A little planning early on will help make the run-up to your Christmas party much more straightforward and stress free. With so much to organise, it helps to tackle things in the right order, starting with the decisions that will shape the rest of your plans.
1. Venue
Your venue is a good place to begin because it gives you the foundations for the rest of the event. Once you know where you’re hosting your party, you’ll have a clearer idea of your capacity, layout, catering and what you can do with the space.
Start by thinking about the kind of evening you want to give your guests. A seated Christmas dinner will have a very different atmosphere from a drinks reception, while a larger party might benefit from having different spaces for dinner, dancing or other activities.
Location, access and timings are worth factoring in too, particularly if guests are travelling from different parts of London.
At Gray’s Inn, our historic spaces can accommodate a range of corporate Christmas events, from drinks receptions and dinners to larger festive celebrations.
2. Date
Now that you have found your venue, you can get your date in the diary.
It’s worth checking your team’s calendar before settling on a date, particularly if there are busy periods or important commitments to work around. If you have some flexibility, keeping a couple of dates in mind can also make coordinating the venue and other suppliers easier.
Confirming your date gives you something concrete to work towards when planning the rest of the evening.
3. Catering
With your venue and event format decided, you can start thinking about how you’d like food and drink to fit into the evening.
Gray’s Inn works with Searcys to provide catering for Christmas events, with options ranging from fine dining Christmas lunches and dinners to canapés and bowl food for more informal celebrations. We can also offer food stations and grazing tables, or work with you on a more bespoke menu for your event.
Drinks can be planned around the format of your party too, whether you’re looking for a drinks package, wine with dinner or something more specific.
Whatever style of catering you choose, make sure dietary requirements are collected with your RSVPs and shared with your caterer when you’re finalising the menu.
4. Entertainment
Once you have an idea of how you want the evening to run, you can start thinking about entertainment.
Gray’s Inn can accommodate a range of options, from DJs and live music to themed entertainment and games. If you’re planning a seated dinner, you could have entertainment take place afterwards, while a drinks reception gives you more opportunity to incorporate entertainment throughout the event.
You can also make use of different spaces to give your evening some variety, whether that’s a separate area for games or activities, or a space for guests to move into after dinner.
If you’re planning speeches, awards or presentations, these can also be incorporated into the running order. Our sales team can advise on the spaces and AV requirements for your plans.
5. Guest List
You don’t need your final guest list before you begin, but an estimated number will help you make some of the bigger decisions.
Think about who you’d like to invite and whether partners or other guests will be included. Your numbers will help determine the room you choose, your catering requirements and how you’ll arrange the tables.
Once invitations are sent, keep track of RSVPs and dietary requirements in one place. Having an up-to-date list will make the final stages much easier, particularly when you’re confirming numbers with your venue and caterer.
6. Planning Timeline
Once the main decisions are in place, you can work through the remaining details at a pace that suits your event.
When you start planning
- Choose your venue
- Confirm your date
- Estimate your guest numbers
- Discuss catering options
- Start looking at entertainment
6–8 weeks before
- Send invitations
- Keep track of RSVPs and dietary requirements
- Confirm your entertainment
- Start planning your table layout and decorations
- Check whether you’ll need AV equipment for speeches or presentations
2–4 weeks before
- Confirm final guest numbers
- Finalise the seating plan
- Confirm timings with the venue and suppliers
- Send through speeches, presentation requirements and other event details
- Check everyone involved has the latest running order
The week of the party
- Confirm the final arrangements with the venue
- Check supplier arrival and access times
- Share the running order with the relevant people
- Communicate any last-minute changes
Planning a Christmas Party?
Whether you’re planning a dinner for your team, a drinks reception or a larger Christmas celebration, our friendly team can help you work through the practical details and find a space that suits your plans.
With historic rooms, catering by Searcys and spaces that can accommodate different event formats, Gray’s Inn offers plenty of scope for a Christmas party that works for your team.
Get in touch today at [email protected] or 020 7458 7960 to start planning.
Photography Credits
Liz Isles
