Now is the time to book for party nights

Okay, you may not have recovered from your summer holiday yet, but now is the ideal time to start planning your Christmas night out.

Hotels and restaurants are starting to advertise their Christmas party packages on offer with discounts to be had.

As anyone who has ever had to organise an office Christmas party knows, it pays to get started with your planning as early as you can.

So, use this time while everyone else is busy talking about summer holidays to start thinking ahead to where and when you want to have your Christmas party this year.

In particular you need to start thinking about where you will hold this year’s festive bash.

The right venue can make or break your office party and make it a night to remember, or one your colleagues would rather forget.

And it does no harm to start ringing around and making enquiries now.

Most likely venues would welcome you making an early booking rather than having to turn you away because you left it too late.

Holding your party in the office might be cheaper, but trying to turn even a modern, well-designed office into a cheery Christmas party venue is likely to see it ending up looking like a school disco.

And it’s hard to shake off the worries and stresses of work when you’re still in the workplace.

On the other side of the coin, do you really want your staff to let their hair down in the office, with all the consequences if things get a little out of hand?

Getting a good idea of the numbers attending will help you decide on the size of the venue or venues you should be looking at.

If it’s a large party you might want to book an all-in-one function room.

A small party and you’re probably looking at a restaurant table followed by a trip to a bar or club.

Location is key and you want to make sure that, a) it’s easy for everyone to get to, and b) it’s big enough to fit your crowd in.

Think about whether you want lots of places for people to sit down or a big dance floor, and do you want casual or formal.

If it’s in a town or city centre you can usually leave it up to individuals to make their own way home.

If you’re having an out-of-town party, you may need to arrange for a coach or even to provide accommodation.

If any of your colleagues or contacts can recommend a venue, listen to their advice.

The chances are that the success will be repeated.

Whatever venue you choose, ask around for first-hand recommendations before you book.

So now that your summer holiday is a distant memory, be smart and start thinking about Christmas celebrations.