What do you need to organise a company Christmas party?
Five things, in this order: a budget per head, a headcount range, two or three candidate dates in priority order, a decision on drinks (all-inclusive, package or cash bar), and a shortlist of two or three parties. Everything else — dietary requirements, table names, timings — follows automatically once you have booked and received the function sheet.
1. Before you look at a single venue
- Budget per head, ex VAT — and be clear whether it includes drinks. This one decision eliminates most of the market either way.
- Headcount range, not a number. 'Between 28 and 40' is a usable brief; '34' will change three times.
- Two or three candidate dates, ranked. The peak dates go first — see when to book.
- Who is paying for what — company covers the ticket and a drinks package? Ticket only? Decide now, communicate it later.
- Who signs off — and how long they take. This is usually the real bottleneck.
2. Choosing the party
- Check minimum numbers first. Wonder Nights cannot seat 13, 14 or 15 guests. The Imposters needs 15 or more. Eliminate on this before falling in love with a theme.
- Match the format to your team, not to your own taste. A room where half the people will not dance needs casino tables, dodgems or an arcade, not a bigger dancefloor.
- Check the finish time. Most are 12:30am or 1am. The Guilford Street venues end at midnight.
- Check transport home. A 1am finish and a mainline station that closed at 11:30pm is an expensive mistake.
- Price the drinks properly. See the drinks guide — the package usually has to be bought for everyone.
3. On booking
- Get the contract and deposit terms in writing, including the balance date and the cancellation terms.
- Send the save-the-date internally that week. December diaries fill faster than venues.
- Put the drinks arrangement in the invitation, in one plain sentence. This prevents the only complaint most organisers ever receive.
- Put the dress code in the invitation too, and do it six weeks out rather than two.
- Flag any pay-on-the-night extras — dodgems, photobooths — so guests bring a card.
4. Four weeks out
- Return the function sheet: final numbers, dietary requirements, table names.
- Collect dietary requirements with a form, not a reply-all email thread.
- Confirm arrival time and give guests the address, the nearest station and a map link.
- Nominate a point of contact for the night who is not you, so you can enjoy it.
- If anyone is staying over, book rooms now — several venues have bedrooms on site.
5. On the night
- Arrive fifteen minutes before doors and check the table layout and name cards.
- Know where the cloakroom is before thirty people ask you.
- Know the bar arrangement and when any included window ends.
- Know the last train times for your main commuter routes, and have a taxi app open.
- Have a plan for a guest who has had too much. Every venue has security and a medic; find them early.
Frequently asked questions
- How far in advance should I send the Christmas party invitation?
- As soon as it is confirmed, and no later than six weeks before. Include the date, venue, arrival time, dress code and — most importantly — what the company is and is not paying for at the bar.
- What's the most common mistake organisers make?
- Budgeting the ticket and forgetting that unlimited drinks packages have to be bought for every guest in the booking, not just the ones who want them. It is usually a £45–£55 + VAT per person surprise.