During the summer months, with the sun beating down outside your office window, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is your Christmas party. However, given that popular venues get booked up by the end of August, now’s an important time to start the planning process. By getting ahead of the competition, you can ensure your business has the best Christmas party ever. Given the fact that efficiency increases when workers have a high morale, making the right choice is really important. By rewarding your employees for all their hard work, you’ll also be investing in future productivity.
In order to help you select and plan your event, we’ve come up with some great ideas to help you pick the best party for your company and budget:
The Uber Cool Venue
Forget the traditional dinner and dance, if you’re looking for an uber cool venue for your Christmas party, why not combine live music, a DJ, cocktails and great food in a trendy bar or restaurant? Many have dedicated private bar areas for such events, making it feel more exclusive. Ideal for larger and smaller businesses alike, this choice is great if you’re looking for a massive party night! Other unusual venues include immersive dining experiences and comedy clubs, all of which can add an element of surprise to your night out.
The Shared Night Out
The shared party option is great if you’ve been delegated this task on top of your day job. All you’ll need to do is confirm numbers, make the booking and then select meal options. Everything else is already set up for you, alleviating the stress and burden on your workload. While this will limit the amount of personalisation, for the smaller business it’s an excellent option to ensure a great atmosphere. If you need accommodation, many larger hotels also offer shared party options. From discos to barn dances and live bands to tribute acts, there’s nothing better than a good old fashioned boogie to get everyone’s spirits up and celebrate the coming yuletide.
Glamorous Casino Night
If you can splash the cash on your event and want something glamorous, then look no further than a Casino theme. Venues can be tailored for an over the top Las Vegas night or the formal glamour of Monaco. This choice is really popular for businesses, as employees love the glitz and sparkle of such a prestigious event. Ideally combined with a formal meal, tables and croupiers can be hired from event planners and the night can be uniquely personalised, with bespoke money provided for the gambling tables – for example, embossed with the head of the Director – and prizes awarded for the big winners.
Team Building Events
If you’re a small business and are looking for a theme that will help with team building, why not consider booking an escape room, followed by a meal in a local restaurant? Trying to solve the clues in a themed escape room is not only great fun, but it’s also a great way to encourage teamwork. Although rooms typically only take 2-8 people, some companies will have identical rooms, meaning employees can race to the finish. Larger businesses can combine a meal with a game show quiz night, themed for a favourite TV show. If you want to go Hollywood, why not look at an Awards night, using the opportunity to give credit for specific achievements – as well as more fun, off the wall trophies?
Quirky Festival Theme
Festivals are big during the summer months, so if you have the budget, why not look at setting up a winter festival for your employees? Stilt walkers, fire eaters, a live music stage, fairground rides and even a silent disco can all be achieved if you find the right venue. Given that the weather may be an issue, you should find a large indoor venue such as a sports centre for this type of event. In terms of the theme, anything goes…from Woodstock to a Winter Wonderland. For this type of event, unless you have a dedicated events team, you’ll probably want to hire an event planner.
Hope these ideas help inspire you. Whether you’re a big or small company, with a modest or big
budget to spend, there are plenty of options out there for you.