It’s not easy to come up with ideas when you have a significant number of people to consider.
How do you make it fun for everyone? Where should it be held? How do you not blow the budget?
These are just some of the questions you may ponder when initially coming up with ideas for your big Christmas party this year.
Even though Christmas is still some time away, it’s important to start your planning now for two main reasons.
Secondly, it gives you ample time to get invitations out to the workforce so they can plan for the event and get you the information you may require for final bookings. That may be special dietary requirements, clothing sizes and activity preferences.
Ultimately, planning now will ease the pressure on you as the event organiser and increase the chances of everything running smoothly come the day.
When coming up with ideas suitable for staff Christmas parties, I always do my research on some key areas first:
• What budget do you have available to you?
• What are the demographics, interests and physical abilities of the group?
• How accessible is the potential venue for everyone and cost considerations for transfers and accommodation?
• Will I need help from other staff or specialist event planners?
So now you have worked through those considerations, it is time to fine-tune your ideas and lock in one of them for your Christmas party with a difference!
To help you along, here are my top 3 ideas for staff Christmas parties for large groups:
1. Family Fun Day
A family fun day is a great option for Christmas for a more casual event that can take advantage of a beautiful outdoor environment in summer and acknowledge the contribution of families in employees’ work lives.
A scenic public space, that can be booked via your local council, can be ideal for these events and enable you to consider various catering options such as food trucks and barbecues as well as a variety of entertainment options such as bands, fun team building activities and inflatable playgrounds.
Be sure to choose a location that has ample onsite parking close by. Whilst you may organise shuttle buses from your workplace, inevitably in large organisations some staff and their families will want to make their own way there.
2. Hunt for Santa’s Sleigh
Hunt for Santa’s Sleigh is a Christmas themed team building event that enables staff of all ages and abilities to participate in a challenge-laden pursuit around a CBD or suburb.
It is fun, it is adventurous and it is a fun way for your staff to enjoy the sights and landmarks of a beautiful location.
Your entire group will be split into teams and then use skills in navigation, knowledge of the local area and teamwork to complete various fun challenges, all whilst trying to locate Santa’s missing sleigh.
This is a great afternoon activity to be followed by some refreshing beverages, snacks and gift-giving at the final location.
3. A Christmas Staff Conference
If your organisation uses the last couple of months of the year for re-defining goals and plans for the year ahead, a staff conference combined with an evening Christmas party could be just the tonic.
Staff conferences bring everyone together in a fresh environment, which is conducive to creativity, to do some all-important planning. It may be to re-set your vision and values, determine strategic plans, do team building activities or conduct professional development through specialist corporate training providers.
Then to top it all off, you can organise one of the nights as your staff Christmas function with a festive-themed dinner and awards presentation.
Kathryn Laslett, Conference & Events, Corporate Challenge Events
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