The Ultimate Experience team are experts when it comes to making the most of a party budget. We caught up with them to find out how you can organise Christmas celebrations that won’t cost the Earth.
- Use an online invitation system such as paperlesspost.com, combined with a free online registration system such as eventbrite.com to send beautiful invitations, track responses and manage your guest list at minimal cost.
- Add a more professional tone to this year’s Christmas party by including an awards presentation. You’ll celebrate success, thank your staff and motivate the team at the same time.
- When looking for a venue ask if lighting, pa systems, furniture, cloakroom staff, security and hostesses are included in the cost of hire. You will be amazed at the number of venues that charge for these things.
- We all want to serve Champagne at our Christmas parties – but this can be a costly option, especially when decent sparking wines such as Prosecco are just as good.
- Tap water in jugs rather than bottled water is not only environmentally sound, it’s also completely free.
- Break away from the usual seated dinner and choose canapés and standing bowl food instead – a far more relaxed option.
- If you don’t want to appear too ostentatious then serving beer or wine at a reception is absolutely fine.
- A Christmas party doesn’t necessarily require a DJ. Choose a shared event where DJs are included in the price, or cut costs by creating your own playlist using programmes such as iTunes or Spotify.
- Every company has a maximum annual tax allowance for staff entertainment of £150 inc. VAT per person. Surely it’s more efficient to spend this money on motivating and entertaining your team than to simply give it away to the tax man?
