It's that time of year where businesses everywhere are organising their Christmas parties. It can be easy to fall into a similar pattern every year, renting out the same places, with similar meals - it can be easy for the event to lack grandeur or allure, and really excite your staff. If you see your Christmas party as more of an event and want to go that extra mile in terms of making the night one to remember, there are some things that you should consider.
A One-Off Location
There are some factors that, no matter the venue, you must make sure you cover. Accessibility is critical, not just so that your guests can travel there easily, but anyone with mobility issues can easily access the event. If you're thinking about taking your event further out of the way, think about providing directions. If you wanted the event to have a real feeling of importance - you could even consider a mobile app, which would give users maps for access, and internal maps to help them navigate their way around the venue. Consider parking and parking capacity too.
Capacity, especially if your event is going to be on-scale, is a consideration. You will need to know room capacity as well as event space capacity to ensure your guests can easily make their way around the event, without feeling claustrophobic. As well as this, there are fire and safety regulations of which you should be aware.
Amenities, especially the kitchen and dining options, will be something to look for. A Christmas corporate event would not simply not be right without a feast, so the kitchen must be able to handle your expectations. If you do not hand-select your catering, we would advise seeing the menu and tasting their food first; but we will cover that further in the next section.
Ambience. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of a venue in our minds. The venue interior decoration, and the style of the exterior, must reflect the aesthetic you are aiming for. Suffice to say you would not choose a grand manor if you wanted an intimate corporate Christmas event. The way we like to think of it is that, if your venue does not reflect the ambience of the event - you will have to do more decorating and covering up to make up for it.
An Exceptional Menu
As we mentioned above, it would not be a Christmas event without delectable food and drink. Christmas is the time for decadence and whether or not you feel your guests expect it, giving them something above and beyond for their food choices will get them excited.
Whether you want the meat to be front and centre of your menu, or you might want to promote vegetarian or vegan options. Whatever your hopes are for your menu, the earlier you organise the food, the better it is likely to be. Throwing new spins on traditional classics always works well - so why not find a chef who is more experimental in their festive cooking? One thing guests always remember about events they have attended is the quality of food - so it is something to focus on getting right.
Music and Entertainment
We feel that matching your music choice to your event and venue is something every organiser should aspire to, but it is not always the case. Christmas brings with it a flurry of songs that some may have strong opinions on - it might be worth finding out what style of music guests expect or would like (there are plenty of quick survey sights that would allow you to send a survey around).
The music and entertainment can be another make or break moment for the evening for guests. It could be a space where you consider live options: bands and musicians, comedians, a dance troupe or perhaps a magician. Like the venue, the entertainment should fit the feel of the event, the better you know your guests - the more likely you can provide fitting entertainment. But again, we will mention the tone of the event is important; you should not be hiring loud performers to an intimate event. The more you consider the environment which you want your attendees to experience - the better.
Make Going Home Easy
When the night comes to an end, getting home should be made easy. There is no simpler to do this than organising accommodation for them - perhaps it could come with the venue choice. If this is not possible, think of organising transport, such as buses with drop-off points or a series of taxis that you have pre-booked. Transport will undoubtedly be busy around the Christmas period so ensure that you book in advance.
Events To Remember
Making your event perfect is what we aspire to. If you are looking for any help with organising your Christmas corporate event, then The White Label is here to help. From bespoke event design and management to delectable menus, we can help you will it all.