Blink, and the year has gone by already! It’s November, and before you know it, it’ll be time to start planning for the Christmas festivities – and that all important office Christmas party!
This is a collaborative post
You may have organised multiple office Christmas parties before, or this may just be your first time. Regardless, it can be challenging to keep things fresh and exciting for your colleagues. With all routine tasks on hand, planning an office Christmas party can be overwhelming. Moreover, getting things organised last-minute can be an additional challenge to deal with. But don’t worry, and don’t resort to a boring office party with basic catering and punch.
Here’s a detailed checklist for you to plan and nail the best last-minute office Christmas party.
Stay Calm
When you are short on time and need to plan your Christmas party, the first thing you should do is to remain calm. The secret is to find some time out of your schedule to dedicate to the party planning. Instead of worrying about the lack of time, concentrate on one task at a time, stay focused, and move forward.
Factor in the time you need to quickly organise the party. Understanding your team’s size is a smart way to go about this. For example, a few hours is enough to figure out the important aspects if you have 10-20 colleagues. However, if you have 50–100 colleagues, you might require more time and support. In any case, prioritise what needs to be organised first.
Set a Budget
The next step is to decide the budget for the last-minute Christmas party. There are plenty of factors that will affect your costs, so jot down the following details:
Guest List
The first step in creating a budget is figuring out how big your group is, as the overall costs vary with the group size. Send out invitations and check the availability of all those invited. Once RSVPs have been received and the details have been confirmed, proceed to determine the venue and location of the party.
Venue
Your budget decides the type of venue and location you select. Are you planning to rent the entire restaurant or just reserve a few tables at a nearby pub? Will you organise a more extensive event that requires travel, or will you keep it local? Do you want an off-beat corporate Christmas party that guarantees an adrenaline rush?
Even though you’re planning a last-minute event, make sure you meet the expectations of your team while staying in line with your budget.
Theme and Decor
A party with a theme is a guaranteed success. The excitement level doubles when a party has a theme for all guests to follow. For your last-minute party, ensure your theme is an easy one to follow up with a suitable dress code.
When deciding the theme and dress code, do consider the collective interests of your team. If nothing else, stick to the classic Christmas theme and encourage your employees to dress up in their best Christmas jumpers and ugly sweaters for the party.
When it comes to decor, get your creative juices flowing with innovative decorations based on your venue and theme of choice. For an indoor venue, the sky’s the limit when it comes to Christmas decor—from twinkling lights to an indoor plastic fantastic tree. In outdoor venues with lights and musical elements, you can place an order for pop-out banners to showcase your organisation’s brand and party theme, especially if you’re planning to invite your trade partners and clients.
Food and Beverages
An all-inclusive package that includes catering works best when planning a last-minute Christmas party. An all-inclusive catering deal helps you kill two birds with one stone by saving time and reducing your effort.
Entertainment
In addition to more conventional options like a live band or DJ, you can opt for something quirky and fun, such as dance performances or karaoke. If money is tight, Secret Santa can be your entertainment option.
Delegate Tasks
After determining the budget, delegate the party workload by assigning each of the ensuing duties to other team members. Managers and team leads should be able to handle some of the administrative tasks, such as booking a date and getting in touch with venues. If you have a smaller team, you can easily assign tasks like mailing invites or handling RSVPs to help speed up the party planning process.
Pick a Date
Now that the tasks have been assigned, you need to choose a date for the Christmas party. Since you’re planning last minute, your options might be limited, but do what works best for your colleagues. If there aren’t many options and the dates are extremely tight, you might want to squeeze the party in within a workday.
Book Your Christmas Party Venue
If some of your employees live far from the office, you might prefer to choose a central location. As an alternative, you can also choose to have a Christmas party at work to save money and time. If you’re going with an outdoor venue for the party, make sure you have a shortlist ready with the following important details:
- Price
- Terms and conditions
- Location
- Food, drinks, and/or entertainment that is included in the package
- Availability
- Size and capacity
- Arrival and departure times
Plan Festive Entertainment
If you are choosing a package event, the entertainment should be included. Going out to a restaurant for a casual dinner or to a local bar for drinks with the team requires more planning and scheduling. Here are a few entertainment suggestions to consider:
- Competitions: You can host the best Christmas jumpers or ugliest Christmas jumpers competition.
- Staff Awards: This is an easy and fun way to honour your team’s year-round efforts and raise spirits outside of the Christmas season.
- Festive Photo Booth: Get some festive props and set up a booth for everyone to take pictures.
Finalise the Menu
Depending on your budget, either order a variety of finger foods from the supermarket or opt for a catered Christmas dinner and drinks. Don’t forget to give advance notice to your venue host, restaurant, or events manager of any dietary restrictions or allergies that your colleagues may have.
Send out Invitations
Now that the majority of the planning is complete, it’s time to inform your colleagues and send out invitations to get everyone excited. The following crucial information should be included in a memo so that your team knows what to anticipate from the event:
- Date and start time of the Christmas party
- Location with the full address
- Food menu and what time it is expected to be served
- Entertainment and its approximate start time
- What time the party ends
- Any items that attendees need to carry
- RSVP deadline (if required)
To Sum Up
Be it one week or one month before the big day, planning an event is never easy. Planning and executing an event is stressful and time-consuming, but once done, it is twice as rewarding and enjoyable. This detailed guide will come to your rescue in navigating the daunting process of planning a last-minute office Christmas party.
Slip into both Santa and your team’s nice list by hosting the most fun last-minute Christmas party!
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