While most companies have already secured their venues months ago and are in the process of booking the best vendors available for the ultra-busy December dates, there is still hope for you!
Read these tips for getting the best venues and vendors, for those of us who have been too busy until now.
Here are the best tricks of the trade we know of to find those hidden gems and ideas to make your party pop!
1. Make your party onsite or at a community hall.
This will save you thousands in venue fees while allowing you to have a venue during the busiest days of the year where most San Francisco Venues will be booked. The tips below will work in any venue and will allow you to, either utilize your own location, or downgrade to a less expensive venue, whilst still maintaining or improving upon the ambiance of last year. Take the $5,000 to $25,000 that you will save on a venue and put it towards the immersive environments, great performers, and amazing cuisine!
2. Use lighting and draping.
Want a themed event? See images HERE, it is astounding what lighting and drapery can do to completely transform a space. By draping your cubicles and utilizing any empty ones as appetizer stations or caricature drawing booths or even chair massage spaces, you will give your employees a completely different perspective of their office! If you do decide to utilize a hotel ballroom or community hall, the lighting will also transform “a boxy space” into a magical environment for just a small percentage of the cost of the venue AND the lighting you would need anyway.
3. Use pier space and your personal network.
If you have a smaller group (100 to 200 people) you may be able to find a multi-use space, in the city, that is not well known. Inspire Productions has over a dozen great event spaces that you would not normally find in San Francisco. We are always happy to help you find that perfect venue!
4. Choose a daytime or midweek event time in December, or plan for a January celebration.
You can secure some great value opportunities by choosing to have your party “off peak hours/dates”. There are multiple lounges and nightclubs that are not utilized during the day or midweek and even some more popular venues that may have some availability during those off peak times. A few of our clients are voting for the increasingly popular January 1st Quarter Kick off / beginning of the New Year celebration, where there is less competition for people’s time and personal obligations to their friend’s holiday parties and their family parties. The venues and vendors also open up immensely at that time.
5. Create a lounge style event instead of formal sit down!
This is a no brainer, as formal seated affairs are a thing of the past. Don’t lock your guests into being in one spot all night, this is not a wedding. Instead save thousands of dollars in costs of front of house catering staff and let people enjoy a variety of food served up in “dynamic action stations” while getting them to interact with the other guests all through the party and not just during the short cocktail hour. This is where you get a true Return On Investment by allowing your guests to mingle and connect! We always have lots of seating, 25% to 40% of the guests can be seated at any one time. So the guests that want to, can sit down at a low-boy cocktail table, which seats 4, and have a meaningful conversation, instead of being locked in at a 10 top-table where they can only speak to the two people seated on either side of them.
Money Saving Tips: In addition to the labor you can save $10 to $20 per person on rentals for flatware, china, glassware, linens, etc. In terms of the food, we make all of our food options either finger foods or filling mini meals, that require only a napkin or at most a small plate that can be either disposable or china. This will drastically reduce the staff needed for the bussing and the set up, and will allow you to have your event in almost ANY office environment.
Also a lot of less expensive venues will have more room for a cocktail style set up, for your group size, but may not have room for seating in your group size. If you choose to have it at your venue, and do not have large ancillary rooms such as a cafeteria, then by utilizing appetizer stations, you can make use of your space that you do have. Just remember, to not skimp on the lighting and décor as that is what will transform your office-space into a winter holiday wonderland!
6. Hire Inspire Productions for a turn key event and let us do all the work for you!
If you’re in need of guidance and just do not need another project on your plate, or can’t find the right venue or even just want to be a hero at your company, let us secure the best venues and vendors available for your date, before they are all booked up!
We offer world class catering, bar services, live entertainment, and beautiful decor to create the perfect holiday ambiance. Now is the time to start planning and we are happy to work with you on some exciting holiday party options, let Inspire Productions do the work, so you look like a star!
CALL US AT 866-431-8708 Or fill out our online Quick Quote Form to get a free consultation and a quote for your holiday party.
