arrange to play Christmas-themed party games as a way to keep people occupied as well.
Transport
Most people will likely organize transport to and from the party themselves, but it might be worth looking at hiring a minivan to pick people up and drop them off at home. This way, your employees don’t have to spend money on taxis or public transport, but more importantly, it will make sure that everyone gets home safe after the party. This is something to think about, especially if there is alcohol being served and people might be more vulnerable as a result.
The office Christmas party should be good fun, but if you want to make sure you’re pleasing as many people as possible and providing a safe space for employees to celebrate the festivities, use this quick guide to help you plan it.
