Retain seasonal cheer amid the austerity

It’s the annual Christmas party. But how do you celebrate on a shoestring?

Traditionally, the end of year get-together is an event where the organiser is aiming to show generosity and gratitude; no one wants to look like a Scrooge.

But, in 2011 there’s a different reality. To say money is as limited as Ebenezer’s Christmas cheer is an understatement. This year there’s no shame in trying to save a few shillings. Some will question whether, in this austere climate, it is justifiable to hold a Christmas party at all without looking like wasting tax payers’ money.

Achieving value for money will be paramount. Vicky Hogg, product manager at Office Christmas, the UK’s largest Christmas party agent, which books over 80,000 people into Christmas parties each year, says: “The Christmas party is an essential part of company life and is a marker of value and appreciation for staff. At the end of a tough year, there is no better value for money way to say thank you to staff and boost morale going into the New Year. You don’t have to spend vast amounts of money, but putting time into thoughtful planning and careful consideration of your guests’ needs will deliver a successful event.”

Organisers will be visibly seeking to achieve more on a lower budget, but what options do they have?

Christmas party trends
Hogg has seen three trends emerge in the Christmas party sector: “The Christmas party market continues to fragment with shared parties becoming an attractive alternative to the traditional exclusive event that large groups would typically book. Budgets have reduced but employers recognise the value of having a Christmas party to thank staff, so are contributing a fixed amount to subsidise the Christmas party, with guests making up the rest of the budget themselves. As a company we’ve had to accommodate this change in buying habit by being more flexible on group numbers and payment methods, so that guests can pay in instalments individually, this is particularly useful to our public sector groups of nurses, emergency service workers and other sectors whose shift patterns make collecting money a challenge logistically.”

With money tight, it is not unheard of for parties to be paid for entirely by the attendees, Hogg says: “Some of our groups pay for Christmas parties entirely out of their own pocket so budgets and value have come under greater scrutiny than ever. Customers are happy to spend money on a Christmas party but want good quality and value for money more than just a cheap deal. We’ve seen a 10 per cent increase in spend per head on Christmas parties this year but customers are shopping around more than ever, doing their homework and looking for the best value their money can buy.”

Achieving value for money starts at the venue, but that doesn’t mean finding the lowest cost venue available. If your guests feel like the event is cheap because the venue does not live up to expectations, they will feel undervalued and demotivated; you will have wasted your money and would have been better not providing a Christmas party at all. Finding a venue that can deliver beyond your expectations without cutting corners can be a massive task.

Venue quality assurance
Fortunately, there is a means of choosing a quality Christmas party venue that is gaining momentum. Endorsed by Visit England, adopted by hundreds of venues, and increasingly demanded by event organisers is the meeting industry association’s AIM (Accredited in Meetings) a national standard for meetings and events. These professional event buyers, from both the public and commercial sectors, demand AIM because they know the standard enables them to achieve the most from their budgets, with no unforeseen or surprise costs.

Because of the stringent grading criteria an AIM venue has achieved, event organisers are confident their event is in the hands of hard working, well trained, highly motivated people, and all their needs will be met with the minimum of fuss.

Gary Payne, director of One Great George Street, an AIM Gold venue, says: “Our customers are enquiring more and more about AIM accreditation and our Gold level status. Many are specifically looking for unique venues in ideal locations. AIM offers them the reassurance that their customer service and quality expectations will not only be met, but exceeded, despite the variety of venues included – many a bit different from purpose-built venues and multinational brands and chains.”

There are around 500 venues across the UK boasting AIM accreditation, so there’s plenty of choice, no matter what sort of party you are planning this festive season. In addition, along with Visit England, AIM has received widespread endorsement from other major tourism bodies, such as Visit Wales, MPI UK & Ireland, ABPCO (Association of British Professional Conference Organisers), as well as 29 of the country’s regional destinations.

AIM grading criteria
AIM venues set the standard because they have achieved 50 grading criteria that include: location and accessibility, lighting and heating, security, whether the venue space is adequate and suitable for the type of events the venue promotes and how transparent the published prices are. The party organiser can be sure that these grading criteria have already been checked on their behalf.

Venues must also comply with 10 legal acts, relevant to their services:
•    Health & Safety at Work and Fire Safety
•    Disability Discrimination
•    Employers Liability
•    Data Protection
•    Sale & Supply of Goods
•    Trade Descriptions
•    Consumer Protection
•    Weights & Measures
•    Race Relations, Sex Discrimination, Disability
•    Discrimination and Age Discrimination
•    Licensing Laws

Jane Longhurst, mia chief executive, says that, because of AIM, “party organisers have a choice. They can take a risk and choose a venue that has made no commitment to delivering against stringent Best Practice standards, or they can choose one of the many venues and suppliers that have achieved AIM and thereby guarantee that they can deliver value for money and fantastic service levels.”

AIM venue finding
To ensure event organisers can easily find AIM Christmas party venues that have all the facilities and services they need, the mia has launched Solution – a free-to-use venue search and automated enquiry tool.

To use Solution buyers fill in and submit a simple online form, providing contact details and information on the type of event they are organising, including desired location. The search results returned include only venues and destinations that have achieved AIM and can meet the requirements of the brief. Each venue that meets the requirements receives a copy of the brief and has the opportunity to respond with a competitive proposal, saving substantial time and money; you might say it’s like all your Christmases come at once.

Not surprisingly, Solution is already proving incredibly popular, as Sali Gray of The Business Advancement Consultancy explains: “When one of my clients asked me to arrange accommodation in a geographic area with which I was unfamiliar, I spent fruitless hours surfing the internet. I then remembered the mia and was delighted to see that you now offer the Solution venue finding service. I completed the requirement form and was introduced to a selection of first-class venues. After much deliberation, (they were all lovely) I made a booking with one of them. Congratulations to you on this brilliant system, which has saved me so much time.”

Christmas party money-saving tips
As well as using an AIM venue, the following tips will help you save money when organising your Christmas party:

Consider weeknights where you can get the same party for up to 40 per cent less than a Friday or Saturday.

If you’re reducing the number of attendees, consider looking at shared party nights with private dining options – then you have the privacy to deliver speeches, awards and special thanks whilst also benefitting from all the atmosphere of a bigger celebration with more entertainment than would ordinarily have been within reach.

Look at non-traditional venues, you can find great atmosphere and unusual spaces in great locations at a fraction of the cost. These venues are also capable of holding huge numbers of guests with state of the art sound and lighting already in-situ.

Use specialist event agencies. They know venues inside out and will know where good deals, special offers or last minute availability can be found. They will have relationships with major venue brands all over the country and their buying power can make your budget work harder for you.

Think about the economies of scale and get as many people together for your event as you can. The bigger the group size, the better your buying power on a per-person basis. 

For more information
www.aimaccredited.co.uk