Get to know your staff
Helen says that planning the perfect Christmas party starts with getting to know your staff, and what they want. ‘I think we tend to know our staff quite well,’ says Helen. ‘We send out questionnaires during the year to find out their likes and dislikes, and we give them options; either a group meal for themselves and a +1, a meal for you and your +1, or a gift selected by us.’
By understanding your employees wants and needs, you’re able to ensure that everyone at your Christmas party is excited and ready for the event. Offering alternatives like a private meal or a gift is also particularly useful for those with sensory issues, those who are neurodivergent or people who just wouldn’t enjoy a group meal or party. It means that those who aren’t comfortable or can’t attend don’t need to miss out on the festivities.
'Someone once told us that they choose the gifts option because they hardly get any gifts for themselves at Christmas,' says Helen. 'They said it means a great deal to them to have something to open from people who have put some care and love into picking it. It was touching to hear that they chose the gift option for that reason.'
'Someone once told us that they choose the gifts option because they hardly get any gifts for themselves at Christmas,' says Helen. 'They said it means a great deal to them to have something to open from people who have put some care and love into picking it. It was touching to hear that they chose the gift option for that reason.'
‘Once we know who would like the group meal, we send out a form to find out which dates work best,’ says Helen. ‘From there, we start contacting restaurants to see who can accommodate us.’
Find a venue that fits your needs
‘We have always had a few non-negotiable things that we base our short list on,’ says Helen. ‘Our directors like to offer a nice meal at a good restaurant for employees and their +1’s, so part of our job is to find somewhere that ticks a few boxes.’
Finding the ideal venue for your business means you need to identify your non-negotiables. Helen says, ‘We want an area where we can sit together, and have the tables all night, with a good menu that caters to dietary requirements. We also want the staff that we deal with from the very first enquiry to be pleasant, helpful and make us feel like they want the booking.’
Helen says, ‘We disregard restaurants straight away if they aren’t nice and helpful with us from the off. It doesn’t matter how nice their food is, it won’t be a good fit for us!’
Little details make a big difference
Whilst the big choices are important, Helen says that the little details shouldn’t be overlooked, ‘We always make a detailed table plan and have table place cards printed with everyone’s food choices on. We give the table plan to the restaurant, and we arrive a little earlier to put the place cards down. This helps the restaurant staff (and us) massively!’
‘Over the last few years, we also started doing small gifts/goody bags for the people attending. We already know our employees’ favourite things from our questionnaires, so everyone who attends gets a stocking with a few things inside; like their favourite chocolate, some novelty socks, a Christmas mug, and maybe some smellies. We put the stockings on their seats at the restaurant. People love this personal and thoughtful touch.’
‘Also some novelty headbands like reindeer antlers, because it’s not really a party without those!’
Plan early to manage last minute stressors
Helen says that planning for the Christmas party starts early, ‘We tend to start looking for suitable places, and start the organising around late August and early September,’ says Helen. ‘Every detail, even tiny things that you think are small, are not - and all these details take time to organise. Leave nothing to chance and try to have everything sorted before the night, otherwise you won’t enjoy it yourself.’
Whilst planning early helps avoid stressful situations, sometimes things can happen that are out of your control. ‘We had once booked and paid the deposit for a place which then closed around October/November, which was a big panic,’ says Helen. ‘Luckily, we got in touch with Marco Piere Whites in Newcastle where we have been before. The staff were lovely and booked us in, and everyone ended up having such a great night!’
‘We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure everything is perfect, and everyone has a good night. But my top tip is plan, plan, plan!’
