How to plan a corporate holiday party: the complete timeline

Everything starts with the date

The venue, the caterer, the DJ, the entertainment: every one of these suppliers works from the same calendar as you, and everyone is chasing the same nights. So the first decision is not the theme or the menu, it is the date. Once it is set, everything else gets booked in order.

December Fridays and Saturdays go first, often as early as the fall. If your organization is set on those nights, September or October is when to lock them in. Otherwise, two options widen the choice considerably:

• A Thursday evening in December: the party keeps its holiday spirit without eating into family weekends.
• A January party: once the December rush is over, venues and suppliers are easier to book, and the team shows up rested rather than worn out by year-end.

The backwards timeline

For a mid-sized office holiday party, this is the order that avoids unpleasant surprises:

• September–October: set the date and the budget, book the venue.
• October: book the caterer, the music and the entertainment — the suppliers in highest demand in December.
• Early November: send invitations with an RSVP deadline. Say whether partners or children are invited.
• Mid-November: finalize the menu, sort out rides home, send your logo and brand guidelines for any custom designs.
• Party week: confirm headcount with every supplier, prepare the run of the evening.
• The day after: share the photos and thank the team while the night is still fresh in everyone's mind.

The budget, item by item

Rather than starting from a per-person amount, list the five items that make up almost every corporate holiday party, then make your trade-offs:

• The venue — or a privately booked restaurant. It often dictates the date and the maximum headcount.
• Food and bar — sit-down dinner, cocktail reception or buffet. The format changes the mood as much as the bill.
• Entertainment — music, games, photo booth. This is the item that decides whether teams mingle or stay in their corners.
• Rides home — taxis, a shuttle or a designated-driver service. A must as soon as there is a bar.
• Keepsakes and decor — gifts, centrepieces, photos of the night.

One rule of thumb: cut the decor before you cut the entertainment. Nobody remembers the centrepieces, but everyone remembers a night when something actually happened.

A holiday party that includes everyone

Not every team celebrates Christmas the same way, and not everyone drinks. A few simple choices make sure no colleague feels out of place:

• call it a holiday party on the invitation, rather than a Christmas party only;
• offer non-alcoholic drinks as carefully chosen as the rest of the bar;
• pick activities people can join without being put on the spot;
• if families are invited, plan a schedule and activities suited to children.

Entertainment: a gathering point, not a show

The real challenge of an office party is not keeping guests busy, it is getting people who don't work together to cross paths. A show is watched from your seat, each at your own table. An activity three or four people join without planning to breaks down the walls between departments.

Team games early in the evening, a quiz about the year gone by, or a photo booth placed between the bar and the room all play that role. We cover five ways to get there in our article 5 ideas to liven up your office party.

What a photo booth takes care of on the night

A photo booth ticks several boxes on this timeline at once. No technician is required: one power outlet, the venue's Wi-Fi, and it is ready in 30 seconds, even in a rented hall. Our designers create a festive filter in your brand colours, delivered within 24 hours of receiving your logo and guidelines. And the rental covers the whole weekend, with no hourly packages.

During the party, carousel mode, included in the base package, projects the photos live on a big screen. Every shot that appears draws in new participants. Our holiday packages are detailed on our Christmas party photo booth page.

After the party: make the night last

A great party carries on into Monday morning. Every guest gets their photos, GIFs and Boomerangs on the spot, by email and QR code. Everything is gathered in a private online gallery, available for 1 year, and a video compilation of the best moments is generated automatically.

Many organizations reuse it for their holiday card, the internal January recap or employer-brand posts. To go further, our guide to the event video compilation explains how to get the most out of it.

What it costs

For a corporate holiday party, the standard package starts at $450 CAD, plus taxes, with pickup at our Saint-Lambert or Quebec City offices. Delivery with setup and pickup adds $175 CAD within about 25 km of either office, and on-site printing $175 CAD more. Elsewhere in Canada, courier or postal delivery is priced in your quote.

Options and delivery areas are detailed on our pricing page.