How to organise the perfect end-of-year event?

Throwing end-of-year events can be the perfect way to finish a year.

But not when they go wrong.

There’s just so much to organise with these events, some key responsibilities can slip through the cracks and easily damage what would have otherwise been a perfect evening.

Whether it’s a work event, a party for an organisation or club, or even a personal gathering with no affiliation at all, organising all the details means sometimes those policies that can keep people safe, secure and relaxed often get left to the last minute.

And understandably so – organising events takes hard work. But by putting in just a little preparation before your end-of-year or holiday event, you can save yourself potential hours of stress later on. 

Everyone wants your event to be a success. So take a few minutes and read through these common incidents that can occur, and start making a plan to prevent them from happening at yours:

Manage the drinks! 

Most event organisers will make sure their events are well-catered for, with a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink to cater for everyone’s tastes. But it’s worth putting in just a little bit of effort to stop that alcohol from taking over the party.

Everyone’s seen what happens when someone has just a little too much. So if you’re organising a bar for your event, make sure your bartenders or servers keep an eye on anyone who may have had just a little too much.

It’s also worth reminding people they shouldn’t drink while drunk, (better safe than sorry) and offer to call taxis for anyone who needs a lift home.

Order double of everything

Well, maybe you don’t need to order double. But one of the worst things that can happen with an end-of-year event is that you don’t order enough food or drinks for everybody. Think about what you’re going to need, then add 50% - or whatever you feel is necessary to get you through the night.

Keep things invitation-only

You would think this problem would disappear after high school, but unfortunately it’s all too common for people who haven’t been invited to your event to show up.

While this may not seem like a big deal, it’s always good to err on the side of caution and make sure you know everyone there. 

This is easy enough to fix. There are scanning tools you can use to have people sign in when arriving at an event, or perhaps use a barcode on their phone just like they would when boarding a plane. 

This way, you’ll save money on having to print out physical invitations as well. 

Keep your social media under control

Posting photos and videos from your events is a great way to build buzz. But not when they’re embarrassing, or potentially damaging.

People are going to post no matter what, and you can’t exactly tell your guests to not use their phones. But you can absolutely put warnings on invitations, or at the event, that guests should think twice before posting anything potentially damaging, defamatory or otherwise uncouth! 

Remember, your end-of-year party should be a fantastic celebration of the past 12 months. Take a few minutes to prepare for these potential challenges, and not only will you enjoy the lack of stress – your guests will too.

We hope your end-of-year event is a huge success!

Events made easy

The TryBooking Team