Christmas is a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate. It’s an opportunity for event planners to use their skills to plan parties with friends, friends of friends, colleagues, or just about anyone. Whether your Christmas party is planned for 10 or 1000 people, here are a few holiday-specific rules to plan a memorable celebration. Here are 6 ways to organise an unforgettable Christmas party!
Contents
- Find a venue
- Choose a format
- Plan a theme
- Hire a DJ
- Set a ticket price
- Think about your communication
1. Find a venue
You’ll need to be flexible on the date when planning a Christmas party. Generally, venues are booked far in advance and the key dates are rarely available. Start planning as early as possible to increase your chances of booking a unique location, or use word of mouth to find THE rare gem flying under the radar.
High on your selection criteria should be easy access to your venue by public transport or car. Your guests need to be able to come and go to your event safely.
You should also consider getting the following information about the venue:
- Is the sound system and/or DJ included in the rental?
- Does the venue have a dance floor? An outdoor terrace?
- What is the maximum capacity of the venue?
- Is the venue exclusively for your party?
- Will a rep from the venue be there to help you?
- Are there rooms to provide accommodation for any guest wishing to stay overnight?
2. Choose a format
The format of a Christmas party will depend on your budget and, most of all, your guests. A 3-course meal will cost a lot more than a buffet-style dinner and will still provide catering for your attendees. It is up to you to strike the right balance so that your guests are happy. You can even run a quick poll to know what the guests would like.
3. Plan a theme
Planning a themed-Christmas party will attract more people than a traditional party. Many events are organised at this time of year meaning that you’ll need to work hard to stand out. Plan something that will attract and excite your target attendees. Recently, 90’s themed parties have been very successful but early 2000s themed parties are also increasingly popular. You should pick a theme that will suit your audience, not the other way around!
4. Hire a DJ
Hiring a DJ for a Christmas party can cost anything between £200 and £2,000, leading many event planners to give up and do without one. However, a good DJ can completely change the atmosphere and be a strong asset to attracting people. We suggest you study your various options carefully.
5. Set a ticket price
The ticket price will depend on the format of the event. If you decided upon hosting a 3-course meal followed by a dance party then around £80-100 per person is acceptable. Generally speaking, charities or students organising Christmas parties include a drink voucher with the ticket to attract ticket purchasers. It is a good deal for any event planner! We have dedicated an article to helping you set your event’s ticket price.
6. Think about your communication
The first thing to do when planning a Christmas party is to give it a catchy name! It is crucial to win the hearts of your guests as soon as you announce the party. Next you’ll need to be active on social media to show how fantastic the party will be. Post videos, team and backstage pictures: anything that can entice your guests should be shared. It’s more about creating a bond than about sales. Christmas is a special time of the year – your event and its communication should be too!
You should start promoting your Christmas party as soon as possible with a teaser video and then put your tickets up for sale. Create a Facebook event to invite your friends, and your friends’ friends so that the circle can slowly grow. Word of mouth is also very effective, so feel free to get in touch with people one by one – they will then play the role of the promoter for you by telling their friends and registering as a group to your event. !
If you have already planned a party with online ticketing, you should send information emails to the people who attended in the past. The use of a marketing tool, such as a CRM, is relevant to save you time and analyse the impact of your actions.
It is critical to keep communicating and gain exposure until the day of the event. In the run-up to the holidays people receive several invitations and wallets tend to empty quickly. As a result potential attendees may forget one party amongst a dozen others. This can be stress-inducing for the planner, so you need to make sure you have a motivated team so enlist the help of the venue manager for advice.
Christmas is a great opportunity to plan a memorable party! Don’t panic if you think you’re late, everything usually works out when it comes to celebrating. Pay attention to what matters, i.e. listening to and responding to your guests – that’s all they really want!
Christmas is getting closer, don’t wait to launch your online ticketing! Using Weezevent and its many services, doing so will only take you a few minutes. Find out more by clicking on the button below:
