Christmas Party Tip No 6!

"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"


Our sixth tip to ensure a successful Christmas party relates to the seating plan!

Christmas parties are all about having fun and talking to people you perhaps don't get the chance to on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it is essential that you have a well thought out table plan. It can often make or break a dinner! You can ensure success by:

• Allocating a host for each table - make sure this is someone that can get the table going!
  
• Mixing up departments so that department colleagues don't sit next to each other
• Trying to have a fairly even number of males and females
  
• Ensuring each table has a mix of staff from the most senior to the junior
• Perhaps asking people to move two places to their left/right after the main course

How do people find out which table they are sitting on?

• Traditional seating plan on an easel. However, if you have a lot of people this can often cause a hold-up when people are called for dinner because everyone tries to crowd around the easel to find their table number.
• Seated-at cards. Instead of the easel, you can produce business card size cards which have the persons name on and their table number. Guests pick these up at a registration desk when they first arrive. There are a couple of advantages to doing it this way:-
• You can see how many people are still left to arrive
• It avoids people crowding round an easel
• Last minute changes can be made a lot easier

We hope that you are finding our Christmas tips useful! Watch out for our next tip coming soon...

T: 01628 891886 / 07958 734383
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
W: www.charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 5!

"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"





Our fifth Christmas tip is regarding flowers!

With flower arrangements getting ever more expensive, it is worth noting the following:-

• Florists are busier than ever, especially at Christmas, therefore it is essential that you book your florist well in advance.
• If your budget is tight, try to choose flowers that are in season - this will make it considerably cheaper than those that have to be shipped in from far and wide.
• Low table centrepieces are 99% of the time cheaper than high ones.
• If your budget is tight, try to use vases that the florist has in stock.
  
• Try to book a florist local to your event - this will save on excessive transport costs.
• Remember that these days there are many ways in which to make your arrangements stand out - your florist will be able to advise you of all the ideas. Coloured water, fruit, ribbon and other props are just the start....
• Discuss an appropriate pick up time with your florist and the venue. Often the space will be booked out back-to-back for another event, so it is essential that the pickup time is pre-arranged.
• If you are having tall flower arrangements, ensure that the stem of the vase is thin enough to allow guests to see each other from across the table.
  
• Ask your florist to do a mock-up of the arrangement for you to see before the event. This will ensure that no viewing obstructions (as per the point above) occur. It will also help you to plan all the other creative elements of the event (table linen, glassware etc).
• Take a photo of the mock-up flower arrangement. Should you have any problems with the flowers on the night, you will have this photo to compare against.

Charlotte Aikman Marketing and Events has an extensive list of reliable suppliers that deliver to the highest standard. If you are struggling to find a someone to help with your needs, why not give us a call to see where we can help and what we advise.

T: 01628 891 886 / 07958 734383
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
W: www.charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 4!

"On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!"





Our fourth tip is all about the entertainment!

Unless you are having a very formal dinner, relaxed and fun entertainment usually works best.

A magician....
Why not try having a magician who can mingle amongst guests during drinks? If you find a good magician who works with their audience well, it is a relatively inexpensive yet novel way of entertaining people.

Later on you will probably want to have some sort of music so that people can dance - a live band or a dj?

A live band....
A live band is fantastic, but when booking look carefully at the amount of time they will actually play. Usually bands take a break half way through so you need to ensure you have some other form of music during this time. Often the band will put some music on, but double-check. It is also worth asking them to send you a CD of them playing and their playlist before you sign on the dotted line. This way you can ensure that they cover the eras most suited to your group of people.

A tribute band....
There are some fantastic tribute bands around, but there are also some not so great ones! I would definitely suggest using a recommendation if you would like one. They are a great way of carrying a party theme through all elements of the event though.

A dj....
There are many dj's around so as with as with the bands, it is worth going with a recommendation. Generally dj's play a wider variety of music than live bands (but not always of course!) but it is worth stressing the type of music/era that you will want at the party.

Dj's are normally happy to take requests on the night, which is often good for a big group of people with varied taste. You can normally please everyone that way!

There are many more exciting forms of entertainment around. If you would like any supplier recommendations or just some more novel ideas, why not give us a call to see what we can come up with?

T:01628 891886 / 07958 734383
e: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
www.charlotteaikman.com