Yes, we did just ask that question in September.
You might think it’s blasphemous to talk about Christmas so early, before the Halloween decorations have even gone up, but at Your Admin Hub we’ve been in the Christmas spirit for quite a while now. The festive season will be upon us before we know it, which means there are a lot of things to organise and admin to do. Our speciality!
To make sure you can enjoy a stress-free end of the year, it’s best to get planning now, and a good place to start is with your Christmas party. To help you out, here are some of the things you need to think about and get nailed down early.
Venue
Believe it or not, venues for Christmas parties are already starting to book up, and we know a few who even have certain dates in December sold out! If you want to grab your favourite venue, then you need to get a date nailed down and book it in fairly early on. That way you can get the ‘pick of the litter’ from all of the suitable venues, rather than scrabbling to find somewhere that can hold your party at the last minute. After all, that just leads to a lot of stress and often more money than you’d planned to spend. This generally goes for all suppliers of festive services – the earlier you can book in, the better.
Budget
We all know how costly an office Christmas party can be, so whether you’re a large or small company wanting to treat your employees to a lavish work Christmas party this year, it’s a good idea to start budgeting for the costs of venues, suppliers and decorations early. Doing this early allows you to spread the cost and reduces the risk of overspending, not to mention avoiding any last-minute financial stresses and strains.
Menu & Drinks
If you’ve ever tried to get a group of people to agree on what to eat, you know it can get stressful quickly! Planning early means you have plenty of time to negotiate all of those allergies, intolerances and fussy eaters, and find food options that suit you. That can mean going around different venues and looking at what suppliers to bring in to do that. Again, the earlier you can do this the less stressful it will be, and you won’t end up paying the ‘late booking’ premium many suppliers charge. It also gives you time to decide on your drinks options – will you be paying for drinks, supplying wine for the tables, or expecting staff to buy their own drinks? Again, deciding now means you have time and budget to plan.
Entertainment
Just like venues, you will want to research and book entertainment early on, before the big rush kicks in. Depending on the type of party and venue you choose you may not need to do this – many venues offering multi-party events will include entertainment – one less thing for you to worry about! But if you’re throwing the bash yourself, you will need to work out what kind of entertainment to have (you don’t have to have any, but we recommend it), and book it quick. You may want to do a Secret Santa or give out gifts and awards to employees, which will also need planning and coordinating to make sure it all goes smoothly.
Transport & Accommodation
As we may have mentioned, some Christmas parties do tend to get a bit raucous, and many staff will take the opportunity to let their hair down and have a drink. As the Christmas party is an extension of the workplace, it’s your duty to ensure your staff are safe and well, and not taking part in any dangerous activities, like driving under the influence. A good way to do this is to provide either overnight accommodation or taxis for your employees. This shows that you are taking every step as an employer, and it’s often greatly appreciated by employees who may appreciate not being the designated driver for the evening. Of course, it’s not compulsory, but it’s something to consider during your planning.
Working Changes
This is something you might not have thought about, but how does your Christmas party interface with your daily business running? If you’re it on once the business is closed for the year that’s great – but doesn’t leave you a lot of time! Most likely you’re going to choose a random weekday or Friday evening to hold your party. That means you need to look at whether people will be able to come to work the next day, or if you want to close the office for one day. If you’re in a business that offers 24/7 support, how will that be managed when you’re out partying? IT support businesses struggle with this the most, as they often need staff on call at all hours. Plan how you’re going to manage this, and if you need to hire a VA to take over some of that responsibility for one night only.
Too much? Too early? No problem! At Your Admin Hub we’re already in the festive spirit, and would love to help you out. We can take on almost all of the stress of planning your staff Christmas party for 2023, allowing you to sit back and relax knowing everything is taken care of. If you’d like to get ahead of the game, get in touch and let’s get the ball rolling!