The summer may be fading into memory, but it’s fine, because Christmas is just around the corner. You might think it’s too early to think about a Christmas party. Yet here at BV, we’ve been the festive spirit for some time, having already planned seasonal activities for many of our clients.
So, who’s ready to party?
If you’re the fortunate one who gets to plan the company Christmas party (and you might not think you’re fortunate, but we do), don’t panic.
At BV, we’re here to help! Your Christmas party is a chance to celebrate everything you and your colleagues have achieved through the year. It’s a perfect opportunity to get creative with your theme, and you can do your bit for the planet, too.
Let’s get you started
Here are a few key things to consider to get you underway with planning the party of the year:
– Budget.
Without knowing how much you have to spend, you won’t know even know where to start. Are you looking at a cost per head? Is there a set budget aside that includes partners? Get the financials in place. Then the fun can begin.
– Finding the perfect venue.
With the budget confirmed, you can start the search for the ideal venue and setting for your party. Get searching NOW! We’ve already mentioned that availability is tight this year with the demand in Christmas parties set to be at its highest.
– Save the date.
Diaries will be filling up fast, and you’ll want as many of your colleagues to enjoy the festive celebrations, so it’s essential to get a ‘Save the Date’ out as soon as you have it.
Now for the finer detail
With the budget, venue and date confirmed, it’s time to start looking at the finer detail. What theme do you want your party to have? Are you going to have entertainment? Do you want to incorporate an awards ceremony to recognise special achievements from the year?
All these aspects will relate to your budget and how much you have to spend. But there are plenty of options to consider for all budget ranges. And even if you have a specific idea in mind, we can look at ways to make this work for you.
With so many Christmas party themes to choose from, it can be difficult to know which will be the most effective for winning those big-ticket corporate clients. The Christmas party theme you settle on is ultimately up to you, but you should consider who your audience is and what they would want to get from the event.
Stuck for a theme?
Choosing a theme that you think will work for large numbers can be tough. With so many options to consider, here are some of our favourites:
– Immersive experiences.
Great parties are all about experiencing new things that can take you away from the everyday. For really immersive experiences, you’ll need to go all out on the décor and add in some surprises that fit your theme. So once you’ve determined if you’re going classical or alternative, go big on the décor to bring everything to life.
If you want to create a whole new world within your event space, you can hire actors to add to the atmosphere and guide guests through any interactive surprise elements that form part of the evening.
– Go big or go home.
Do you want your event to follow the traditional 3-course meal and DJ concept, or is this your chance to go big?
Let’s face it, if there was ever a year to do something different, surely 2023 is the year! How big is big? Entertainment acts that surprise and delight, such as spoken word performers, silhouette artists, caricaturists, strongmen or fortune tellers, can be dotted throughout your venue.
Some performers could be interactive walkabout acts, while others could be ‘hidden’ in different spaces for guests to discover during the evening.
Whichever element you focus on, get the buy-in from DJs, dancers and magicians available as add-ons to wow guests.
– Nostalgia and traditional.
After tough times, many of us feel nostalgic about what we perceive as ‘better times’, so we expect to see traditional Christmas parties proving popular this year. Think silver and gold, red and green, candles and crackers, and spectacular Christmas trees. Put down those deconstructed cranberry tartlets; homemade mince pies are back on the menu.
It’s the most wonderful time of year, after all, and if it isn’t broken? Don’t fix it!
– Glamour.
Getting dressed up, with the anticipation of the evening ahead, is one that we can’t underestimate. So we expect many companies to want to go all out with their decorations and feasting this year so that those getting glammed up have the best place to go. The 2023 celebrations give people a chance to vent a pent-up desire to “go for it” with some wonderfully large-scale and spectacular events planned and plenty of opportunity to upgrade with extra sparkle on the dress code.
Think of it as Christmas with all the trimmings.
Can you make your event sustainable?
It’s worth noting that nearly one in three consumers claimed to have stopped purchasing certain brands or products because they had ethical or sustainability-related concerns about them (Source: Deloitte).
With that in mind, more and more businesses are considering their carbon footprint in events, and the Christmas party should be no different.
Here are four of our considerations to make your event more sustainable:
- Select a venue with an environmental policy
- Go plastic free (from straws to badges) and use smart tech & apps to reduce paper
- Choose a caterer who sources local food & drink
- What are the transport links like for the venue? Will people be driving or cold you limit carbon footprint by hiring a single form of transport?
Work with the venue and your suppliers on different green initiatives and ensure you share these credentials internally within your business as this will go to support your own green credentials.
So back to our original question… are you ready to party? If so, get in touch with the BV team today to start planning.
Want an expert to manage and book it all for you? Chat to us about your event brief so we can work with our partners to create your unmissable team Christmas Party.
Alternatively, why not use of free venue finding service below:
Bien Venue is a boutique creative agency that specialises in a free UK venue finding service. It’s not just workshops, training, conferences, or off-site meetings we can arrange and venue search for but also away days, residential training events, awards ceremonies, networking, roadshows, hybrid events, summer parties, Christmas celebrations, private dining, team building, incentives, employee engagement hampers, as well as virtual activities. We also offer accommodation booking platforms for both corporate bookers and event-specific allocations of bedrooms.
What does Event Management mean to us?
We see event management as any part of the planning process from conception to delivery. It’s not just the onsite event management we specialise in but also the pre-planning and logistics plus post-event. Our flexible approach means you can pick and choose which of our services you would like to use.