Best Parties Ever has revealed telling research from over 1.600 respondents, which unveils the motivations and requirements of this year's corporate Christmas celebrations.
Planning
In 2018, it seems our preference for early bookings and being organised has topped the charts, with just 7% of organisers leaving Christmas to the last minute. 62% said they booked three to six months in advance, and 14% had Christmas all wrapped up a very keen seven to 12 months ahead.
Fridays remained the most popular day of the week for parties (51%) whilst Saturdays surprisingly came in a close second (35%).
When it comes to the ideas for the party, there is a clear divide. 47% of people like to do something different each year, 20% would prefer to stick to a trusted formula, and 32% like to mix and match tradition with new options.
Surprisingly, small businesses’ employees expected their employer to foot the bill for the office Christmas party this year with 49% of respondents agreeing.
A third of people suggested that spend per head should be over £50 for their festive celebrations. For this cost, the preference was a clear 67% focused on a ‘one-stop shop’ all-inclusive package over fragmented and split costs with optional extras.
At the party
Debate no more about the food choices at your office event; the people have spoken and have stated that the traditional three course menu is the winner with 56% of people opting for it.
Canapés and finger food nibbles were the least popular choices receiving just 4% of the votes combined, clearly guests are concerned about the inevitable drips and stains.
Prosecco continues its reign of the tipples with a heady 35% of the vote, just sneaking in ahead of cocktails at 27%.
To get the party started, revellers said that an 80s banger is the best beat to get them up on the dance-floor (43%), far outstripping traditional Christmas tunes (15%) and current chart toppers (16%).
By Mike Fletcher