How to Find a Christmas Party Venue Without the Stress

Planning a Christmas party for your company should be exciting. But finding the right corporate Christmas party venue can quickly become another job on an already long to-do list.

You need to find somewhere that works for your numbers, budget and location, check availability, compare packages, work out what is actually included and make sure the venue suits the kind of Christmas party you have in mind.

And if you're starting your search later in the year, you may also find that some of the most popular Christmas party venues are already getting booked up.

The good news? It doesn't have to be stressful.

Here are some things to think about when looking for a corporate Christmas party venue, plus a few ways to make the whole process easier.

Start with the basics

Before you start searching for Christmas party venues, it helps to have a rough idea of what you're looking for.

You don't need every detail decided, but try to establish:

• How many people are attending?
• Where do you want the party to be?
• What is your budget per person or overall?
• What date or dates could work?
• Do you want a sit-down Christmas dinner, a Christmas party with a buffet, or something more informal?
• Do you need accommodation?
• Will you need entertainment, a DJ or dancing?
• Are there any dietary, accessibility or other requirements to consider?

Having these basics makes it much easier to narrow down the options.

It also means you're less likely to fall in love with a venue that looks perfect online, only to discover that it doesn't work for your numbers or budget.

Think about your location

Location is one of the biggest considerations when choosing a corporate Christmas party venue.

If employees are travelling from different offices or locations, somewhere central with good transport links may be important. If everyone is based locally, you may have more flexibility.

It's also worth thinking about how people will get home afterwards.

Is the venue close to a train station? Are there hotels nearby? Is there parking? Will taxis be readily available?

A beautiful venue isn't necessarily the right venue if half your guests are wondering how they're going to get home at the end of the night!

Don't just compare the headline price

One of the trickiest parts of comparing Christmas party venues is working out what you're actually getting for your money.

A venue might advertise a Christmas party package at one price, while another venue appears more expensive but includes considerably more.

Check exactly what is included. For example:

• Arrival drinks
• Canapés
• Three-course meal or buffet
• Wine or drinks with dinner
• Christmas crackers
• DJ or entertainment
• Room hire
• Christmas decorations
• Tea and coffee
• Late-night food
• Accommodation

Also check whether VAT, service charges or other fees are included.

Looking at the overall package rather than just the price per person will give you a much better idea of which venues fit your budget.

Consider what sort of Christmas party you actually want

Not every Christmas party needs to be a traditional three-course dinner followed by a DJ.

There are plenty of different options, including:

• Christmas dinners in hotels
• Private dining rooms
• Exclusive-use venues
• Restaurants
• Christmas party nights
• Country houses
• City-centre event spaces
• Private clubs
• Unusual or alternative Christmas party venues

Think about the atmosphere you want your event to have.

Are you looking for something smart and sophisticated? Relaxed and informal? A big party with dancing? Somewhere that feels a little different?

Knowing the experience you want to create can be just as useful as knowing your budget.

Check availability before getting too attached

Christmas dates can disappear surprisingly quickly, particularly for popular venues and Fridays and Saturdays in December.

If you have a specific date in mind, it's worth checking availability before spending too much time researching a venue.

And if your date is flexible, say so.

Being able to consider a Thursday rather than a Friday, or a date in November rather than December, can open up many more options.

Don't forget accommodation

If your Christmas party is being attended by people travelling from different locations, accommodation can be an important part of the planning.

Some hotels offer Christmas party packages with bedrooms, while other venues may have hotels nearby.

If you need bedrooms, ask about availability and rates at the same time as the party. You don't want to find the perfect venue only to discover that there are no suitable rooms left nearby.

Finding the right Christmas party venue doesn't have to be a one-person job

This is where using a corporate Christmas party venue finder can make things much easier.

Instead of searching through dozens of websites, contacting venues individually and comparing different packages yourself, a venue finding service can do the legwork for you.

At Ginkgo Events, you tell us what you're looking for - your numbers, location, budget, date and the sort of Christmas party you have in mind - and we search for suitable venues.

We can then come back to you with options that fit your requirements, rather than leaving you to work through a huge list of venues yourself.

And because we work with venues across the UK, we're not tied to one particular hotel group or venue. That means we can look at a broad range of options and find somewhere that genuinely suits your event.

What does a Christmas party venue finder cost?

At Ginkgo Events, our corporate Christmas party venue finding service is free to you.

If your event goes ahead, the venue pays us a commission. This is part of the way many venues work with venue finding agencies and doesn't mean you pay an additional venue finding fee.

In return, you get someone to search for venues, compare options and help with the process - without adding another cost to your Christmas party budget.

Let us take one thing off your Christmas party to-do list

Christmas party planning can be fun, but finding the venue doesn't need to take hours of your time.

If you know roughly what you're looking for, we can start the search and come back with suitable corporate Christmas party venues for you to consider.

Whether you're planning a small team Christmas dinner, a large company Christmas party or something somewhere in between, we'd be happy to help.

Get in touch with Ginkgo Events to start your free Christmas party venue search - and let us take one thing off your to-do list.