Restaurantware's Guide To Hosting The Perfect Office Holiday Party: 6 Tips For A Seamless Celebration From Start To Finish

‘Tis the season for office holiday parties! At Restaurantware, we believe office parties should be designed to maximize convenience, without compromising on style.

That’s why we’ve created this easy-to-follow guide. With these six crucial tips, you’ll find everything you need to streamline your party planning - and after you've finished reading, you can find all of the party supplies you'll need to succeed at Restaurantware. Let's get started.

1. Set A Timeline To Keep Your Party Prep On Schedule

It's not a secret. The easiest way to ensure that your company's holiday party goes off without a hitch is to be prepared and plan ahead.

• Establish a budget. Setting the budget for your company's holiday party is one of the first steps your should accomplish, because it will dictate the rest of your decision-making process. Make an event budget that includes everything you'll need and also accounts for any additional expenses that may arise.

• Appoint an Office Holiday Party Coordinator to take charge of all your party planning efforts. Choose someone that is great at organizing and delegating tasks. After all, they’ll be your holiday party point person to handle all of the event's planning, organizing, and executing.
• Decide on the type of holiday party. Visualize what you would like your company's holiday party to look like. Are you picturing a formal affair or something a little more relaxed? What about the setting and venue? You could choose to host the party on-site, or you could take it somewhere off-site. Consider the time of day. Does scheduling your party during work hours or after work hours suit your company's needs the best?
• Create an event timeline to manage stress and expectations. First, you'll want to break down your event into a list of individual tasks that will need to be completed. Next, make a schedule with corresponding deadlines to streamline your planning efforts. We're using the cheat sheet pictured below to stay on track for our annual holiday party at Restaurantware.

Start figuring out the basics a month in advance and begin finalizing the details - like stocking up on disposable cups and plates about two weeks before the party.

2. Keep The Cleanup To A Minimum Without Sacrificing Style Using Restaurantware's Disposable Tableware

Convenience is key. Keep it simple - and skip anything that needs to go in the dishwasher, if at all possible. You can easily ensure a stress-free office holiday party by minimizing your event’s cleanup and choosing disposable tableware and drinkware options.

But please, for the sake of all things jolly, can we agree not to use styrofoam plates? They’re more or less the Grinch of disposable plates.

The finishing touches will make all of the difference when it comes to the perceived quality of your event, so you'll also want to avoid those ubiquitous red plastic cups. Instead, opt for something a little more elegant.

Consider choosing disposable plates made from eco-friendly materials like bamboo or palm leaves to give your party a rustic meets winter wonderland feel.

If you’re interested in a little more glitz and glamour, then choose single-use plastic plates with realistic-looking metallic details.

The Supplies You Should Have On Hand:

• Two different sizes of disposable plates. Smaller plates for those who want to grab a few appetizers and mingle - and larger plates for those who’d prefer to serve themselves a plate and sit down to enjoy it.
• Plenty of disposable forks, spoons, and knives.
• Serving utensils including things such as appetizer skewers, serving tongs, serving spoons, and cake servers. Choose disposable serving utensils made from bamboo for an eco-friendly and hassle-free option.
• Cocktail napkins to serve alongside hors d'oeuvres and with beverages.
• Dinner napkins are better suited for serving alongside meals and larger plates of food.
• Disposable cocktail glasses to pour liquor-based cocktails like margaritas, mojitos, and punches.
• Disposable wine glasses will prevent the hazard of broken glass without compromising on look and feel.
• Disposable beverage glasses are ideal for serving beers, sodas, and other refreshments.

3. Send Invitations That Answer Questions Before They Arise

The easiest way to guarantee a seamless holiday party is to clearly outline what employees can expect - so that they can then plan and act accordingly.

Best Practices For Office Holiday Party Invitations

Include the dress code. Answering this commonly asked question will clear up any confusion employees may have as to how they should arrive.

• Cocktail or Semi-Formal: The most popular choice for after-work holiday parties, cocktail or semi-formal attire (sometimes also referred to as “festive”) lets employees know that they can dress to impress.
• Work-Appropriate or Business Attire: If you’re hosting your holiday party during office hours, work-appropriate or business attire is the best bet. This lets employees know that their typical office attire is an excellent option.
• Business Casual: Business casual denotes a slightly more relaxed take on the aforementioned work-appropriate or business attire. This is a great option if you’re hosting your party during work hours and your typical office dress code falls under business casual - or if you’re hosting an after-work happy hour that doesn’t quite call for cocktail dresses or suits.
• Formal or Black Tie: Choose formal or black tie attire if your company’s holiday party is going to be a very dressy and formal affair. It’s important to make sure that the dress code you choose matches the ambiance and setting of your holiday party.

Address the plus-one policy. Clearing up your plus-one policy will avoid confusion and eliminate awkward situations. An easy way to cover this? Include it in the first line of your invitation:

• “You and a guest are invited…” denotes that you'd like to invite the employee and any friend, roommate, significant other, or otherwise of their choosing.
• “You and your significant other are invited…” clearly states that you'd like to invite the employee and their significant other.
• “You are invited...” is the correct wording to use when you'd like your office holiday party to be employees only, without any plus-ones.

4. Impose A Stress-Free Solution For Serving Drinks

Open bar? Cash bar? Which should you choose? You want to provide a fun environment for employees to relax and enjoy themselves - but you’ve also heard the horror stories of overindulgence at office parties.

How can you impose restrictions to limit your liability without putting a strain on the relationship you have with your employees?

The Best Policy For Serving Alcohol At Work Events

1. Consider the benefits of hiring a bartender. Having a trained professional behind the bar drastically reduces the sticky situations that can arise if employees happen to overindulge. Clearly instruct the bartender to restrict service to anyone who appears inebriated.
2. Combine the benefits of an open bar and a cash bar without any of the drawbacks. Implementing a drink ticket policy allows you to provide employees with a set number of complimentary drinks before reverting to a cash bar once their drink tickets have been redeemed.
3. Provide an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages to take some of the focus off of the alcoholic offerings. Pack your holiday party with a hearty mixture of activities, team-building exercises, and entertainment to shift the emphasis from alcohol to company culture.
4. Assign managers and party coordinators to keep an eye out for any employees who may have had a little too much to drink. Always ensure there are safe transportation options available for employees to utilize.
5. Skip the glassware. Instead, opt for disposable plastic drinkware to eliminate the hazards of broken glass. There are plenty of elegant disposable drinkware options available - allowing you to create a safe environment without sacrificing on sophistication.

5. Provide A Variety Of Food Options & Cater To Dietary Restrictions

Consider hosting your office's holiday party during an extended lunch break, or re-purposing the latter half of a Friday afternoon into a holiday-themed cocktail hour complete with miniature appetizers.

• Let the theme of your party dictate the type of menu you'll serve. Less formal holiday parties will generally serve a selection of easy-to-grab appetizers to encourage mingling and socialization. More formal holiday parties will also typically serve a selection of passed appetizers, but will primarily revolve around a sit-down dinner.

• Ensure your company's holiday party has a wide selection of food that can accommodate any dietary restrictions. Provide an array of hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, and entrees that are appropriate for vegetarians, vegans, and those with nut, shellfish, dairy, gluten, or other common allergies.
• Meet with your caterer to discuss options and build a menu that is delicious, suited to your event, and reminiscent of the holiday season. Based on the number of guests you'll have in attendance, your caterer will be able to present you with different menu options that fall within your budget.

6. Reinforce Morale And Show Employees Gratitude With Personalized Party Favors

Even the smallest of gestures leaves a lasting impression - and goes a long way towards creating pride and promoting company culture. Depending on the size of your company, you may choose to give employees cash bonuses, gift cards, or other tokens of your appreciation.

In addition, putting together some personalized party favors to distribute as employees leave your office holiday party will go a long way in reinforcing your appreciation and generating goodwill.

For easy and cost-effective party favors, fill Restaurantware's plastic favor boxes with a selection of candies and treats.

How will your company be preparing for the annual holiday party?

Which of Restaurantware's tips will you follow to ensure a seamless celebration from start to finish? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Shop for the party supplies you need to throw an unforgettable office holiday party at Restaurantware.