How to host a Office Christmas Party
Amidst the busyness and seriousness of the financial year, booking the Christmas office party can seem trivial. However for many colleagues, the office party is the big event of the year.
Office Christmas parties can be large events with over 200 people attending. The venue, entertainment, and refreshments need to be carefully selected, appealing to the majority of staff, as well as the bosses.
Whether you office party is for 20 people or 200 people, Insure Our Event will have the liability insurance available for you. Party insurance from Insure Our Event can include cancellation insurance, ideal if the suppliers fail on you or the performers fail to show up. Save yourself thousands of pounds by purchasing insurance before planning your event.
Here are the 10 essential tips to check off before throwing an office Christmas party
Essential check list for planning an Office Christmas Party
1. Get the budget
The budget will dictate the extravagance of your office Christmas party. Some large expenses to look out for are: The venue – Venue hire can be very expenses depending on where and when. The Drinks – providing alcohol on tables, or wanting an open bar, drinks can quickly become the greatest expense.
Your boss will thank you for staying within the budget, so don’t go too hard too soon. A great many venues can be improved with thoughtful decorations. Make sure you have a spreadsheet updated with every purchase – this will also help during the insurance process.
2. Theming
Will your office Christmas party have a strong theme? For some, the theme of Christmas isn’t enough. A strong theme can also make the event feel extra special. A theme doesn’t mean fancy dress or over-the-top decorations, but it’s strength of feeling that everyone can unite behind.
Some good themes include: Bond Theme – tuxedos and casino tables and fancy cocktails. Black Tie Theme – Champagne bottles, suits and dresses. Traditional Christmas theme – red Santa presents, Christmas tree, elf shoes and reindeers. Modern Rock theme – relaxed outgoing clothes, live band, craft ale and beer on tap. Disco theme – 80s wear, funky music, dancefloor and traditional rum cocktails.
Coordinate the venue and decorations and invitations to your theme for a successful event.
3. Set the date
Have a date in mind when choosing a venue, Christmas parties want to be close to the end of December, preferably before Christmas day, however this may be dictated by the availability of your colleagues and business sector. Consider a Christmas party earlier into December, venue availability will be better and cheaper, and it shouldn’t affect the often busier Christmas season.
4. Choose your venue
Venue choice is critical to the success of your office Christmas party. Many businesses choose to utilise their offices for the event space, in which case there should be no extra cost, yet additional insurance may well be required.
If there is a location that works best for your party, considering location size and cost as well as the theme, then contact them. Many venue owners will be happy to accommodate a large party of people guaranteed to attend.
Venue owners will ask you to provide proof of liability insurance upon booking, and the fastest and most affordable quotation platform for event insurance is Insure Our Event.
5. Tasty Food
Consider how you would like to distribute food at the party. A sit-down feast, canapes, a buffet, a pizza party – choose the option that best suits the theme and occasion. Consult catering companies to get the best deal and for assistance in planning the party.
A great start would be to record the dietary requirements of your staff, which can help inform you decision and be provided to the catering company.
Food poisoning or dietary incidents are some of the most claimed events which trigger insurance policies at an event. Ensure you have adequate insurance in place to cover your finances.
6. Drink Options
A good drink selection is essential. Drinks need to cater to the theme and time, as well as your colleague’s preferences. A mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options is essential, especially if colleagues are predicted to drive to the venue.
Build a cocktail menu and source the ingredients yourself. Wherever your event is taking place, you’ll thank yourself by prepping the drinks. This will help save some money on the budget and also work toward the theme.
Many office Christmas parties operate with a choice of drinks, utilising drinks tokens. Otherwise you can put a tab behind the bar and let your staff have their fun. We would advise against a completely teetotal party, as alcohol will help staff loosen up, converse dance and have fun – it is also widely expected.
7. Entertainment
Good atmosphere requires great entertainment. Take your pick: a DJ, live band, comedian, artist, magician or dance act – they can be the main focal point or an additional extra, but will quickly be appreciated over the course of the evening.
For music, you’ll want it to be accessible to all ages, and also fit the theme of the event. Create a jolly Christmas playlist, considering the time of year. Entertainers will need their own liability insurance in place, and event organiser should purchase additional cancellation insurance to recover the deposits of entertainers in case they don’t show up on the day.
8. Invitations
One of the most creative and fun areas to explore when planning an office Christmas party is the invitations. These could either be digital or physical, involving a desk drop one morning. Or they could be sent in the post to your colleagues’ addresses. Make sure your invitation fits the theme, and include key information. Start time of the event, end time, what to expect, what to wear, and what to bring should all be explained in a short invitation. Consider including theme and entertainers unless you want it to be a surprise.
Participants will want to know the drinks and food options on offer, so reassure them that that has been taken care of. Make the invitation bold and bright and help build excitement for the big day.
9. Transport
Not all colleagues have access to their own transportation, and venues may be difficult to reach via public transport. Venues in city centres should be no bother, but venues further out may require more organisation. Shuttle buses from the office to the venue could be viable, if the event takes place after work.
If you plan to host your event at your office, the only issue should be handling remote workers and also ensuring people do not drive the office and drink. Try to manage transportation by organising shuttle buses to city centres, or even private taxis – covering taxi fares. You do not want to have your office Christmas party hamstrung by poor transport links.
10. Insurance
Insurance for an office Christmas Party is one of the most overlooked purchases, and can very quickly transpire into a costly claim. Offices planning to host parties afterhours will need extra insurance, falls and injuries while the building is at a higher capacity and outside of work hours, and on special occasions, may not be covered. Food poisoning, slips trips and falls, thefts and fires – public liability insurance for an office Christmas party is crucial.
Deposits for caterers, musicians, photographers and entertainers can be expensive. And yet if they don’t show up on the day, your business could be out of pocket. Cancellation insurance protects against fraudulent or negligent event services and help recover the funds you’ve lost. Legal fees, compensations fees and deposits are all includes in Insure Our Event’s cancellation insurance.
The cost of event insurance for a Christmas party of 200 people should be no more than £35 with Insure Our Event. This includes cancellation insurance and public liability insurance to ensure all eventualities are covered.
