Whoever gets handed the holiday party usually gets it in October, with a budget that was set in January. Here is how to pull off a good one without the scramble, drawn from the company events we host every December.
Book the date before you do anything else
December Fridays and Saturdays are the first dates to go at every venue in town. If your team wants a weekend night, check availability now. If you can hold the party on a weekday evening, you get the weekday rate of $595 instead of $999, and your people are more likely to be free. Our calendar shows what is still open.
Work the budget per person
The venue is the easy part of the math. Take the rental and divide it by your headcount. For 120 people at $595, the room is about $5 a head, including tables, chairs, the kitchen, the stage, and parking. That leaves nearly all of your budget for food, drink, and whatever makes the night memorable.
Food is the big line. Rough guides that hold up in Hutchinson:
- Heavy appetizers and a drink ticket keeps things casual and keeps costs down.
- A buffet dinner is the most common choice and the easiest to serve to a large group.
- A plated dinner feels formal and costs more in staffing; it suits a smaller leadership dinner.
Because we have no required vendors, you can use any caterer or restaurant in town, and you set the bar plan yourself.
Give the night a shape
The parties people enjoy have a loose structure: arrive and mingle for 30 to 45 minutes, eat, then 15 to 20 minutes of program, then the fun part. Keep the program short. Thank the team, hand out a few awards, and let the owner or manager say something real about the year.
Our 25′ × 16′ stage puts whoever is speaking where everyone can see them. The $149 A/V package adds the sound system, wireless microphones, and a drop-down screen for a year-in-review slideshow or a team video. Nothing kills a program faster than a speaker nobody can hear, so budget for the mic.
Plan the room
For a dinner-and-program format, round tables of eight facing the stage work best. Leave open floor near the entrance for mingling and a clear path to the buffet line and the kitchen. If dancing is on the agenda, the $395 dance floor goes in front of the stage. If you would rather not spend your afternoon arranging tables, our team will set the room to your plan and tear it down for $249.
Small things that make it feel considered
- Name a dress code on the invitation, even if it is just “festive casual.” People want to know.
- Plan something for spouses and partners if they are invited. A photo spot and a small gift pull go a long way.
- Set an end time and arrange rides. It protects your people and your company.
- Hand out the awards early, while everyone is still seated and paying attention.
Timing checklist
- October: pick the date and book the venue. Choose the caterer.
- Early November: send the invitation with an RSVP deadline. Order awards or gifts.
- Late November: final headcount to the caterer. Confirm A/V and the slideshow.
- Two weeks out: venue balance is due. Walk the room and finalize the layout.
- The day: arrive early, set the room or let us do it, test the mic, and enjoy it.