Planning a corporate event that will impress your colleagues can be stressful. Especially when you add in all of the other typical activities surrounding the holidays, like visiting family, attending parties, and searching for the perfect gifts for your loved ones.
If you’re tasked with putting together your workplace event this holiday season, you’re in luck. We’ve put together the perfect step-by-step guide for throwing an effortless, stress-free corporate holiday party that won’t break the bank for your company.
In this article, we’ll cover the following 8 steps to help make planning your corporate holiday party easy:
Establishing your goals, budget & timeline
Finding the right venue
Preparing your food & drink menu
Coordinating music or live entertainment
Decor & party favors
Confirming event details
Hiring help
Sending out thank you notes
Want to hire an event coordinator and reserve a booking for your upcoming holiday party? Contact Modern Moments! Our beautiful outdoor venue is perfect for your corporate party.
01. Establish your goals, budget & timeline
When you begin planning an event, you’ll want to consider the ultimate goal, which helps you allocate the appropriate budget for the event and how long you need to prepare.
What’s the goal?
For example, is your corporate holiday party just meant for your employees to relax and enjoy themselves? Will your party include clients that you want to build deeper connections with? Maybe the party’s guest list will consist of prospective clients you’re hoping to close deals with. Will there be a theme?
Getting clarity on the goal for your holiday party will help you get buy-in from higher-ups when you present the potential budget and timeline.
Establishing budget & timeline
After you know what goal you’re aiming for, the next important step is sketching out the necessary budget and timeline. Knowing your budget, the date you’d like your event, and the theme of your party (if you have one) will help you find theme-appropriate venues and vendors in your price range, with availability on your desired date. The earlier you do this, the easier everything else will be.
02. Find the right venue
So, now that you have the basic event details in place, it’s time to schedule with a venue.
Venue reservations around the holidays book up quickly– some venues may have their dates booked out as early as July. That means it’s essential to start calling venues as soon as possible. You will want to find one that will accommodate the number of people you want, on your desired date, and within your budget.
Some questions to keep in mind when researching for your event venue include:
Will the venue provide equipment (e.g., chairs, sound systems, tables)? If not, will you need to rent it or bring your own?
Does the venue have an event coordinator on hand to help with planning? Is there an additional cost?
Do you want an indoor or outdoor space?
Does the venue fit your theme?
Is it easy for guests to access the venue? Will there be sufficient parking available?
Does the venue work with any entertainment or food vendors?
Once you find a few prospective venues, schedule a tour to see if they fit the needs of your event, and book with the one that best matches your vision.
03. Prepare your food and drink menu
What good is a holiday party if there are no cookies and eggnog? Finding the right caterers and bartenders (if applicable) is essential to the success of your event.
Most venues will have preferred vendors, so unless you already know of available vendors that fit your event, it’s a good idea to start with the venue’s preferred vendors. If you’re hiring a bartending company, it’s usually best to buy the alcohol yourself from a grocery store (Costco is best for bulk) and then hire bartenders to serve it.
Keep in mind that your guests may have food allergies. Make sure to get a list of allergy information to relay to your food vendors in advance.
Pro tip: Include a question about food allergies in your RSVP invite for the party.
04. Coordinate music or live entertainment
While not necessary for every event, live entertainment definitely adds a little magic, especially around the holidays. When selecting the entertainment, let the theme of your event inspire and guide you.
For example, are you having a classic winter get-together? Try a choir or caroling group. Rockin’ around the Christmas tree? There’s always a local cover band looking for the chance to perform. A classy black-tie evening? Most high schools and universities have student quartets that will perform for next-to-nothing, or, if you’re looking for more of a Sinatra vibe, you can find a student jazz group for just as cheap. Alternatively, if you like the sound of your own voices, you could always rent a karaoke machine for the night and entertain yourselves.
Pro tip: If kids are on the invitation, don’t forget to find a Santa Claus and prepare some crafts and games to keep them entertained.
05. Decor & party favors
As the event date gets closer, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need for decorations. And when it comes to budget, this is where you can save some serious cash, depending on how much work you’re willing to put in.
When it comes to decor, you have a lot of options. You can find a one-stop-shop that will take care of decorations for you (your venue’s vendor recommendations will come in handy here), or you can take the DIY route. You’d be surprised how far the Dollar Store or Hobby Lobby can take you.
While you’re gathering your decorations and party favors to treat your guests, this is an excellent time to rent any items you might need (e.g., linens, karaoke machines, a chair for Santa, photobooths, etc.).
Whether personalized gifts or just a few candy canes and a small gift card, a gesture of appreciation can go a long way in spreading the holiday spirit.
Pro tip: Choosing to donate to a charity or nonprofit organization is a great way to give back to the community and bring your company together for a good cause.
06. Confirm event details
A couple of weeks before the event, ensure you have all the details secured and confirmed.
Some critical questions to ask yourself and the venue include:
What time can you arrive at the venue to begin decorating?
What is your start and end times for the event?
What is your final guest count?
Have you told your venue how you want the space set up?
Do you know what time each of your vendors and rentals is arriving?
Are there any outstanding payments that you need to make before the event?
Have you hired a photographer, or do you know who on your team is on photo duty?
The more you have planned out now, the less stressful the event day will be.
07. Hire help
Many hands make light work. The more helpers you enlist for setup and clean up, the quicker and easier everything will be.
In general, you can typically set up events for around 300 people in just a couple of hours and then clean everything up within 30-45 minutes with the right helpers by your side.
Also, depending on your chosen venue, the venue staff might do the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to setup and breakdown.
Pro tip: We highly recommend bringing a portable speaker and sneaking your team a few snacks to thank them for helping.
08. Send out thank you notes
Now that you’ve hosted the perfect holiday party, all that’s left is for you to thank your guests for coming. You could post on social media, write about the party in a company email newsletter, or send out good ol’ thank you notes that include photos from the party.
A sincere thank you will leave a lasting impression and keep your guests—and people who might have skipped this party—looking forward to the next company party.
Want an effortless company holiday party?
Contact modern moments.
If you’re in the southeast valley, Modern Moments is a hidden gem right in your backyard. Our outdoor venue holds up to 300 people and supplies our equipment without an additional charge (tables, chairs…). Our event coordinator has over 25 years of party-planning experience and is available to help you create a holiday party experience that your colleagues and clients will talk about for years to come.
Stop by, say hi, and we’ll see what we can do for you.