Finding the venue for a work’s Christmas party in Brighton can be challenging, but organizing travel to and from the venue is just as important and often more challenging. With the different districts of Brighton & Hove, (Brighton, Kemptown, North Laine and the Lanes) you will be hard pressed to find a better selection of bars and venues for a work’s party. The challenges come in organizing travel and ensuring the venue will work for the party.
Some challenges will be determined by the location of your employees. The transportation challenges for a mostly local workforce will not be as great as a workforce where a majority travel from London. If a majority of the employees travel from London the challenges of transport and timing will be even greater. You will need to be sure that the venue is within walking distance of the station and that the employees will be able to get a train home. You will even need to check if there will be engineering works on the line that could close the station and prevent your employees from getting home.
Weekends are a good time to check if there will be closures on the railway to help you plan your event and book your venue. In December of 2022 there will be weekends where the Brighton line will be closed from Friday evening to Monday morning.
Some companies get past this by organizing it as an overnight event. It costs more because you have to pay for the room and covering expenses for the staff for the night, but it means you won’t have 33% of your attendees leaving during dessert.
What about a shared party night? What about your own?
Shared party nights mean less planning. For smaller groups, under 20, it makes sense because they won’t be able to fill their own party night. Larger groups should consider organizing their own party. Even so, read the contracts. Room hire is sometimes offered for free, but there is often a minimum spend. This is usually more during the holiday season and could really cut into your party budget.
Make sure you review the terms of your contract and find the answers to these questions before you sign.
- What is the cancellation policy?
- What is the date when the final, absolute attendee head count is due?
- Who will be the DJ?
- When will the music stop?
- What happens if the expected, contracted numbers change?
- What happens to the deposit if anticipated numbers decrease?
What Gets Forgotten
People who don’t drink. They deserve better than water.
People with children. They’d much rather plan a get together on a school night than the weekend.
People with limited mobility. They’ll appreciate a location where the private room isn’t up a flight of stairs (or more).
Picking an Area
While photos of the sea front show off the views, they do not show the freezing cold wind and salt spray that assault partygoers as they move between venues. It’s better for a static night.
The Lanes and North Laine are convenient with many bars and restaurants. Private dining rooms are a plus, and you don’t have to worry about designating a driver. Kemptown and Hove are a bit further away from the other areas. Hove is a bit more family friendly and less loud than other areas.
What Gets Forgotten
Parents with young kids would rather do a week night get together than a late get together on the weekend.
If you need to pick a room on the first or second floor, consider someone in a wheelchair. Narrow staircases are common in older buildings in the area.
It’s the most important detail to finalize for the holiday office party. You need to figure out who’s paying for the drinks. If it’s a free bar, great, but expect to have the “how did you spend your work money” talk with your boss in January.
Are you the DD of the group?
Of course not! If you’re just coordinating 15 people for a work dinner and some drinks, you’re perfectly fine making the reservation.
But what if there’s out of town people coming in from London? You’re better off looking for Christmas parties Brighton packages in Brighton. Usually the package deal is worth it because someone other than you fills out the dietary forms and harasses the people who haven’t turned in their work expense forms.
Bottom line? Don’t put this off! The best dates for a reason are booked first. Plus, if you wait too long, you’re looking at a Friday during dead week.
