A works Christmas party is mostly made before anyone sits down: what time the food lands, what there is to do while people arrive, and whether the games mix people up or leave them standing in the same cliques they stand in all year. Here's the format that keeps working at the office dos we supply across Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and beyond, year after year since 1999.
Feed people on time, then let the night run
The single most common slip is serving the main course at nine. By then the room has been standing with drinks for two hours, everyone is starving and the evening has gone flat. Food at eight, called clearly, sets up the rest of the night. And feed the quizmaster and the operators too - a Batak round with a hungry referee is a shorter round than anyone planned.
Games that mix people up
Head-to-head games are the ones that put names to faces across departments. Reindeer Racing runs four players a heat, and the heats are quick, so a queue forms and the people waiting end up cheering for whoever is racing. A rodeo reindeer with its digital timer turns into a leaderboard by the end of the night without anyone organising it - longest stay wins, and the finance team will want a re-run. The Grab A Grand cash cube is the loudest of the lot: 30 seconds in the whirlwind, and the whole room has an opinion on the technique.
Quiet corners do real work
Not everyone wants the centre of a loud room, and a party with nowhere quiet loses people by ten. A retro arcade game is the answer that also happens to be fun - a cocktail cabinet two people sit at together, working through sixty-odd classics on free play, set off to the side where conversation is possible. A magic selfie mirror in another corner keeps the photo crowd busy at up to 40 sessions an hour, and the printed photos do the rounds of the office for weeks afterwards.
One review from a staff do that ran well
Rachel Jolliffe said after her staff Christmas party: "Everyone enjoyed having a go on the Rodeo Reindeer at our staff Xmas party. It all went smoothly, which is what you need when you're planning a party. Thanks again!" Smooth is the right target - the games should run themselves while the organisers get to enjoy the night they planned.
Things worth knowing before the night
Operators come with the games that need running, so nobody from the office gets roped into officiating. Our own team delivers, sets up and takes everything away in our own vans, you'll have the risk assessment before the event, and £5 million public liability is standard. The one thing to check in advance is the room: door widths for the bigger inflatables, a socket within reach of each game, and enough floor between the bar queue and the race track that nobody takes a detour through it.
If the date is set and the food is sorted, the games are the easy bit. Browse the Christmas party hire range, and if you'd rather not guess at the mix, the office can suggest one to suit your room and headcount - 0114 345 0135, as it goes. The Google rating has sat at five out of five across 209 reviews so far, and Juliana said on Trustpilot: "thank you for the great times, from Summer Carnival to Christmas Fun, all games are always very welcome and arrived on time."
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