What goes into a successful Christmas party? In order to host a truly memorable Yule tide event, full of Christmas cheer and eggnog, there are several things you can do.

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail so early preparation is absolutely key to success. Many venues around London will get booked well in advance of the Christmas holidays so for your own peace of mind, book early. But before booking, you need to decide on exactly what sort of venue you want. There is a multitude of different venues in the capital so you’ll have to work out a few important points such as number of people, your location budget and the sort of space you think will be most suitable, and then get looking.

The number of attendees is going to greatly affect your choice of venue and the tone of the party itself. You don’t want a massive cacophonous hall if only a few people turn up, similarly you can’t have hundreds of people crammed into a tight space all clambering over each other to get to the canapes. A lot of venues in and around London can cater for flexible capacities so if you expect your numbers to fluctuate throughout the evening you can explain this to the venue managers who will do their best to accommodate you. Some locations even have moveable walls to accommodate the right numbers of people.

Different events require different venues. Your Christmas Party will probably involve a lot of decoration to give it that snow-kissed seasonal look so keep this at the forefront of your mind when you’re researching a location. Consider issues such as, could you easily transform the space into the atmosphere you want? Is the venue friendly to some additional interior design? And does the venue management provide any additional help in the decoration of the space for your perfect Christmas party?

Your budget is going to dictate a lot of your decisions when planning your Christmas party so be well aware of what you’re spending on your choice of venue and does it leave room for additional expenses such as winter themed decor, projectors, audio/visual equipment and lighting? Enquire about discount rates for large numbers of guests or if the venue offers dinner, bed and breakfast deals for those staying over.

Finally you must carefully consider the practicalities of the venue, features like parking and accessibility. Is it clearly signposted or will you need to provide people with a map? Accessibility needs to be considered not just for your able bodied guests, but do you have any disabled attendees as your venue will need to be wheelchair friendly for them. It’s always best to check the potential venue in the proverbial flesh as you’ll get a much better idea of its contours and whether you can imagine your Christmas party being a success in the space.

John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including London conference centres and party venues. For more on this see Chelsea Bluewing http://bluewing.chelseafc.com/