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Planning the office Christmas party in London

Has it fallen to you to organise the office Christmas party? You have a big responsibility on your shoulders: you must balance the company’s budget, location and culture with the happiness and crowded Christmas schedules of the employees. It’s your job to make sure that the Christmas party makes everyone in the company feel valued for everything they have contributed this year, whether it’s with a fun theme, fancy food or plenty of drinks on the boss’s tab. The most important thing to remember is that your colleagues should not have to pay too much or try too hard for the party to be a success: although it’s a work function, they should be free to enjoy themselves and relax.

The date is the first thing to lock down, even if you haven’t yet settled on a venue or a budget. Send out an email and save that date as soon as possible; keep it sacred in everyone’s calendars. You may want to come up with a few options and ask the office which one they prefer. Consider your date carefully based on what kind of party you want to have. A big, boozy event is best held on a Friday to give everyone time to recover, but this means venue hire will be more costly; a small-scale dinner can be held mid-week to keep costs down, but may not be the best option for larger companies. Think about your company’s culture and how your colleagues would like to celebrate.

Corporate Parties

Next, get a budget estimate and begin planning! It’s important to know your budget before you start looking for a venue: there’s nothing worse than finding the best social events space London can offer at the Grand Ballroom at the Montcalm, and then getting the thumbs-down from Accounts. Try not to spend the entire budget – keep some aside for emergencies, such as the bar tab running out or last-minute catering problems. The bar tab, incidentally, should always be larger than you think it should! Ask around to find out how much was spent on previous Christmas parties to get an idea of the costs you should expect.

Your venue should either be located close to your office or have good transport links; a venue in the middle of nowhere will have your colleagues making excuses not to come, or worse, driving home plastered. It also needs to be big enough to accommodate the entire company. Consider whether people will be able to bring clients or partners as plus-ones, and the extra organisation this will involve: you will be relying on your colleagues to RSVP for their plus-ones, including letting you know about food preferences or allergies if you’ve asked for those details.

If you simply don’t have the time to plan, venues like the Grand Ballroom at the Montcalm can provide event planning services as part of a package. The planner will work with you to decide on food, drinks, themes and logistics, and then make sure that the venue team is ready to go when the big night arrives. Your insight into the company combined with their planning expertise is all you need for a well-planned party.

Finally, don’t forget that this party is a thank-you for you, too! Don’t try to plan it all on your own – that’s a recipe for spending the entire evening running the show with barely time to sip your champagne. Get a team together and delegate tasks so that each person can take care of one thing while still having time to enjoy themselves. Have fun and celebrate the result of a year of hard work – it’s time for all your planning to pay off!

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  • Company Name: London Premier Events Ltd.
  • Registered Office Address: 27 Devonshire Terrace, London W2 3DP.
  • Location in UK Of Company: 2, Wallenberg Place, London, W1H 7TN
  • Registration: England.
  • Company Registration 07407711.
  • Copyright © 2014 The Montcalm London
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