It’ll be holiday season before you know it, which means it’s never too early to start thinking about the corporate holiday party. Whether you’re planning it solo or with a team, don’t wait until the last minute to put it together. Here’s why you should start planning your corporate holiday party now.
Setting the Date
A big factor to the overall success of the party is the date. Corporate holiday parties have a short season, so you want to nail down a date now to be able to move on to other aspects of the party. Red-hot dates are tough to confirm. To ensure you get the venue and caterer lined up you want, decide on a date now.
Certain dates are more popular than others. If you pick a popular night, such as Saturday, you’ll be facing fierce competition with other companies and groups. Confirm the date early to give your team the time to explore back up options as necessary. Remember, it’s never too early to book!
Securing a Venue
Venues book up fast, especially when you’re not the only one looking for a place for your corporate holiday party. You’re competing with other businesses that might be looking at the same venue. Keep that date in mind when hunting for an event space. Booking too late lowers the chance of the venue’s availability, and you’ll end up scrambling to find a new location.
Wide ranges of event venues are available, from restaurants and lounges to halls and hotels. Remember that location for our guests also factors in. The venue will no doubt tie into the party theme, and to ensure you get what you want, start looking into party spaces now. Perhaps you want a venue with its own unique features to really impress guests. If so, it’s pertinent to book early. Popular places and the season’s hottest spaces will go fast, so the sooner you can start scouting the better.
Choosing the Theme
The overall vibe and ambience is important to ensuring guests have a good time, and it helps up the “wow” factor of the corporate holiday party. Deciding on a theme is the fun, creative part of the planning process that sets the stage for the rest of the event.
Themes make events memorable and unique. Incorporate it into the event space, room decorations—even the menu. Maybe certain lighting and AV features are necessary to bring your vision to life. The earlier you decide on a theme, the sooner you can start lining up booking parties and confirming how each party detail fits.
The Entertainment of Your Choice
If entertainment is a must-have for the party, you’ll want to look now before the good acts are booked. Standard acts such as DJs, bands, and comedians don’t require too much additional equipment. Something out of the ordinary, however, needs extra research. If you choose an out-of-the-box entertainment option, this could require additional planning in order to set them up within the venue.
Popular options go fast, and you don’t want to be stuck with a lackluster choice because you investigated too late. Entertainment at a corporate holiday party gets people talking and makes the event memorable. Don’t save this option for the end, especially when everyone else is also exploring performance options.
The Tiny Details
After the main pieces are booked, the rest of the details add up quickly. Deciding on a caterer and menu, picking decorations, and sending invitations sound like small tasks, but in reality, they take time.
Is the guest list made up of employees only or are spouses invited? Are the invitations going by mail or email blast? Will taxi chits be available for employees with a longer commute? Think about these pieces now to ensure everything is covered in time.
Planning a function is a big undertaking. Don’t underestimate each step, and give yourself enough time to plan a corporate holiday party all employees will enjoy.
