The Christmas party season is fast approaching, and who ever has been given the ‘fun’ task of booking the Christmas do, will no doubt be the one rocking in the corner, with a crazed look in their eye.
The boss may specify something ‘cheap & cheerful!’ or they may be the sort for no expense spared – lucky you. Either way most people look on the Christmas party with a sense of dread or at the very least nervous excitement. The worst case scenario can be ..bad! Who hasn’t attended those events where you end up seated next to Mr or Mrs Dull – drinking cheap, warm wine, wearing a paper crown, and eating a poorly executed turkey dinner with cold gravy and chewy meat, in an over busy restaurant! Then wonder the city of Cambridge looking for a place to stay out a bit later and try to rescue the evening with some dad dancing at a club that you may not even get into.
On the plus side – they can have their charm – and if you are lucky enough to work with people you actually like, then this is the chance to let your hair down together, for the whole organisation to have feel valued and appreciated by management – it should be an opportunity to spoil your employees or team and to have a laugh together, at what should be a quieter time of year for many businesses.
So here’s our small but perfectly formed guide to making it bearable
· Have the whole night planned – whether your team wants to go out for an early dinner or a full-on session from 5pm – 3am – have the whole night planned out to avoid those messy moments when a few of you wonder off to sing carols to the kebab van and the rest are queueing for a club
· Ensure the night has variety – you won’t all like the same things, so mix it up a bit, ensuring there is a bit of everything – a good meal for those who like to sit and chat, entertainment for those parts of the evening where conversation runs a little dry, and dancing for – well for just about everyone after the drinks have flowed!
· Make sure food and drink are quality !Pick your favourite place or a place you know delivers quality experience, not the cheapest or the one with the free crackers and hats – think of it like any other party you might organise at any other time of the year – you want guests to have fantastic food and drink, if you get that right the rest will follow!
· Make it special – it does only happen once a year and it is a chance to say thank you to employees and colleagues, so do something that is memorable and special, and will leave the whole team feeling appreciated and ready to be super productive in the new year.