With the holiday season fast approaching, your calendars are sure to start filling up fun festivities. Now is the perfect time to begin planning a company holiday party for your workplace as well. Begin planning early enough to stay organized and make this a party that will create an experience that will boost company morale but also increase employee satisfaction.

Start with the Basics

It may seem overwhelming planning a party, especially when it’s a company holiday one. For this reason, many people will decide to hire a professional event planner to help in this task but depending on the size of the party, it is still something that can be done individually or as a team with a few helping tips. The first step is setting your budget for the party so that you will not over plan and realize what has been chosen will not work with your funds. Next, gather a list of the basic information you will need such as how many people are coming. Is this even going to include all employees or just upper management? Other key questions are what dates are going to work best for the company group, location, and what type of event whether it is a casual or formal gathering. Every good party will need these core elements, but they do not all have to be written in stone but should be considered when choosing different options in relation.

Choosing a Date/ Time

There is no magic day that will work best for a company holiday party, but some will be better than others. People, in general, tend to be very busy during this time of year with other events and obligations that they may need to follow. Asking for employee preference will keep them feeling included and have a better turn out in guest size if the date works for the majority. Hosting a holiday party on a weekday during lunch hour or after work could work however keeping in mind normal work hours is needed. Most holiday company parties are preferred to occur on a Friday night after the workday is completed. A possible option of allowing your employees to leave a little early to get ready even more excited to attend. Choosing a Friday night however will come at a higher cost since this is the most popular option.

Food and Drinks

When selecting the menu options for your company holiday party, several options should be considered to make this party a success. Deciding on a plated meal option will be more cost-effective and can be presented more elegantly than having everyone stand in line at a buffet style. Talk with your caterer or event planner about your budget and look for food options that are suited well for the season since a caterer will have likely experience with serving food for holiday parties. Menu choices can also be chosen is a specific theme is set for the party, so it is not required to rent expensive holiday décor and materials.

Drinks selected for the party can be just as important as the food menu. The holidays are filled with lots of different holiday options such as eggnog, hot chocolate and more. If choosing to provide alcohol, it is best to set limitations on how much guests can consume for a variety of reasons such as budget, to avoid embarrassing holiday party stories and to also guarantee everyone’s safety when departing. Creative ways to minimize alcohol during a party is to offer only signature drinks, having only wine or beer, closing a bar time frame early or only available during dinner. 

Event Planning DC provides full event planning, partial event planning, wedding planning, month-of (day-of) event coordination, event styling/design and decorating services throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with access to local and national vendors who may provide additional services suitable for your event and budget.  We pride ourselves on providing only the highest-quality event coordination, giving you and your guests the perfect day, no matter what the occasion including exclusive corporate and non-profit eventsweddingsBar & Bat Mitzvahs, community events and milestone celebrations.  More information can be found online at https://www.eventplanningdc.com.