Christmas Parties - what are the options?
I learnt a new phrase this week from an inspirational guy called Dave Coplin (@DCoplin), the CEO at Microsoft. That's "Chief Envisioning Officer" BTW! It's TLDR and it's a great leveller when reading long, tedious emails (particularly from your boss, who won't understand what it means anyway!). It simply stands for "Too Long, didn't read". Perfect. And a perfectly acceptable response these days apparently!
So, with that in mind, I'm going to make it snappy. Because, I'm suddenly paranoid.
It's October and it's become apparent that the Christmas party conundrum just isn't going to go away. Until Christmas when it’s already too late.
Whether you're an 'accidental' event organiser or an actual one, the Christmas party is tricky. How do you make it exciting, engaging and worthwhile whilst universally appealing to everyone? How do you do something different that's going to really work? How are you going to achieve anything on the ridiculously short-sighted and, frankly, almost insulting budget you've been given?
Well, whatever the answer is for you, it's probably one of seven possibilities.
1. The Shared Party. This is a great way to effectively buy into a much bigger party than you'd ever be able to recreate on a bespoke basis unless you have a huge budget. These parties are also great for small companies who want a big bash, with lots of people and atmosphere. Check out our wide variety of awesome shared parties here.
2. The Bespoke Party. Ok, so this is a pretty open ended and wide reaching genre! It's basically anything you want it to be, restrained only by your imagination. And your budget, of course. This is the dream scenario for experienced event organisers and a poisoned chalice and potential banana skin for inexperienced planners - remember, a big budget doesn't automatically make a great event. In fact, it often doesn't because the secret ingredient is that illusive thing we call ‘magic’. And you can't buy magic. Check out our wide range of bespoke Christmas party venues, from the sensational Science Museum to the monumental (with the emphasis on 'mental'!) Ministry of Sound here...
3. The Dinner Party. It's hard to beat a delicious meal and decadently delightful wine in atmospheric surroundings with great people. We're spoilt in London with so many world-class restaurants and such a variety of styles - from French to Asian fusion, Modern British to Moroccan and everything in between. If your company is filled with great, interesting and inspiring people, then this could work. If not….hmmm…maybe go for a different option!
4. The Pop-Up Party. The beauty of this one is that you can do it anywhere from your own office to a warehouse. All you need is a great pop-up specialist, like Christabel's and a great blank canvas venue from our great...er...blank canvas venue section! It’s a risky one but in the right hands can be magical. Think edible board games and urban entertainment…
5. The Team-Building Party. This is your chance to do something different. And meaningful. And maybe even tax deductible! A tax deductible Christmas party? How is that possible? Well, when it's not billed as a 'Christmas Party' I guess! If you or your organisation aren't big on the religion part, then why not have a meaningful celebration and kill two birds with one stone?! Try something like the Escape Hunt Experience, TeamSport Karting or cycling in the Olympic Velodrome…they’re pretty unforgettable!
6. The ‘Crazy’ Party. This is for those who want to combine the fiscal benefits of the shared party with the unique benefits of the bespoke party, avoiding anything remotely normal in terms of theme and reflecting the cool and edgy nature of their outgoing and boundary-pushing company. Putting it simply, this kind of Christmas party is for the less corporate and more fearless brands amongst us - the kind of company everyone wants to work for! Check out packages from venues such as Cirque le Soir and the Hippodrome (which is open all night, combining cabaret, gaming, burlesque, live music and excellent food - sounds dangerous, doesn't it!? In a good way!)
7. The Skiing Week/ Lavish Party. Ok, so this is a metaphor for 'go big or go home' for those who have a big budget for a small number of people. Surprisingly though, this can be done for less that £1k per head, all in, for a week! That's only about seven times the average spend per head for a standard shared Christmas party so perhaps not quite as crazy as it first seems! What's more, a Christmas skiing trip would inevitably become the ultimate team-building and corporate bonding exercise so could be worth the initial expenditure a thousand times over. If you're a Hedge Fund, a boutique Investment Bank, a Crowdfunding Platform or even an innovative tech start-up for example, and you want to invest in getting in front of the right people or even re-invest a fraction of what your (killer) team have brought in this year, then an elaborate few days in the mountains could be a great idea. And guess what? We have the perfect package to do it - check out 'Ski High Startups' here and use discount code 'LONDONLAUNCH' when enquiring...You'll get an even better deal!
So, this Christmas, why not go more Jeremy Clarkson than Jeremy Corbyn and do something punchy, fast-paced, different, exciting, high octane, entrepreneurial and highly memorable by checking out the best of the best Christmas Parties London has to offer, right here, right now?! It's an investment worth making, whatever the cost...