With just over six weeks left until Christmas, now is the time where the office manager or assistant gets passed the royal duty of organising the Family Christmas Party for the company..sound familiar?
There is a lot to take into consideration; Do you host the party at the actual office, do you invite parents, what about the people without kids? Well…the answer is there is no right or wrong way to do it. The only thing we would advise is that you take into consideration the below points.
We have hosted Corporate Kids Parties for some well known brands including; Sony, KPMG, De Beers Jewellery, Hawaii, JWT, Bank of America, Avis and many more. The reason we continue to get asked back is due to our experience and also our ability to plan/be flexible and work with our clients and their specific needs on the day.
Don’t get us wrong…the kids christmas party is always fun but the lead up can be stressful and with the MD’s family coming and their little 4 year old who doesn’t like anyone…we have got your back!
Feedback from a past client:
“Just a very quick note to say a huge thank you to you and the team for an outstanding party. You did a brilliant job – everyone I spoke to commented on how fantastic the entertainers were.The event was a great success and I’m sure we’ll be in touch for future events (not least of all my children’s own parties) – you made a tough job look very easy! All the kids of all ages seemed to have a great time and I’m very grateful – I’ve never seen my son so happy to be wrapped in toilet paper before… it’s a good look on him! Please thank your team – they were all great. ” KPMG, London, UK
Feedback from a past client: “Great news. We had fantastic feedback about you and your team and we would be keen to work with you again this year.” Avis, Bracknell, UK
Our Top Points:
1.What are you hosting?
– Be clear about whether your party is for the whole of the family of people who work at the office/company or whether you are expecting the parents to drop the kids off and go and have some valuable time away from their kids while the entertainers work their magic. Our top tip – Always invite the whole family (especially if there are children attending under the age of 5) The way we see it is Christmas should be about the family and if you are hosting this party to say thank you to your team for all their hard work, by inviting their partners and children you are also saying thank you to them. It is also nice for the whole family to see the kids enjoy themselves.
2.Get the entertainment right
– Unless you want to be on your hands and knees colouring with “little Johnny” who ends up hitting you… get the specialist help in. We don’t tell accountants how to file for VAT so don’t try and take on 50 x 3 – 6 year olds (even if it is just for an hour) trust us..we have had phone calls on the day before from people who have tried to do it themselves and let’s just say…it wasn’t going well. Entertainers work their magic while you sit back and watch and enjoy is a far more appealing image and more likely to go well.
3.Try and get a feel for who is coming and the age range
– General rule; under 3’s don’t leave their parents arms for long so entertainment should be aimed at +3 – 8 year olds. Any children over 9 years are normally either glued to their favourite screen or interested in slightly different entertainment. Get the age range right and you are onto a winner. NB. if you have children attending who are under 3 this isn’t a problem but prepare the parents that they will have to keep a close eye on their little ones as the games/prizes etc. may not be suitable for their age range. If you have children attending + 9 years, again no problem but warn your entertainment company so they can get some suitable activities running for them.
4.Do kids like themed entertainment? 100% yes. We have had clients in the past say they don’t think the entertainers should be dressed up and we always recommend that you have an Elf or similar. Kids react well to the costumes and the idea of someone from Lapland! Trust us…we have been doing this for over 23 years. Don’t worry, it isn’t you that has to dress up..however we had a whole board team dress up once and it went down very well with the whole company and the children.
5. What about Food? General rule
– if the kids are attending your party over a lunch/tea time period they will need feeding. We can help advise on the best brands/best ways to cater for your young party goers. We generally see lots of party boxes with a couple sandwiches in, some fruit etc. and of course different dietary requirements catered for. We also recommend if you are having parents to watch that you provide some food and drinks for them. We can always advise with the best options depending on your budget/venue.
6. Prices & Availability
– Depending on how many children you are expecting on the day and where your office is based will have an impact on your budget. Availability around Christmas is always hard (we know it is for you too) but generally offices like to run Christmas Parties the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. We have lots of entertainers to choose from so even if it is last minute…let us know! We normally recommend 1 entertainer for every 20-25 kids however the amount of entertainers we send normally depends on the age range and the venue size/scope of the party. Example: For a very large corporate company we hosted last year, we sent a team of 3 entertainers, 1 event manager, 2 assistants and a Father Christmas to ensure EVERY child was involved in the festive fun. There were 100 children and 120 adults.
7. Extras
– We can bring gifts/party bags/glitter tattoos/snow machines/bubble machine…the works! Just let us know what you want. Kids do expect a little gift or something when going to a party. Don’t confuse their party lunch/tea with a gift! 🙂
Feedback from a past client: “The children really enjoyed the party and thought the Snow Fairy was great. Once again the entertainer was brilliant and kept the children thoroughly entertained for 1.5 hours. She arrived when expected and was straight into character. Some parents commented that the overall theme and games she played were excellent, and she seemed to make an effort to call the children by their names. Also, when handing out gifts at the end she checked with the parents if the gifts were suitable.
The event was a great success and I’m sure we’ll be in touch for future events (not least of all my children’s own parties) – you made a tough job look very easy! All the kids of all ages seemed to have a great time and I’m very grateful – I’ve never seen my son so happy to be wrapped in toilet paper before… it’s a good look on him! Please thank your team – they were all great. ” KPMG, London, UK
