Top tips for planning a great Christmas party in Oxford

1. Pencil in a date – December is often a very busy month for people so make sure you get a date pencilled in well in advance. You can send around a couple of date options and get people to let you know which one suits best. You won’t get everyone there but go with what works for the vast majority. Thursday’s and Friday’s generally tend to be more popular nights but there is often more availability at venues earlier on in the week. If you are planning well in advance, then it’s a good idea to send a ‘Save the date’ so it’s in diaries. You may also want to consider celebrating in January when things are less hectic and many venues have more availability.

2. Find out worked well and what people like – let’s face it you’ll never please all of the people all of the time but you can find out what people like to see at the Christmas party. You could organise a simple questionnaire or chat to staff directly – what was their favourite part of previous year’s events, what would they like to see again, and what would they prefer not to be included? That way you can really tailor the event to match what people will enjoy.

3. Know your budget – start with the end in mind – how much money do you have to work with? Be sure to prioritise your spending according to what you know matters to your guests. Leave some contingency monies to one side for any unexpected costs that crop up and include any thank-you gifts within your budget.

4. Choose a great venue – after a year spent working in offices and meeting rooms, you’ll definitely want to lift spirits by getting out of the office and choosing a venue that has a ‘wow’ factor. Organise site visits to venues to get a feel for available options, begin to visualise the event and don’t be afraid to speak to the Venues team about what works well in their space. Remember you can provisionally book space in venues thereby giving you a bit of time before you need to make a decision. Make sure you know what is included in your hire costs and check if you need to theme the venue or it will be themed for you. If you have to organise accommodation then think about the logistics of how you’ll get people from the venue to their overnight accommodation – do you need to organise transport?

5. Plenty of good food & drinks – food is key to creating memorable experiences and sets the feel for an event. Christmas dinner is popular but there are plenty of other great alternatives to choose from so be sure to find out what’s on offer at the venue. Think about how you want the food to be served – would you prefer a buffet, family style service, seated dinner or live cooking experience? If you want a seated dinner then think about the table plan – will it be free seating or will you arrange who sits with whom? Will you have drinks and canapes on arrival or will it be straight into the dinner? Make sure you have taken into account any dietary requirements and that there are a range of tasty vegetarian options. Decide on how you want to supply drinks, do you pre-order or pay for what is consumed on the night. If you are concerned about spiralling costs then why not bring a cash bar into the venue?

On the night – pre-planning helps you to enjoy the event although be prepared that there may be issues you still have to sort out on the night. Have a copy of the itinerary with you and keep calm!

Contact us to book your Christmas party and view our Christmas party menu 2018.