Five top tips for planning your perfect Christmas do

Panicking over organising your office Christmas do? Fabrica have some top tips to share.

As the seagulls are buffeted by autumn winds and crowds of holidaymakers have once again made way for that solitary bloke with the metal detector on Brighton beach, it’s definitely that time of year where the C-word is back on the agenda.

Personally, I am a bit of a fan of the annual festive work do: that one time when it’s ok to be just a little bit inappropriate, the ingrained corporate hierarchy goes out the window and you discover that the quiet bloke in IT does a mean karaoke rendition of Groove Is In The Heart.

But being tasked with organising the office Christmas party can feel like drawing the short straw. Pleasing the whole team seems impossible when Nigel in HR hates turkey, Deborah from accounts can’t stand cheesy discos and your sales director doesn’t drink.

If the burden of organising your company's do is weighing down on your shoulders this year, here are five tips for a Christmas party to remember for the right reasons:

1.      Pick a date well in advance. Yes, you’ll get a few ‘but I’m still wearing flip flops!’-type groans, but planning in advance means as many people as possible will be able to come, particularly if you have a large group.

2.      Get out of the office. Because the place where you normally wrestle with cash flow spreadsheets and sales targets does not say ‘party’. And I don’t know if anyone has actually ever photocopied their backside at a Christmas party, but I sure wouldn’t want to take that risk.

3.      Find the right venue. Long gone are the days when going to your company Christmas do means despondently shuffling to Status Quo in a too-brightly-lit downmarket hotel whilst digesting dry turkey. There are so many options in Brighton that offer something much more sparkly and fun.

4.      Get creative. Pick a theme, organise a game, run a competition, create a communal playlist. But be tolerant: not everyone is into novelty antlers or 70s roller disco. Non-‘joiner-inners’ should feel welcome too.

5.      Take lots of photos. Get your partygoers to take lots of snaps to share on social media - you can even create a hashtag unique to you. If you can afford it, why not pay a photographer to take some great shots that you can also use in your company publicity?

If you haven’t found your perfect venue yet, why not get in touch with us at Fabrica? As well as being Brighton’s centre for contemporary art and one of the city’s best-loved arts charities, our beautiful Grade II-listed building in the heart of the city can cater for 130 people. And we’ve launched a brand new Christmas party package this year that offers all you need for an unforgettable night. If you’re intrigued, or would simply like to have nosy round, contact Venue Hire Manager Elin today to arrange a viewing: venuehire@fabrica.org.uk.

We’re delighted to have teamed up with the Chamber for this year’s networking Christmas market on 12 December – if you haven’t got your ticket yet, book it here.

Many thanks to Anne Rupert, Business Manager at Fabrica, for writing this blog. 

Picture credit: Syl Ojalla

www.fabrica.org.uk/christmas

@FabricaGallery       @AnneCRupert

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk