Organising the Perfect Office Christmas Party
20/09/2006

It's fast approaching the end of September and the excuses are rapidly running out. Like it or not, it's well past time to start organising the office Christmas party. After all, snatched conversations between colleagues about the perfect outfit for the evening have already begun building to their Christmas crescendo, and leaving the planning any longer may result in the wholly undesirable situation of the last remaining venue option being the local chippy. Party planners should fret no more however, as help is at hand.

Ivor Smith, of Fifth Dimension, the inventive and energetic corporate communications and entertainment company, has ten years' experience in corporate entertainment. "It's a common worry at this time of year, that organising a Christmas knees-up as good if not better than last year's, will be nigh on impossible," says Ivor. "Party organisers often want to make the event better than other corporate events throughout the year and be sure that it is a night to remember for all staff.

"The difficulty with making the night memorable is that expectations of such events have gradually risen over the years, which means that thinking creatively, within a given budget, can be all the more challenging."

Ivor outlines some of the basics that event organisers should bear in mind before setting out on the great journey of planning a Christmas party to remember.

Budget
Although the style of your party depends on the budget, the amount of fun everyone has doesn't have to! Good nights out can be enjoyed in a number of venues, whether it be a festive meal at a local restaurant or an intimate soiree at the office.

Setting a date
Depending on the number of people likely to attend, it may be possible to ask around in terms of availability. For bigger bashes however, an executive decision on dates has to be made, and communicated to people in plenty of time, so that the chances of a high attendance are better. It's helpful to note that as most people prefer Christmas parties closer to Christmas rather than in early December, dates from the 15th December onwards go quickly, so it's wise to get booking early!

Booking a Venue
After the date and rough number of attendees is established, you can book a venue. Be careful to choose somewhere that suits the number of guests attending; while it may seem like a good idea to hire out a whole restaurant, the atmosphere will leave a lot to be desired if you only have 15 people on the night. Considering a local venue might be an idea if many of your work colleagues live in opposite directions to each other, thus helping to ensure that as many as possible will attend.

Invitations
Larger events warrant a more formal invitation, with all the relevant information, and don't forget to include an RSVP which will make your life a hundred times easier when it comes to finalising numbers with the venue. For smaller events, an email invite or diary note may be more appropriate, or you may want to put more effort into personalising the invitations, with glitter, confetti and all the trimmings!

Entertainment
Entertaining guests beyond providing them with free food and wine is integral to the success of the party, and therefore worth some extra thought. For sufficiently large groups, you may want to go with the traditional option of booking a band and a DJ, but there are other, more unusual options out there that may serve to make the party more memorable for your guests. Booking a magician is a great way to inject some fun as well as an air of mystery into the evening, and there are a number of magician styles to choose from. 'Close up' or 'strolling' magic works well for any size of audience, and is ideal for interaction with the guests. It generally involves a magician going from table to table performing sleight of hand tricks using playing cards, coins and other small objects. Cabaret Magic can also work at corporate events and is usually performed on a small stage, all supplemented with comedy, music and the customary audience participation. Or for a thought provoking experience, mind magic that involves mind reading and psychological experiments is a real talking point.

Catering
Key to getting the catering right is to first find out how many vegetarians, vegans or food allergy sufferers there are coming, so that you can order the correct amounts of food and drink accordingly. Catering is a must at parties but needn't cost an arm and a leg; platters of sausage rolls and seafood can often be delivered by local delicatessens and cafes are often happy to cater for office parties. Always ensure there are plenty of soft drink options available too, as some staff may be driving home.

Adding the Finishing Touch
The small things, such as little boxes of chocolates at each place setting, party poppers and streamers are often what make an event most memorable and create a lasting impression of a good night out, so it's worth taking time over them. Many companies opt for 'secret Santa', as a means of ensuring that everyone gets a Christmas present. The game works by asking each member of staff to pick a name from a hat, keep it secret, then buy a gift for that person at an agreed price and sticking it in the Santa sack on the night of the party. Seeing what a total stranger thought you might like can often prove very entertaining!

"All that remains is to relax, and enjoy the night yourself, after all the hard work involved in its preparation," says Ivor. "That and being careful not to over indulge; remember there are people there who you have to work with on Monday morning!"


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