How to plan the a successful Company Christmas Party

Planning stage 5 basic areas to cover:

1. Timing
Plan ahead, key dates will fill quickly. Do employees have work the following day?

2. Venue
Popular venues will be fully booked months ahead. Tourist attractions are fantastic locations often catering for Christmas parties.

3. Food
Tradition Christmas fare is great, but add a twist by trying different cuisines or substitute the dessert for a Chocolate fountain! Check with the staff to highlight special dietary needs including vegetarians, food intolerances and cultural/religious prohibitions. Speak to the caterers to include dishes to reflect these needs.

4. Transport
Consider providing transport especially if the venue is not close alternatively provide accommodation if the budget allows.

5. Entertainment
Often overlooked, there is an alternative to disco/dancing! e.g. Fun casino, surf simulators, circus acts, magicians, comedians or simply catching a show.

Hot tips to make your Christmas party go with a bang:

1. Theme your Party - Fancy dress, James Bond, cowboys and Indians, super heroes or Hawaiian to name but a few. A fantastic way to get everybody in the mood for partying!

2. Allow time off - Consider an early finish or opening later the day after the party. Staff will really appreciate time to get ready or to recover!

3. Secret Santa - A surprise gift for everyone. This can be done by drawing names and providing an anonymous gift. You can make this as humorous or naughty as you like!

4. Offer prizes - Prizes for best fancy dress, running a competition or simply offering a raffle will create interest and ensure employees feel valued.

5. Drinks vouchers - A free bar can be expensive and not everybody enjoys wine. A voucher system is a great way to reward your staff whilst benefiting from choosing their own drinks.

6. Awards - To break the evening up have a mini award ceremony for example, top silly things people have done throughout the year or top sales person of the year.

Russell Lee from Funtasia Entertainment says, ìThe key is to give employees something to remember the occasion, give your event a real wow factor. This will not only show your company in a positive light but guarantee the talking point for many years too come. The recipe for success has three key elements; a) involve everybody - joining in will give a real sense of occasion, b) company commitments - values and rewards its staff, c) enjoyable and entertaining - for some companies this is the only social gathering they have all year, make it a party to remember. Make sure your party has the right ingredients!