Work Christmas Party - best and worst

[ohbutyoulovescarves]

I've just booked a venue for my office of 100 people and want to come up with some ideas to make it extra special. Ive got a good budget so people won't be paying anything towards it, obviously there will be plenty of food and drink but what would you hate to see in terms of entertainment? What things have really worked at Christmas parties you've been to before?

Try they bloody well are! Love my job! Although often there are long hours but we are well rewarded. If any of my colleagues are on MN I'll have made it very obvious.

Sm40 we are indeed London based, I'm just booking tickets for the 90s one at southbank for DH's bday.

I doubt this would work for Christmas but I once organised a 'murder on the Thames' summer party. Hired a boat and did a murder mystery on the boat then afterwards we had a steel band on the top deck.

Totally outing myself. Should have NC.

Anyway the other thing that really helped was funding people's taxis but only if they shared taxis with others that lived nearby (if they weren't near others then we still funded the taxis, but was just avoiding getting everyone their own taxi if a few of them lived within a short distance of each other). Took quite a bit of organising but it worked and attendance was higher.
That's if the party is local to the office and not funding hotels for everyone.

Rainbow everyone will get an allowance for a hotel or a cab anyway which doesn't come out of my budget fortunately!

Here are the details as not in their website, aiming to go soon! Even if you don't get them do have a evening out with a few drinks!
londonbridgecity.co.uk/events

And I'm looking for a job........your work sounds fab!

Laura Lexx is a very funny female comedian and less well know so more likely to be in your price bracket. Saw her do a very funny bit on netball. Milo McCabe as 'Troy Hawke' is hilarious and I don’t think could really offend anyone (apart from Aldi).

ABBA Tribute band

The only remotely tolerable best ones I've been to have been where a small group of us went to a restaurant and ordered a la carte.

Any where there are more than 20 people and which involve a mass-catered Christmas dinner have been awful. Loud music and discos add to the awfulness.

So my suggestions would be keep it quiet and don't have a 'Christmas' dinner - no-one wants to eat inferior turkey and rubbery Christmas pud en masse.

Quiz wins for me every time as I hate he potential for awkward silences with a mix of people. My works do scares me and I rarely go.

I may not (see username) be the most objective of people to answer this, but any form of 'entertainment' would have me developing an unfortunate stomach bug the night before.

Worst by far was the year I got to sit next to the one with the serious drink problem in the restaurant that had booked too many covers at same time.

Kitchen went down, first course took two hours to arrive by which time the place was bedlam and I had to get my train.

So I had paid an absolute fortune - for a salad.

Then they had the nerve to try to charge me an equal share of the drinks bill.

Still at same place but never go out to xmas dinner now.

Sorry just seen. 300 quid a head? A head? That's obscene !

I’m with grinchly
I’m happy with a lunch/ couple of drinks then home.
If I was to go out with 100 people from work I’d hire 1 of the private cinemas and show a Christmas movie with snacks. Sitting in the dark not talking to people is my kind of work do

The day is usually split in two parts anyway, some people go home after the lunch part and then some stay on for the evening party. It's a very generous budget I know but we work in a place that often requires late working to accommodate clients in the US and Canada and lots of business travel.

Can I have a job please? My office is tiny and so dulllll! I miss the days (nights) of unlimited budget Christmas parties when I worked in London (apart from the one with the comedian who did not gauge his audience - still makes me shudder).

I'm bumping this as I'm arranging our xmas do and getting some great ideas.

@SandraOhshair how many are you booking for?

Approx 90, and £45 a head.
Love the projector idea, has made me ask people for their favourite song that gets them on the dancefloor.....

I've started building our slideshow and have been asking people to
send me photos of their best Christmas (as a kid) and will slip some of those photos in between ones of the office.

Can I come and work with you??

I've worked for companies in the past where Christmas parties have been no expense spared...this year, our head of dept has banned us from going on a Christmas Lunch. Our company gives all employees an additional paid 2 hours for Christmas Lunch. But Grinchy McGrinch face has said that our department is not permitted to go for lunch. The Christmas spirit is strong in that one!!

Banned you from going on a lunch? What if you paid for it yourself? Surely they can't ban you from doing that? Christ on a bike, that is so miserly! I've worked places before with no Christmas party and subsidised parties and realise how lucky we are to get spoilt at Xmas where I am now. That said, I've worked till 8pm every week nights for the past two weeks to help meet a deadline but I don't mind because it's not all the time and they feed us if we stay late.

Silent disco works week. People can choose their own music from the selection and the people not dancing can talk without having to shout over music (and laugh at the people dancing)
Selfie photo booth is always popular.

I don't think I have ever really enjoyed a Christmas work do. The nadir was the one when the outdoor clerk called a secretary the N word and we all ended up in the employment tribunal.

I so want to work with you OP. I am constantly nostalgic (if I can be nostalgic for something that happened mainly before I was born) for office Christmas parties!

Everywhere I have worked has had a rubbish one, downside of working mainly in the 3rd sector. I would appreciate loads of Christmas decs, festive food and drink, a xmas props photo booth, a christmas quiz and some christmas karaoke!

Do report back and let us know what you end up with!

Yep. We are not allowed to go out as a team for Christmas Lunch, although we can, if we so wish, go out in the evening...

What Grinchy McGrinchface hasn't realised is that everyone is entitled to take 2 hours off - so that's going to open an even bigger can of worms!

Fx I will have a new job by then!!

I can't quite get over the fact that your christmas bash has a £30,000 budget. That's more than most of my office yearly running costs. Sounds luxurious. Decent wine (at least to start with) so no one has to to do the traditional 'wince' face on first drink. You can hire sweet stalls complete (people get them for weddings). Chocolate fountains on the tables after the meals?