Planning a staff Christmas party

It’s coming up to that wonderful time of the year again and you can’t wait until all your gifts are wrapped so you can relax and enjoy your Christmas dinner, or if you choose not to celebrate Christmas, to just enjoy your free time. However, whether you celebrate the holiday or not, there is one thing SBMs can’t ever escape – the staff Christmas party.

The good news is that we’ve created a checklist that will guide you from start to finish, and help you remember all the tiny but important details.

Step 1: Start planning as soon as you can

Looking for a venue and booking it early is probably one of the most underrated (and ignored) pieces of advice when it comes to event planning.

Start looking at venues as soon as you can so that you can get the best space for your party. Leaving it too late means you’ll struggle to find anywhere as things will be booked up, and you may be stuck on what to do.

So, start planning your staff Christmas party as soon as you can. To keep track of all the planning, use our diaries to keep organised.

Step 2: Budget appropriately

We know for sure that money is the most important thing you need to make your Christmas party happen. As an SBM, this responsibility will fall on you. The budget will determine the size and the scale of your party and spending your money wisely will save you from disaster. So, the most logical first step is determining your budget before you even start thinking about the venue, decorations, entertainment and food. Once you know how much money has been allocated for the event, you can create a more detailed plan of how much you will spend on each aspect of the party.

Remember to allocate the budget according to what is most important to your school’s culture. It’s possible that you’ll need to choose between extensive food options and entertainment, or between an open bar and a live band. It is also important to keep a part of the budget as a reserve in case of an emergency or some last-minute rearrangements.

Step 3: Choose a date, or a few date options

A Christmas party should be held close to Christmas Day, or at least in December. Depending on the size of the team you are organising the party for, you can either create a poll with several potential dates or make the decision on your own. Always consider holding it on Thursdays or Fridays since they are the most appropriate days for a party.

It’s vital to send invitations out ahead of time to ensure a good turnout and ask for confirmation of attendance since this will help set the course for the ongoing planning process. Don’t forget to spread the word about the event too. Even if you don’t know all the party details at this point, it’s good to send “save the date” emails to all the staff in your school.

You can start considering whether you want a day or an evening event. This will determine the time you will book the venue. Next, you must consider the size of your staff and your budget and decide if the party will be staff only or staff and plus-ones. At this point in the planning process, you can also consider an all-inclusive Christmas party package, which would considerably ease your job as an organiser, since you would have an outside service taking care of the catering, entertainment and cleaning. This is especially recommended if you are planning a large-scale Christmas party.

However, if what you have in mind is more of a relaxed get-together with your staff, contemplate booking a table for a Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. Or why not book a shared Christmas party? It will not only save you money but also give your party the feel of a much bigger event.

Step 4: Find and book the right venue

Once you have a date or several in mind, you can start looking for a suitable location. There are many types of venues for you to choose from: bars, clubs, restaurants, studios, penthouses, function rooms, gardens, rooftops and many more.

The key thing to think about is how many of your staff are attending. This way you can gauge how big of a venue you will need.

Step 5: Choose the caterer, plus food & drink options

Once you have the place and the time, you need to think about the food and drinks. An external caterer is always an option; however, many venues offer in-house catering, which is usually the less expensive choice. You can just pick the menu and let the venue staff do its magic.

The next step really depends on your budget, you can have a several-course meal, a buffet or even finger food. Along with the invitation, you should ask your colleagues to indicate their dietary needs and maybe even vote on the drink of the night. Not many people know that this part is something they can be creative with! Ask for mulled wine, a Christmas punch or even eggnog if you’re brave! Again, depending on your budget, you can have either an open bar or maybe only the drink of the night and soft drinks for free and offer the rest for a lower price. Some venues even allow you to bring your own alcohol, which can really make a difference money-wise.

Write down a list of your attendees who will have special dietary needs. This will help you to plan your menu appropriately. In the case of specific serious allergies, consider not including the item in the food options at all, or fully inform the venue, the waiters and your school staff about any potential dangers.

Step 6: Make sure everyone gets to the party

Ensuring that everyone can get to and from the venue safely is one of the most important tasks. Depending on what time your event starts, you could expect a large group to be going there straight after work. The best solution for a smaller group of people would be to either order taxis or use ridesharing apps. For a big group, it could be a good investment to hire a private minibus or bus. Some people will opt to go home and change before the party and then drive or commute to the party, so make sure to look at the parking situation around the venue.

Step 7: Create an itinerary to keep everything on track

Putting together a full breakdown of the event is one of the secrets to a smooth-running event. An itinerary is one document that includes all the details about your party. Have it written down in your notes first to make sure you have included everything. It depends on your preference, but it is usually good to have digital as well as hard copies of it on hand. Make sure to include on the hard copy that if this document is found unattended, it should be handed either to the reception or the manager of the venue. Make sure to include your name and the date of the party under this statement. This is important because this file will contain some sensitive information that should not get into the hands of anyone not involved in the organising process.

An itinerary should include:

The programme of the event – start and end of the party, entertainment timing, names of speakers and time slots for their speeches;
Contact names – you and other organisers involved in the process, phone numbers and email addresses of all of them;
Suppliers – what are they supposed to deliver and what time, their names, phone numbers and email addresses;
Manager’s contact – this is important if the venue manager is heavily involved in the planning process.

Step 8: Update the invitations so everyone is up to date

Now that you have all the details sorted out, it’s time to get everyone up to date! Earlier you sent save-the-dates, and now you should create invitations with all the details. Why not get creative and make your own invites? You can add a personal touch to each teacher and staff member in your school. The invitation should include:

When – date & time
Where – the address
Dress code – business casual/black tie/costume
How to get there – arranged transportation & parking information.

This will ensure that everyone has clear instructions that they can refer back to as to where and what time to be there as well as what to wear and other details that are relevant to your particular party. You can also send out the event programme, but that is a purely subjective decision since you can also just print it and place it on all the tables at the party.

Step 9: Take care of the last-minute preparations, arrive early and enjoy the party

Clearly, it is important for the organiser to be early at the venue to decorate as well as to be present throughout the whole Christmas party, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with everyone else!

Make sure to keep the itinerary by your side throughout the whole party, even if it doesn’t really match the outfit. When you first arrive, make sure to introduce yourself to everyone involved in the process and let them know to approach you if something doesn’t go according to plan. If you are managing a team of people, it might be useful to go through the event programme one last time and repeat who has what responsibilities.

Planning a staff Christmas staff party can be stressful and you may get bogged down with all the little details. So, make sure you plan ahead and get as much help as possible.

And remember, HAVE FUN!

Planning a staff Christmas party