PR AGENCY DIARIES: AUCKLAND’S BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY IDEAS

Events are a tricky business but the classic holiday work do takes the cake when it comes to potential issues.

We’ve all got a Christmas party story to tell – from small faux pas’ to antics that need a month long forced shutdown to start fogetting - when the drinks are flowing (as they should be), the situation is rife with the possibility of disaster.

For a night to remember for the right reasons we have put together our top picks to ensure a good time – sans disaster.  

Small business

If your crew is small and tight-knit it’s easy to keep them happy – your shout at the local, a nice lunch or even drinks in the office. But you wouldn’t be here if you were just looking to tick the party box and you know a location that provides a vibe is vital.

You know how valuable your squad is and, since you know them so well, you can safely push boundaries (within reason) without ending up the focus of an HR investigation.

Why not take in dinner and a (drag) show at the fabulous Caluzzi or head along to Basement Theatre’s famous Christmas show - warning, risqué doesn’t even cover it. 

For a slightly more conservative group why not get back in the box (literally) with an escape room at Escapade or start off with Laser Tag. You can split into two teams for some healthy competition and loosen everyone up before heading to your favourite bar. (Note, drinking before playing is not a winning strategy).

The Basement Theatre Christmas Show

Medium size

For slightly bigger teams the first question you need to ask is outsource or DIY? Either option can be a hit – it really comes down to how much time you can commit to planning and your team’s needs.

Would they enjoy a sit-down meal or is keeping it casual and allocating the budget to grog and entertainment a better fit?

Auckland is awash with covetable pre-planned options for all team sizes – a cruise over to Riverhead, wineries galore or even private superyacht charters.

37 South Private Yacht - Diana

If you do want to DIY, don’t try and do everything yourself – the planner has got to have fun too! Cater Station is the dream for tasty casual eats - serve yourselves and simply pop everything back in the box to be picked up the next day.  

The Cater Station

Behemoths

A big team deserves a big celebration. This is your chance to thank every team member for their efforts – especially those you don’t have one-on-one time with.

Auckland has a wealth of large events spaces – Auckland Town Hall, Spark Arena, Auckland War Memorial Museum…think back to your school ball and take it up significant notches from here.

A top tip - also think about something each division can do together either in the lead-up or on the night. A quiz to find the location? Staff awards for things decidedly left of centre/they’d rather forget? Could each team dress to their own theme and battle it out on the night?

With catering covered by the venue the only thing you need to worry about is entertainment - so make sure you’ve got something memorable up your sleeve. Think aerial performers, acrobats or fire dancers for a  money-can’t-buy experience, or hire one of Auckland’s many talented stand ups or cover bands for top quality entertainment – either way, if you get it right your team will be talking about it for years.

Credit: Gareth Cooke/Subzero Group

Whatever size your business is there are a few golden rules:

-       Think about transport - stay close to work or make sure you’ve got buses, taxis or something more elegant ready to get people home

-       Cater well - keep things from getting out of control.  Feed people early, feed them well and don’t forget a second round to keep things in check when the booze has been flowing

-       Don’t make it feel like work - saying thank you is crucial but no long speeches, this isn’t the time to discuss your lofty plans, new policies or gloat about your personal achievements

-       No forced mingling - you want your team to have fun so don’t go overboard forcing them to mix things up – if you need to do a seating chart let your team have input otherwise your fantastic night will be overshadowed by the fact you made the shy new guy sit next to cuddly Carl from accounts