There has been a growing trend over the past few years to hold Christmas parties in January. From our experience there are really three main reasons behind this: cost; venue choice; and lack of competition (i.e. not as many other parties around to distract your key guests).
People will also cite that it gives you something to look forward to after Christmas and that the lack of “festive” association makes it more open to people from other religions/cultures. However, the first three reasons undoubtedly lie at the core of any decision to defer the party until after the Christmas break.
From a cost perspective, it is true that venues can be more expensive in December, which is why it pays to make your selection as early as possible. And venues do get booked up early, so if you drag your heels you’re going to find it difficult to get the venue of your choice, but again, with a little forward planning this situation can be easily avoided.
Remember that, if you defer until after Christmas, while you may get your favoured venue, they will have taken down Christmas installations, theming and decorations. Having your party against this distinctly “post Christmas” backdrop is unlikely to feel either rewarding or motivating. On top of this, the New Year is when a lot of people aim to turn over a new leaf and you may well find a number of your guests are on health kicks, diets or detoxes – and not to mention completely partied out – so do you really want to be the one seen as encouraging them to break their New Year’s Resolutions?
The reality is that holding your party after Christmas benefits the company more than the guests. So, if you want to create an impact then December is still the ideal time to hold your Christmas party. The best thing to do in January is to get organised and ahead of the game. Use this time to do your research and work with your event planner so that you can sit back and relax knowing that you’re the one who has secured that key Thursday date at the best venue in town.
To get more ideas or help on booking your Christmas party talk to the team on 020 7610 2808 or email info@evolve-events.com