Top tips to survive the office Christmas party

To avoid throwing a party to remember for all the wrong reasons, follow these tips to ensure everyone has a jolly festive time

Pin the date down now

You need to start planning and booking things now, if you haven’t done so already. Many places will already be full and what you thought to be a little-known gem won’t seem so undiscovered if you leave it too late.

Also, the later you leave it you may be left with only mid-week dates which could mean holiday hangovers the next day and a complete productivity nosedive.  Get booking!

Location, location, location

Pick a venue that meets all of your party needs, from the budget you have to spend to the distance people will be happy with travelling. Try to take the option of public transport into consideration too as if people will be consuming alcohol this will be an important factor in choosing your venue.

Choosing a venue which is pretty central to other bars, pubs and clubs is always a winner so that people can easily move on to party once they’ve finished their Christmas dinner.

Line their stomachs

Key to the fun factor and longevity of your night is to line your colleague’s stomachs with a cracking Christmas carb-fuelled dinner.  Make the meal the main event – take time to create a seating plan to ensure that the conversation flows freely and also that new friendships and connections can be made. Lining your colleagues’ stomachs with a carb heavy meal is key for the health and longevity of your night, so food should be somewhere in the mix – make the meal the main event.

If you’re organising a sit down meal, take the time to create a seating plan. This will make sure conversation flows all evening, and can even get colleagues who don’t usually spend much time together chatting.

Up the fun factor

It’s Christmas after all! Once all of the organisation is out of the way, don your glad rags and encourage everyone to leave ‘shop talk’ in the office and have a fantastic, relaxing evening. Do remember that this is your office Christmas party so there are still a few boundaries: a free bar is not a competition, no-one has to strip and don’t be the last to leave.

The morning after

If your party is a mid-week affair, lay out your clothes for the office before you go to the party the night before.  This will save any last minute scrabbling around and you’ll look like you were super prepared for work the next day.  Be sure to pack a bag with plenty of water and snacks too, you’ll probably need it.

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