We love the magic of the holidays - okay, we love all kinds of different magic, but the holidays really do have their own special kind of magic.
When you’re in the weeds of planning a holiday party for your organization, however, the magic can feel pretty far away. Don’t worry - we’re here to help. These tips will help you add joy to your party planning. We’re offering them in the hopes that they’ll play a part in making your party more memorable, more enjoyable, and yes - more magical.
Determine your budget
Figuring out a holiday budget from scratch can be a pretty daunting task. That’s why we highly recommend taking a look at any budgets that have been used in the past, and working off of those. How much did the venue cost? How about food and transportation? You can tweak the numbers as you decide on specifics, but try to keep your bottom line close to what it was in previous years.
Of course, if you’ve been given a sum of money to throw the party and you don’t have a lot of precedents, you’ll need to research costs first, create low to high cost scenarios for each item, then finalize your plan. If you want advice on how to budget, we highly recommend this event budgeting guide from Eventbrite.
Choose a location
There are three main factors to consider when you’re choosing where to host your party: accessibility, cost, and amenities. By accessibility, we mean both how easy it is to arrange for transportation to and from the venue, and how well the venue accommodates people with mobility challenges.
Cost is simple - all other things being equal, a lower cost venue is going to leave more room in your budget for festivities.
Amenities can mean all kinds of different things. Do you want your holiday party to have Wi-Fi? Do you need a venue with a liquor licence so you can serve alcohol? Do you want the venue to provide food, or are you going to get third-party catering? Do you need a green room so speakers and entertainers have a place to relax before they get up on stage?
The answers to these questions vary from organization to organization. Make a list of your needs, and ask different venues what they provide - they might have amenities that you didn’t even realize could come in handy!
Make fun invitations
Whether you’re sending invitations virtually or physically, make sure they celebrate the spirit of the holidays! Go for festive colours, warm greetings, and an inviting message. If your holiday party has a theme, make sure the invitation matches that theme.
Find safe transportation
Finding safe transportation is essential whether or not there’s going to be alcohol at your holiday party. While traditionally this was done through taxi vouchers, ridesharing apps, like Uber, are another great way to ensure your guests get to and from the party safely. These apps often offer business plans for holiday parties, so you can use them in a similar way as taxi vouchers.
Plan a menu
When planning a holiday menu, it’s a good idea to think about both holiday flavours and the preferences of your team. Try sending out a survey to find out which of your team members have dietary restrictions. There’s excellent gluten-free and vegan food in the world right now, and ensuring that folks with dietary restrictions enjoy their food is one great way of adding magic to the night.
Celebrate success
Who really brings the magic to your organization? It’s your team! Take this time to honour their hard work and celebrate their successes. Depending on your team members’ temperaments, you can tell them in advance that they’re going to be celebrated, or surprise them. Gifts, speeches - whatever you think is a fitting tribute to the people who make your organization better.
Don’t forget the entertainment!
Holiday parties are some of our favourite corporate events because they’re all about celebration. And when you’re celebrating, it’s important to keep everyone entertained. We offer an incredibly unique magic show that’s perfect for holiday parties - check out our website to read more. Now you know why we love holiday magic so much.
Happy holidays!