So how do you make sure you plan the best holiday party? Well first off, you hire your event planner right away. This is a very busy season for planners and they get booked up very quickly, so make sure you contact one and secure their services immediately. A lot of offices don't have anyone assigned to planning their holiday party or simply don't have the time to do it, that is why we event planners are here, to take the pressure off you and let you just sit back and concentrate on your own work instead of worrying about all the details that go into planning a party.
1) Start early! I really can't stress that one enough. The longer you wait to get started, the less likely you are to get a proper venue or securing the proper suppliers, including your event planner.
2)Set a budget: This is another key element that should never be overlooked. It is crucial to have a budget set up beforehand, so that you know exactly what you (or your planner) has to work with. The budget can range immensely and will determine exactly what type of party you can plan. Some companies have a pre-set budget for holiday parties, others have no budget at all. If the latter is the case and you really want to throw a holiday party, the best way to do this is to build your own holiday fund which means that every employee contributes out of their own pocket to fund the party. I've actually had to do this in a previous job, and although at first employees were reticent about it...understandably, you don't want to have to pay for your own office party. But after a while, most of them came around because they just really wanted to have a party, let loose a little and celebrate with their colleagues. The advantage of having employees contribute to their party is that you can pretty much plan it the way you want, you don't have any of the restrictions that a lot of corporate parties tend to have.
3) Shop around: Make sure you get several different quotes from your suppliers, don't just take the first one that you found because you are pressed for time! You will see that prices really vary from one supplier to the next, so don't get swayed with just one because he seems to be cheaper than all the others. Do your research and make sure that you get quoted for everything you are asking for...watch out for those hidden fees! Those little extras can really boost your invoice total in the end, so always read the fine print.
4) Learn to negotiate: Once you've gotten your quotes, don't be shy to try and negotiate a better price. Whether it's the venue, the caterer, the DJ or the decorator, try negotiating with them and see if you can't get them to come down in price, or to add certain elements as extras without charging more for them. Many suppliers will gladly oblige; keep in mind, they want your business, so if throwing in an extra crab cake or extra curtains in there will secure your business, most suppliers are happy to do it.
5) Make it fun! This one is the last point, but certainly not the least important. I've been to several office parties in my day and i can tell you that they have not all been fun. some were extravagant and some were just down right boring. Those ones were usually the ones that ended very early and left me without any fond memories to speak of. When planning your budget, always to try to have some money set aside for games or activities. This always gets the party going and is sure to provide employees with a good memory of their holiday party.
So there you have it, my best advice to help you with your holiday party planning. If you haven't started planning your office party yet, get going now, stay on top of things, stay organized and most of all have fun! It is definitely a lot of work, but in the end you'll be able to reap the benefits of all your hard work and enjoy your party as well as having the satisfaction of knowing you helped your fellow employees decompress and have a great holiday season.
