It happens every year. At the end of October the Christmas dinner feels a long way off, and by mid-November someone on the team realises that the best restaurants are fully booked, every Friday in December is taken and everything has to be decided in a week. At Fairplay we’ve been organising company celebrations for more than 35 years, and if there’s one piece of advice we always repeat, it’s this: the Christmas dinner is won or lost in October.
It isn’t just a dinner. For many teams it’s the only time of year when everyone gets together outside the office, with no agenda and no meetings. Done well, it strengthens the sense of belonging and closes the year on a high note. Done badly, it becomes just another obligation. The difference lies in the details, and most of them are decided earlier than you’d think.
1. Book the date and venue as soon as possible
December is the busiest month of the year for restaurants, function rooms and event venues, especially in Barcelona and Madrid. Thursdays and Fridays in the first two weeks are the first to go, and venues with private rooms for medium or large groups are often committed weeks in advance.
If you don’t have a date yet, now is the time to secure one. A great alternative is to avoid the most popular dates: celebrate at the end of November, on a Monday or Tuesday in December, or even move the event to January as a New Year kick-off. There’s more availability, better terms and often higher attendance, because people’s diaries aren’t packed with other commitments.
2. Think about the format before the menu
The question isn’t where we’re having dinner, but what kind of evening we want. A relaxed sit-down dinner for 25 is very different from a party for 200 with music until late, and a lunchtime meal for teams with families is different from a night-time celebration.
It’s worth considering who the team is: ages, tastes, whether people are coming from several offices or work remotely and are travelling specially, whether a plan that lets people talk works better than one with more movement. From there, options open up beyond the usual restaurant: a unique venue booked exclusively, a dinner with an activity (a cooking show, a tasting, live music, karaoke), or an experience beforehand that gives everyone something to talk about all night.
3. The details that make the difference
What people remember about a company dinner is rarely the main course. It’s the feeling that someone has thought about them. A few things we always look after:
Logistics, starting with how the team gets there and home again, especially if the venue is out of town or the night runs late. Dietary requirements, which need to be collected in good time and clearly communicated to the venue. A brief formal moment, with a few words from management that are sincere and short: thanking people for the year, not presenting results. And something of your own, whether a gift for each guest, a small surprise or a setting that makes the evening feel like yours rather than just another dinner.
4. Share what happens (outside the company too)
The Christmas dinner is also internal communication. Good photos, a short video or a recap on your internal channel help those who couldn’t come feel included, and keep the celebration going. And if your company invests in its employer brand, that material, used thoughtfully and with attendees’ permission, shows the outside world what it’s like to work with you.
5. Delegate, so you can enjoy it too
Whoever organises the dinner is usually the person who enjoys it least: watching the clock, chasing the supplier who’s running late and making sure everyone gets their meal. That’s why more and more companies hand it to an agency, which finds and negotiates venues, presents complete proposals that fit the budget, coordinates every supplier and is there on the night to deal with anything unexpected.
This year, let us organise the dinner
At Fairplay we organise company dinners and parties in Barcelona, Madrid and A Coruña, from intimate celebrations for small teams to large events with entertainment. We find the venue, design the experience, coordinate every detail and are there on the night, so you can enjoy it too.
There’s still time to find good dates, but not for long. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll put together a proposal.