Tips for Planning a Corporate Holiday Party

As the holiday season is quickly approaching You may want to start thinking about that holiday party you're responsible for planning. It's important to begin planning your event now to stay on top of everything. If you follow our guidelines and listen to the tips and tricks we provide, you'll be prepared to throw the perfect holiday party!

1. Start off by writing down all of the things you want this party to feature. This means what type of food your guests might like, where you might want the party to be held, if the event will be formal or casual, etc. Think about all of the things you want to feature at your party and put a star next to the items that you KNOW you will need to organize asap.

2. Start laying out your budget. Set aside a certain amount of money you plan to spend for decor, food, drinks, venue, event rentals, invites, etc. Divide up your total budget into necessary categories to ensure that you are staying on track with the budget allotted.

3. Estimate how many people will likely be in attendance. This is just an estimate... you'll send out RSVP's later, but it may be helpful to at least have an idea of how many people you'll invite. In addition, if you have several venues picked out, know how big of a space each venue is in comparison to how many people you'll invite. It's always better to have more space than not enough, but, you don't want the party to seem emptier than it really is either.

4. Organize as many details of the party as you can thus far. Pick out a theme, decide on how you are going to handle food distribution, plan a time and date that works best for your company's schedule, find venues that fit your needs and have openings on the day/time you selected. Determine if you're organizing a potluck or ordering from a caterer. You can also begin to send out emails and/or RSVP's to get a better idea of who can attend the party and how many people the party needs to be set-up for. When you send out invites, be sure to include details like the date, time, location (if you have it set), dress code, etc.

5. It's time to call your friends at ColdIron Event Rentals. Regardless of the size of the party, we can accompany all of your event rentals needs. Located in the Roselawn area off of Reading Road, our business does everything when it comes to events. We can help provide you with further insights, shortcuts to save money, examine pictures of your "dream party" inspiration and more. Our friendly employees don't work on commission and we are always happy to help serve you in whatever way we can.

6. Now that you've heard back from your invites and RSVP's its time to finalize a guest list and determine how you're handling prizes/gifts. In doing so, you can also narrow down the best venue from your selections based off of how many people plan to attend the party. While finalizing your guest list, you can also order some unique and exciting prizes to give away at the party. The way you choose to give away these gifts is best determined by the atmosphere of your company. You could give away awards for things like "most sales in one year" or "most funny in the office". Or, you could also host a mini raffle and give away one grand prize to the person who wins.

7. Time for your free quote. Once the staff at ColdIron Event Rentals has helped you through your party planning process, it's time to lay out the items you'll need to organize this party. We have everything from tables, chairs, tents, dinnerware, elegant glasses and so much more. If you plan on having an outdoor party in a tent, be sure to ask about our heaters, sidewalls and fireplaces. If you are planning an indoor party, then be sure to ask about our elegant linens that will match your theme. We have all of the dinnerware you'll need, including plates, napkins, forks, spoons, knives, wine glasses, pilsner glasses, coffee cups, bread baskets, water goblets and so much more.

8. Decide on entertainment. Will you have a live band? DJ? Sound system playing music that correlates with your theme? if you decide that you'll need a stage, then be sure to reach back out to ColdIron to add that stage to your final order. We have stage pieces that run in 4'x8' sections which are ideal for building up the stage to fit the size of your band, whether it is small or large.

9. Now that you've assessed the quote and placed your order, you're one giant step closer to the perfect execution of your holiday party. We can check off many parts of your overall to-do list, but we should finish cleaning up some of the smaller pieces before we continue. If you have decided to run with the potluck idea, generate a list of items that guests can bring and have them write their name down next to the items that intend to bring to the event. If you have decided to organize a caterer, then be sure to reach out to finalize plans as soon as possible. Again, this is a busy time of year.

10. Choose your party's hosts and/or speakers. Select some enthusiastic and excited co-workers who will be sure to keep the party going! Select a time in the night, typically after dinner while everyone is still in their seats, that the speakers will stand up and begin presenting a few words about the company, goals, etc. Be sure to select people who will keep the positive energy and cheerfulness alive.

11. Book a photographer. This is an optional step, but it's a great way to keep the history of your company alive through it's employees. You can also use these photos to post to social media and let all of your followers see what a tight-knit and hardworking set of employees belong to the company. If you choose not to have a photographer, it may be worth purchasing a Polaroid camera for the photo booth or encouraging all of your guests to take photos of their own on their own devices.

12. Purchase the decorations that fit with your theme perfectly! You've already ordered the linens to match your theme, now it's time to organize the balloons, decor, photo-booth, etc. Be sure to stick to the original budget and utilize past decor that may still be in the office from previous years.

13. Set a detailed time frame for how you will organize the events at the party. You may want to dedicate the first hour for a cocktail party, then the next to dinner, then an hour to desserts and speeches, finish with some prizes and thank you's then spend the rest of the evening enjoying your company, music, etc.

14. Relax and have fun. You've worked hard envisioning and executing the perfect holiday corporate party! Now you can enjoy all of your hard work and watch as all of your guests sit in awe of the event you planned.

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