Looking for holiday party planning tips to make this year’s bash the best ever? At Peerspace, we get it. The corporate holiday party is one of the most anticipated events of the calendar year. After all, what better way to wrap up 12 months’ worth of hard work and company milestones than with a big bash, bringing the entire team together, building camaraderie, and boosting company morale? And big corporate holiday parties are making a comeback, so it’s time to plan accordingly.

To ensure that your end-of-year celebration is a major hit that the entire company will reminisce on for months to come, consider some of the holiday party planning tips we’ve compiled here.

Book the perfect venue on Peerspace

The perfect location sets the stage for your event in a big way. Predictability is a perfectly legitimate reason to book a standard banquet room. Sometimes we like to know exactly what we’re getting. A windowless room shaped like a box and with questionable lighting is perfect for… oh, who are we kidding?

If you’re looking for a unique venue that leaves a lasting impression, book a Peerspace! Spaces such as galleries, creative lofts, and penthouse rooftops delight guests in ways that standard, stale banquet halls just do not. Your team is a hand-selected group of smart, creative professionals, and your holiday party is designed to celebrate them. Book a venue that suits who your attendees are and what they do!

Here are some of our favorite options, to help show you what’s out there:

• The Speakeasy at Capo (pictured above) in Washington, D.C., with space for 150 guests, seating, a kitchen, A/V equipment, and fun add-ons, like food and beverage catering
• This DTLA rooftop penthouse in Los Angeles with space for 65, an open floor plan, a spacious and stylish rooftop patio, a kitchen, and speakers
• This create your own vibe art gallery in Vancouver, BC with space for 70, color-changing lights, surround sound, a projector, a DJ booth, and seating
• This downtown art gallery event space in Houston with space for 80, on-site seating for 60, a kitchen, a bar, an outdoor patio, and speakers
• This Upper East Side townhouse in NYC with space for 150, entertaining spaces on all five levels, an outdoor patio, and a basketball court
• This large multi-use creative space in Sydney, AUS for 150 guests, a marble bar, several rooms, seating, a kitchen, and an open floor plan foyer

As you can see, Peerspace offers you access to stunning event spaces in cities across the globe! All spaces are owned by local hosts who strive to make your event amazing, so reach out to them with any questions or requests.

Choose a design theme

If you decide to decorate your holiday party venue, make sure to do it right. It doesn’t take a tremendous budget or amount of additional effort to take your design theme from average to professional.

Here are some simple holiday party planning ideas when thinking about themes:

A festive winter wonderland

Transform your space into a sparkling snow globe with clusters of clear balloons illuminated with uplights, oversized snowflakes suspended from the ceiling, and curtains of twinkle lights.

A classy wintertime fête

Create a contemporary, sophisticated vibe with cool hues of winter. Accent with varying shades of blue, tables with silver candlesticks, and centerpieces of white flowers with silver curls. Fill the corners and food tables with delicate crystal ornaments hanging from sweet huckleberry branches.

A warm and cozy get-together

Nothing says toasty and cozy like rustic-chic. Choose tablecloths in deep reds and greens, or rich, flannel accents. Use wood slices to elevate food displays, as well as a mix of evergreen and raw branches as centerpieces with dark, warm, cream-colored flowers.

And remember, if you book a Peerspace venue, you likely won’t have to worry about decorating. You can book everything from a blank-slate space to an immaculately decorated venue ready for you and your fellow revelers.

These office party ideas keep the fun going year-round. Check them out!

Choose activities for entertainment

Plan out activities that will bring people together. Add simple but thoughtful entertainment to keep things moving. Make sure you’re able to accommodate as many people’s diverse interests as you can.

Decorate a Christmas tree

Secret Santa and White Elephant exchanges simply aren’t practical for every office. Instead, invite each guest to bring a single ornament to hang on a beautiful artificial tree, then donate the tree to a local charity or group. And don’t forget to find creative ways to involve those employees who don’t celebrate Christmas.

Similarly, invite a local women’s shelter or youth service bureau to provide you with “wish lists” for their clients. Decorate the tree with the wishes, and ask your team to select one or more wishes to fulfill in order to make someone’s holiday brighter.

Dance to live music

You already know that music is necessary, but we’re talking about adding professional dancers to the mix! Bring in a local dance troupe to shake things up and offer on-the-spot lessons. Hip hop, swing, samba — there are endless incredibly fun, and surprising possibilities.

Rent a photo booth

This trend is still going strong, and the very best vendors are keeping things fresh and fun with imaginative props and backdrops. Rent a booth with a magic mirror, digital elements, or a glamour filter.

Enjoy an outdoor cocktail hour

It’s the holiday season! Serve varieties of gooey s’mores and grilled mini hot dogs on sticks with a dot of mustard. Stock the bar with to-go thermoses of hot cocoa and spiked (or not) cider.

Line the space with torches; in fact, if your venue allows, fill the terrace — or even the parking lot — with fire rings and have guests cook their hors d’oeuvres to order.

Top it off with a giveaway of flannel wraps for every gift. They’re incredibly simple to make: purchase bolts of flannel at the fabric store, cut them to size, roll and tie them with twine, then stack them in wooden apple crates.

Our corporate Christmas party entertainment guide has even more winning ideas!

Choose what food and drink to serve

The very best part — and sometimes the most overwhelming — is selecting the perfect festive food for your holiday party! Bars and buffet stations are the easiest way to accommodate a variety of taste preferences, keeping guests up and mingling.

Indulge in a warm drinks bar

Carafes of coffee, hot cocoa, and special teas are an absolute necessity. Make it festive by adding bowls of fresh whipped cream, citrus zest, crushed candy canes, mini chocolate and caramel chips, and tiny marshmallows. Arm an attendant with a variety of liquors for those who’d like an extra warm-up.

Charm your guests with a Southern culinary experience

Fight the cold with sweet and savory Southern cuisine! Enjoy pulled pork BBQ, brisket, small plates of shrimp & grits next to a tiny pillow of collard greens, and desserts of individual bourbon bread pudding and caramel pecan pies. As condiments, provide assorted hot sauces ranging in heat for the brave and not-so.

Warm up with a chili and fondue bar

Fill tureens with beef and bean chili, white chicken chili, and a vegetarian option; add fondue pots with beer and cheese fondue, as well as authentic Swiss fondue. Provide large mugs with handles and small plates for assorted bread and other items for dipping — but, really, bread is going to be the most popular. After all, it’s a delicious guilty pleasure.

Holiday party planning tips: conclusion

Hopefully, these holiday party planning tips have you looking forward to partying with your colleagues. With the right inspiration, and the perfect Peerspace venue, you’re sure to create a memorable, thoughtful event. When it comes to company morale and team bonding, the payoff couldn’t be bigger!

Find unique holiday party venues on Peerspace

Anyone who’s ever planned their company’s holiday party knows it’s no piece of cake — especially, when that company is over a thousand people like Dropbox. To find out how to plan a successful holiday party for a growing company like Dropbox, we turned to their Manager of Events and Experiences, Lauren Lee, to get her planning tips.

While logistics are important, Lauren’s top priority is to make each holiday party uniquely different from years past. Whether that be the DIY mashed potato bar or built-in after party, Lauren shares her secrets so you can make this year’s company holiday party an A+.  

Location and venue considerations

Capacity, location, and sound ordinances are the first things to consider. Then you’ll want to understand what comes with the venue. Are AV built-in and included? Is there in-house food and beverage? You’ll need the answers to these questions as you build out your budget to be able to breakdown the venue fee.

In San Francisco, the number one priority is finding a space that is unique. This is especially true if you work for a rapidly growing company because you don’t want to miss out on a really fun space that you’ll no longer fit into the following year. The most unique venue Dropbox has booked was at AT&T Park! 

Book this historic downtown landmark for your holiday party.

Important questions to ask:

1. What is the purpose of the holiday party? It could be to celebrate a year well done or come together.
2. What makes for a successful event? Does a 90% attendance rate = an A-? Or will you send out a feedback survey and a 9+ score means it was a success based on a 1-10 scale? Your team should agree on this answer.  

Budget breakdown

It varies a lot but I’d say something along the lines of 5-10% for the venue, 40% for food and beverage, 15% for design and decorations, 25% for activities and entertainment, and the remaining 10% is likely made up of operational costs, photography, additional staffing, supplies. Also, always make sure to buffer for contingency.

If the venue includes food and beverage, décor, in-house AV, etc. the distribution will be very different. It truly depends on the location and overall experience you’re looking for. I tend to go pretty heavy on the food because I like my guests to have full bellies and never want anyone to leave hungry!

Book this bright event space for your holiday party. 

Food and beverage

It’s best to start with the venue’s preferred supplier list to get quotes and menu drafts. My most memorable dish was a potato bar. We had a mashed potato bar with all the toppings — I was in heaven!

When choosing food and beverage, I’m fortunate to have worked with internal food and beverage teams, so I tend to defer to them. I’m never afraid to ask for second opinions and advice though! Sometimes, we’ll bring in bartenders for events. It’s typically about a one bartender to 100 guest ratio with additional or less depending on bar locations and passed drinks.

Music  

Ideally, we try to have a mixture of entertainment. If it’s feasible in the venue space, we’ll build separate areas with different music. When choosing the DJ, we’ve gotten some really great referrals from friends and coworkers. I’ve also worked closely with an entertainment production company that has a lot of great relationships with musical artists. They’ve been incredibly helpful because they’re able to work with artists who they know will already be in the area — this cuts down costs quite a bit!

Advice for other event planners

I’m always giddy with excitement when I find that I want to work with the other vendors that are scheduled to be in the same space leading up to my event or following — this could mean no setup time or breakdown, and the vendor is likely to cut you a better deal for more business. It’s a win-win for everyone!  

Explore the most unique holiday party venues in your city.