Are you full of festive spirit but fearing having to plan the office party this year? Here are some handy tips on how to plan a corporate Christmas party.

When it comes to organising a company Christmas party, especially in London, there is no such thing as too early. You may not want to be thinking about streamers and wine this early, but this could be a great time to book a bargain event and ensure the best date for your event in London too.

Nights that are mid-week will be economical (as will late November and even January if you can get away with having it after Christmas), but don’t forget you have work the next day.

It can also be a good idea to send a few date choices around the office and gather comments on everybody’s preference. You can’t please everyone, but it will give you an idea of those attending, which can impact your venue choice.

Even if you don’t have details such as the venue, theme etc. pinned down, it is good to get a date in people’s diaries as early as possible, so save the date, keep it safe, and spread the word.

Whether extravagant or scrimping you need to have a budget in place before you look at anything else for your big Christmas event in London, and there’s is nothing more demotivating than finding the textbook event venue and then getting the elbow from your company’s finances.

Once you have an idea of budget, consider what is most important to your guests. If they’re party animals and love a few cocktails then assign a larger part of your budget to the bar. This could mean picking a cheaper venue but amazing them with cool liquor will be a winner and will keep the team happy all evening.

Try and leave some budget aside for ‘unexpected costs’ too, last minute changes can be tricky if you’ve already splurged the whole lot!

Nowadays a company’s Christmas event can take many shapes, so keep in mind that this is a ‘thank you’ to your co-workers so think about what they would like at their own party.

Site – Is it close to the office? Are there good transport links if not?

Figures – Can they bring a plus one? Is there room?

Time – A daytime event or evening party? Perhaps both if you join the party onto the end of a company meeting as you have everyone already there.

Party style – A custom built party or package deal? A bespoke party means a lot more work, but with a much bigger payout. Although finding a venue and booking all the other party elements can be left to a London event organiser such as us if your budget allows and you have too many guests. This will allow you to create something designed exactly for your London Company however.

A package bought from a venue can be a bit easier as they probably provide all the elements, however it is probable they will run their own theme for the entire Christmas period so you don’t have any choice on theme.

A full package bought from an event organiser such as us (no bias!) is the best of both worlds, the organiser will bring together all of the tailored elements for you and bundle it up into one invoice.