Free guide
Practical tips for the person organising the party. Read them here, and download the week-by-week checklist as a PDF to print.
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The resultOrganising the Christmas party usually falls to one person, on top of their actual job. Every year we work at company Christmas parties and see what makes the difference between an ordinary dinner and a party colleagues are still talking about in January.
Most of these things cost nothing. They just need thinking about in good time.
December is the busiest month for venues, musicians and photo booths, and Fridays get booked first. If you choose a date at the start of December, or hold a New Year party in January, you will have more choice.
Send colleagues a ‘Save the date’ invitation at least a month ahead, so they don’t make other plans.
A short survey with three questions saves a lot of grumbling. Ask which date suits them, whether they have any dietary requirements and whether they want to bring their partners.
People are keener to come to a party they had a say in.
When you know the amount per person, comparing quotes is easier. Split the budget into a few parts: venue and food, drinks, programme and entertainment, transport and gifts.
Set aside about a tenth for things that crop up at the last minute.
A theme turns an ordinary dinner into an event. Colleagues talk about it for weeks before the party and dress up specially.
Repeat the theme everywhere – in the invitation, the decorations and the photo frame.
How we do it. We design the frame on every one of our photos around your party’s theme.
The menu matters, but the venue decides how the evening goes. Check how many people it holds comfortably and whether there is room for dancing and for a photo booth area. Ask how late the party can go on and when the suppliers can get in to set up their equipment.
Think about how people will get home, too. If the venue is out of town, arrange a transfer or taxis in advance.
With a programme, every supplier knows when their moment comes. Here is an example:
Put the most important moments before 22:00, while everyone is still at the tables and listening. The managing director’s speech is best kept short. Five minutes is enough for a thank-you, two or three achievements of the year with the names of the colleagues behind them, and good wishes for the year ahead.
On the day of the party, the venue, the musicians, the photo booth and the caterers will all be looking for someone to ask. Make it one person with one phone. Send them the programme and every supplier’s phone number a week in advance.
If you will be welcoming the guests, make it someone else. That way you get to enjoy the party too.
At every party there are colleagues who stay on the sidelines. A photo booth area, a game or a raffle brings them together with people from other departments.
The photo booth area works especially well, because colleagues who have only e-mailed each other all year step into it together. And everyone joins in, even people who don’t like dancing.
How we do it. The LumiPoint and EventPoint booths can also create AI photos – for example, the whole department as a team of superheroes.
A printed photo with the company logo and the date of the party stays on a desk or the fridge for months. It is a more personal gift than yet another mug with a logo. When colleagues share the photos on social media, the company logo is seen outside the company too.
How we do it. We print every photo on the spot, with no limit on the number. The frame carries your logo and the Christmas theme, and you approve it before the party.
On the next working day, send a short thank-you e-mail with a link to the photos from the evening. That way the party lives on in conversations for a few more days. The photos become ready-made content for the intranet, the company’s LinkedIn page and job adverts.
Ask colleagues what they enjoyed, too. Their answers will help you next year.
How we do it. Guests get the photos on their phones right there, via a QR code. The online gallery stays up for 30 days, so it is easy to send it to everyone after the party.
Printable PDF
8 pages you can print and keep to hand.
December fills up fast. Send us the date, the city and the number of guests, and you will get a quote within 24 hours.
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