Deck the halls and get rocking around that Christmas Tree! It is the festive season after all, a traditional time to celebrate, bring peace and good will to all, and of course a good excuse for a great office party! But having to organise a great office party can be a total nightmare before Christmas.
If the thought of organising the office Christmas party leaves your blood running cold and gives you an abject fear of cold sausage rolls and people photocopying their nether regions, you are not on your own. There are a whole host of pitfalls to avoid, and if it’s your responsibility to organise, you could be left groaning in despair rather than full of festive cheer!
Want to know how to avoid the pitfalls and organise a great office party?
Read on!
Choose Your Venue
It makes good sense to get this organised well in advance of the party season. Many restaurants and hotels are advertising from as early as July, (I know, crazy right? But it helps you as the organiser immensely!). Get a selection of menus and prices and put it out to a democratic vote. This way you are not solely responsible if the location is an unmitigated disaster, but moreover, you are displaying the fact that you are an inclusive organisation and respect employee views and opinions.
Check the Calendar
Again, do this early and fix the date, making sure everyone has plenty of notice. Of course, it makes good sense to arrange the party just after pay day and not on the night before a big presentation or the accounts are due!
Pick a Theme
Naturally as it’s party season, you may want to just stick to a Christmas theme, or the venue may have their own party theme that you can go along with. However, if you want to make it a bit more diverse then why not come up with something a bit more original such as a desert island Castaway theme or The Movies for example?
Steer clear of anything that is going to provoke controversy though, remember this is the season of goodwill, and you don’t want any office feuds developing over the brussel sprouts! Anyone who has ever organised the office Christmas Party will know it isn’t always possible to keep everyone happy but organising a GREAT Christmas party means at least avoiding offending people.
Choose A Menu And Drinks
If it’s the traditional Christmas menu courtesy of the venue then you are kind of stuck with it, but usually everyone will get the opportunity to choose their meal. Start a spreadsheet in a central location,such as a Google Sheet, and allow everyone to write their own menu choice on so you aren’t having to follow people round with a pen and paper.
Alternatively, if you can choose your own food and beverages make sure you have a good selection of traditional fayre, coupled with vegetarian and / or vegan options that are clearly displayed. Don’t forget to think of anybody with allergies, and mark out ingredients such as nuts, celery and wheat. The food standards agency have loads of good advice and it’s worth researching a little if you are providing your own catering.
As for drinks, make sure there is a variety available, including non-alcoholic for the drivers and those who don’t drink!
Plan the Entertainment
Many venues have party nights with entertainment provided, usually in the form of a DJ or tribute band. Again, if this is left to you, get in there early as the best get booked up well in advance. There are loads of websites available to choose entertainment from, and you could tie it in with your theme such as a glam rock tribute act for a 70’s night, or a steel band for the desert island castaway idea.
Try Something New
If you still don’t like the idea of planning the office party, why not go for something totally different?
Organise a night out to the local comedy venue or book an open top bus for your nearest city tour. There are loads of options, but the key to any good event is planning and preparation and booking well in advance.
Don’t forget that people will have different budgets available too, so look out for 2 for 1 offers, or free places, then you can take the full cost of the event less the discounts and divide between the number of people attending so that everybody benefits from the concessions.
Something even more radical for your employees would be to go for a festive hike! Some offices are full of healthy exercise fans who take workplace wellbeing seriously, so what could be nicer than wrapping up warm and crunching through hill and dale on a frosty morning? The Workplace Wellbeing App will let you and your team track your steps and distance travelled so you can see how much fun you have had. It might be a good idea to make sure you are hiking to a pub or restaurant and lay on a spread to warm everyone up afterwards.
Contact Us
So if you would like to organise a great office party with a difference where there are no pitfalls and everybody can join in without fear of having one too many mince pies, then why not contact us here for more information, or call us on 0808 178 0748. One of our expert team will be delighted to chat to you.
We can offer some great reasons to celebrate and plan a party that’s fun, exciting and lasts well in to the New Year!
