Perhaps you volunteered to organise the office party in a moment of insanity, or maybe you just drew the short stick and were forced into the position against your will; whatever the case, you probably realise that you’re in for a bigger challenge than you had originally anticipated. Before you decide to hit your head against a wall and stay knocked out until Christmas is over, read this article and take heart. We’ve listed what we consider the ten most important tips to help you organise an office party; your party may be such a success, you’ll be begged to head it up next year too!

1. Organise a Team: The first thing to do is realise that you can’t single-handedly take on everything—and no one expects you to. Write out a list of everything that needs to be done and then ask people to help you out. Be warned that you should only ask people who are trust-worthy and will be able to fulfil their obligations. If there is someone who wants to help but doesn’t really fit the bill as being committed, assign them a job that is less important; if they don’t go through with it, it won’t be a national tragedy.

2. Ask Others for Input: Other people have good ideas to and might come up with things you had never even thought about. Let co-workers contact you with suggestions; if you don’t have time to talk with everyone, pass out an email address that they can write to or construct a suggestion box that they can use.

3. Find a Festive Party Spot: Some times the office isn’t the best spot to have a party. While your budget may not allow you to rent out something expensive, there are many places that you can use for little to no money. If you attend church, check to see if they would let you use the fellowship hall or gym for your party.

4. Stick to the Budget: Find out exactly how much you can spend on the party and work hard to stick to your budget. While this may involve cutting back on some of the frills, you can still host a great party for a small amount of money. Buying cheap napkins over those that are designer made isn’t a big deal if it avoids a fight with those in charge of the money.

5. To Cater or Not to Cater: Finding a restaurant that caters can be an expensive and exasperating process. Instead of having catered food, you might ask co-workers to each bring a dish of their favourite food. If no one feels up to fixing food, just have everyone bring a plate of cookies or desert to share.

6. Decide on a Mutually Good Date: While you can’t schedule the party around everyone else, you can take the obligations of others into consideration. For instance, if half of your co-workers have children in basketball, you might not choose to have the party during the night of a game.

7. Make Sure Everyone Knows: Be certain that you have plenty of fliers and invitations to go around. Everyone needs to know about your upcoming party and have a chance to attend. Invitations should be sent and fliers put up several weeks in advance so that attendees can find a babysitter and arrange around other activities.

8. Guests or No Guests: Decide if co-workers can bring guests with them or not and then let everyone knows. You might want it the party to just include those in the office, or you could let them bring a spouse or even the whole family.

9. Host a Dry Party: Having alcoholic drinks at a party can be a big mistake; not only could guests become uncontrollable, but they might also have an accident driving home. In an effort to keep things safe, provide drinks like sparkling grape juice or punch instead of alcohol.

10. Provide Music: There’s nothing like music to put people into the holiday mood. While you may not be able to provide guests with a live band, you can still come up with festive music using a CD player. Be sure to have a wide variety of music available and change it often since few people enjoy the same genres.

By letting others help you, keeping it simple, and considering others, you’re certain to have a hit party that everyone will enjoy!

This article was contributed by James who reviews business equipment at Office Kitten.

Tags | Business, Christmas, New Year, Office, Party