A seated dinner
Choose this when a shared meal and conversation are the focus.
Try this: Check the guest list, table sizes, menu choices, and dietary handling. Schedule any welcome before service or between courses with the restaurant’s agreement.
How to plan a company party.
A company party brings colleagues together to celebrate a milestone, mark the end of the year, or enjoy an evening outside work. It gives people time to talk and share a meal without a working agenda. A typical evening combines a short welcome, dinner or substantial reception food, drinks with alcohol-free options, and optional music or dancing. Plan a few hours at a restaurant, bar, or event venue in your city, with seating, a quieter space, and a clear journey home.
01 / Choose the purpose
Choose the occasion and the format.
Decide the occasion, who is invited, and whether the evening centers on a meal, mingling, or dancing. Check preferred dates and finish times with colleagues before reserving a venue.
A drinks-and-food reception
Useful when you want people to move between groups.
Try this: Include substantial food, seating, and alcohol-free drinks. Ask how many servers and bar stations the venue will provide for your headcount.
Dinner followed by music
Useful for a celebration where colleagues want time to talk and an optional dance floor.
Try this: Check sound limits, performance hours, and a quieter seating area. A playlist may be sufficient; choose entertainment after setting the venue and food budget.
02 / Compare venues
Choose a venue for the agenda.
Start with venues in your city that are easy to reach from the office and convenient for the journey home. Compare capacity for your format, privacy, room hire, minimum spend, and what the quote includes.
A bar or pub with private hire
A practical choice for an informal reception, with drinks service and space to mingle.
- Check first
- Ask whether the space is exclusive or a reserved area. Confirm food availability, seating, minimum spend, music policy, and who can authorize extra bar charges.
A restaurant private dining room
A good fit for a seated dinner with the kitchen and service team already in place.
- Check first
- Check seated capacity, menu deadlines, dietary handling, drinks options, and whether the room is acoustically separate from other diners.
A dedicated event venue
Useful for a larger party, dancing, or a format needing flexible furniture and a sound system.
- Check first
- Check catering requirements, bar service, equipment, security, cloakroom, setup access, noise limits, and clear-down charges. Price each inclusion before signing.
03 / Build the agenda
A sample agenda for company parties.
A four-hour reception example. For a seated dinner, replace the food window with the restaurant’s course timings. Give suppliers a separate run sheet that includes setup, checks, and clear-down.
Evening reception · 18:00–22:00
- Organizer and supplier checks
Confirm the room layout, dietary meals, bar arrangements, microphone, coat storage, and emergency contact with the duty manager.
- Guest arrival
Open food and drinks service promptly. Have an organizer greet guests and explain where coats and seating are.
- Brief welcome
Keep the welcome under ten minutes. Agree with service staff when to pause music and food service.
- Food and conversation
Offer enough food for the time of day. Check that dietary options are available and clearly identified by staff.
- Optional music or entertainment
Keep a quieter area available. Reconfirm the bar cap with the person authorized to approve extra spend.
- Last orders and departure reminders
Coordinate last orders with the venue and remind guests of booked transport and the agreed finish time.
- Close
The organizer checks outstanding charges with the duty manager; suppliers follow their agreed collection and clear-down times.
04 / Compare costs
Build an example budget.
Compare food, drinks, room hire, entertainment, and staffing for an evening in your city. Use supplier quotes for your dates before approving a total.
Example budget / USD
$153per person
50 guests · 4 hours
Use the venue’s quote to replace these sample allowances. Enter zero for costs included in another line, such as bar staff included in a drinks package.
These are examples, not market prices. Food and drinks cover the full event; update the package price if you change its duration. Extra staffing scales with hours.
Edit sample allowances
| Budget line | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Food | $2,750 |
| Drinks | $1,500 |
| Minimum-spend shortfall | $0 |
| Room hire & equipment | $1,000 |
| Entertainment | $800 |
| Extra staffingParty time plus setup and clear-down | $600 |
| Transport home | $300 |
| Quoted taxes, service charges & other fees | $0 |
| Contingency — 10% | $695 |
| Working total | $7,645 |
The minimum-spend line adds only the shortfall below the contracted food and drink minimum. Confirm which purchases count toward it and whether room hire is separate.
Example total: $7,645 for 50 guests.
05 / Plan food & entertainment
Get food, drinks, and sound right.
These choices affect the evening more than adding another activity. Agree the service plan in writing and name one person who can authorize changes on the night.
Choose food for the format
For a dinner, confirm courses and service times. For a reception, ask for a menu substantial enough to replace dinner if guests arrive after work.
- Plan for
- Get quantities and service duration in the quote. Confirm dietary meals, a final numbers deadline, and the cost of late changes.
Set the drinks arrangement
Compare a full-event package with a consumption tab capped at an agreed amount. Include appealing alcohol-free options.
- Plan for
- Clarify package duration, included drinks, how the venue reports tab usage, and what happens at the cap. Confirm whether taxes and service charges count toward the minimum spend.
Check music and microphones
Start with the venue’s existing sound system and playlist options before hiring entertainment.
- Plan for
- Confirm sound limits, music finish time, setup access, and who runs the microphone for speeches. Quote a DJ or performer as a flat supplier fee, including equipment and overtime terms.
06 / Assign the details
Your planning checklist.
Assign an owner to each task. Work through these checks with everyone helping organize the event.
Browse inspiration.
See how venues, meals, and activities come together. Use these events to help shape your own plans.
The Farm Long Table
12–26 guests · 1 night
From $1,800 per person
View event
The Estate Banquet
12–40 guests · 1 night
From $2,000 per person
View event
The Farmhouse Toast
12–40 guests · 0 nights
From $950 per person
View event
Plan your event with Vantly.
Our collection provides inspiration. Vantly connects you with a local event planner and producer who adapts the venue, schedule, suppliers, and logistics to your brief.
- 01 / Share
Tell us what you need.
Share your goals, headcount, dates, and budget. Start with an event from our collection or with your own brief.
- 02 / Refine
Work with a local producer.
Discuss the venue, schedule, and supplier options with someone who knows the area.
- 03 / Review
Review the proposal.
Confirm the agreed scope, inclusions, quote, and terms before committing.
Planning questions.
Can this plan work for a holiday party?
Yes. Adapt the occasion and menu, check company policy and cultural preferences, and confirm availability before announcing a date. Seasonal minimum spends and booking terms vary by venue.
Should we invite partners?
Decide this with the budget approver before sending invitations. State the policy clearly, include partners in final numbers and dietary collection, and choose a format that works for guests who do not know colleagues.
Is a minimum spend the same as a venue hire fee?
No. A minimum spend is a contracted spending threshold, often for food and drinks. Room hire may be separate or waived when the threshold is met. Ask what counts toward the minimum and how any shortfall is charged; do not add the entire minimum again on top of the food and drinks budget.
Do we need a drinks package?
Compare the full-event package quote with a capped consumption tab. Check duration, included drinks, alcohol-free choices, service charges, and how extras are approved. Update the calculator’s per-guest allowance when changing a quoted package’s duration.
How do we budget for entertainment?
Use the supplier’s full quote, including equipment, setup, performance duration, travel, and overtime terms. Enter that total once in the entertainment line. Do not also budget the same equipment under venue hire.
Can a local producer adapt the event to our team?
Yes. The collection is a starting point. Share your purpose, dates, headcount, preferences, and budget. Your local producer prepares a tailored proposal with the final scope and quote.