There is a certain stress that accompanies the month of October in London offices, a feeling that someone in the office has to organise the Christmas party! Before long, what began as a simple discussion about “doing something nice this year” has turned into a full-blown debate about budgets, food, and whether or not Dave in accounts will behave himself around free booze. Well done to you if you’ve managed to avoid this task so far, but what really matters when it comes to booking a Christmas parties London venue for your office party? Stay tuned to find out…
What You’re Actually Paying For
The costs can vary greatly depending on the method used, but a standing reception with canapés and a tab for drinks in a decent Central London venue will set you back anything between £60 and £100 a head once VAT and service charges have been factored in, which they inevitably will.
For a proper meal, the costs rise to anything between £80 and £150 a head, depending on the standard of restaurant and whether or not the wine is flowing freely.
Dry hire venues, which allow you to bring in your own caterers, entertainers, and what have you, sound like a decent option, but when you factor in the cost of furniture, sound equipment, security, and drinks staff, they’re not quite so cheap.
They’re fine for large corporations with proper budgets, but for smaller companies, the packaged deals might be the better option, even though they appear more expensive.
The open bar debate is always a contentious issue, with people having strong opinions on both sides of the argument. On one hand, there is nothing like having a drink in hand to get everyone in a party frame of mind and avoid the awkwardness of people hanging around the bar, waiting for their turn to come around again.
On the other hand, there is nothing like having an open bar to ensure that someone gets completely drunk and causes a scene which will get talked about for the next five years.
Food Choices That Don’t Cause Rebellion
Canapés are okay for a drinks reception, but they will never really satisfy anyone. What you will notice is that people will start leaving to go and get some proper food, which rather defeats the purpose of getting everyone together in the first place. If you are having a standing reception, then make sure there is plenty of food available, such as sliders and pizzas, so that everyone is not just drinking and starving.
Having a meal, on the other hand, completely changes the dynamics of the evening. It encourages people to talk, slows down the rate of drunkenness, and in general causes fewer problems. The drawback, of course, is trying to cater to everyone’s dietary needs without making it look like you are running a restaurant. Many venues will have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, especially if they are used to dealing with corporate events, so make sure to get all the final figures in well in advance.
Street food vendors and food trucks are very popular for these types of events, and they work well. It means everyone gets what they want, and there’s just something nice about food being served in a casual manner, which really helps to relax the event.
Getting People There and Home Again
Having a party in the evening in the middle of the week means getting everyone there and then getting everyone home again. The tube and trains stop running after 11pm, and while night buses are available, they are not exactly ideal when you’re in your party gear and it’s December. Having a central location helps, but timing is a bit of a problem. If you have it too early, say 6pm, everyone has to leave work early, and if you have it too late, say 8pm, there’s a lot of dead time where everyone’s just sitting around, killing hours until they can go to their party.
Having a party on a weekend eliminates transportation issues, but there are other issues with this option. One of the first issues is that there will be less people there, as everyone wants to protect their weekends, especially if they have a family. You will notice, however, that there is a higher attendance in the middle of the week, despite all of the logistical issues.
It can get expensive, especially if the location is not in a convenient place, with taxis and whatnot, but some companies will organise a group taxi or contribute to transportation, which helps get people there who may not live in a convenient place.