NYC Christmas party venues

BizBash, the leading media resource for the professional events industry, recently published a great list of new NYC holiday party venues. However, what’s a great venue if you can’t book it for YOUR company’s party?

The Big Apple is a crowded, competitive place, and when it comes to securing NYC Christmas party venues for the office, we New Yorkers have our work cut out for us. Here’s some useful tips for landing the ideal venue for your company’s end of year event:

1.         Start your Venue Search Early – I can’t reiterate this enough. It’s no coincidence that Websites like BizBash and TrivWorks start publishing NYC holiday party resources when summer has barely ended, and that’s because the most desirable venues go quickly. Most companies want to have their office Christmas party in December, and there are only so many available party spaces to go around.

2.         Make a Big, Tiered Venue List – As mentioned above, holiday party venues in NYC are notoriously competitive, and fill up quickly. You’ll want to have a big list of potential places to hold the event, ranking them in order of appeal. This later part is especially important, because…

3          Don’t Pin Your Hopes on Any One Venue – Murphy’s Law is a constant in the events world, and whatever CAN happen, eventually will. This is never more true than when you put your dreams into one specific venue for your office Christmas party, and it falls through.

4.         Go There in Person – We’re ALL busy, and for the person who has been stuck planning the holiday party, it can be a huge burden on top on an already heavy workload. Don’t shirk the need to go out there and actually visit the places you’re considering – this is your time to shine in front of the entire office, and you don’t want to blow it by booking a place that is inadequate or inappropriate.

5.         Set a Realistic Budget – Unless you’re the boss/business owner, if you’re in charge of the party, you are likely working under one of two modes: either you have a set budget you’ve been told you can spend, or you are shopping around for different price points and sending them to the decision maker, who will make the call. Either way, you will need to have a realistic number in mind when venue shopping, because even though this will likely be your biggest expense, there’s still food, drinks, entertainment, transportation, awards and a host of other things to factor into the overall event cost.

6.         Enlist Help – This is a big job, a REALLY big job, and you want it done right. Ask for help in the early stages, especially to assist with any administrative details such as venue research/phone calls, obtaining packages and quotes, and yes even going to the places in person (see above). Unless you’re planning a party for an office of one, there’s no need to go it alone.

7.         Be Creative – This sounds hokey, but especially in NYC, holiday parties can run the gamut when it comes to venues. Yes, you want a great party – but ultimately, you are looking to create a fun, social & memorable experience, designed to reward hard-working staff and get them excited about the year ahead.

Ironically, the perfect New York City Christmas party venues are at the same time both ubiquitous and scarce. However, getting off on the right step will ensure that you secure the best venue for your company holiday party.