Whoever ends up organising the work Christmas party usually finds out the same thing in October. Half the good venues already have their December Fridays pencilled in. Central London bars get booked up early for the festive season and most of them want a deposit before they hold a date for you.
None of it is hard once you know what to ask. Here is how we would go about it.
Start with two or three dates
Thursdays and Fridays in early and mid December tend to go first. If your team doesn't mind a midweek night you will have far more choice. A Tuesday in the second week of December is a much easier booking than the last Friday before Christmas.
Pick two or three dates that work for most people before you ring round. That way you can say yes straight away when a venue has space.
Work out how many are actually coming
Everything else follows from the headcount. Ten people can sit around a table or squeeze into a booth. Once you get past 25 or so you are looking at a section of the bar or a private area. At 50 plus it is often simpler to hire the whole place.
Send a quick poll round the office and give the venue the number you really expect. Some venues will reduce your area if far fewer people turn up on the night so it pays to keep them updated.
Find out how the venue charges
This is where most of the confusion comes from. Some London venues charge a hire fee for the room on top of whatever you spend at the bar. Others waive the room charge but set a minimum spend that your group has to reach. Almost all of them take a deposit to hold the booking, which normally comes off the final bill.
Thirst Soho keeps this simple. There is no hire fee for private hire and you only pay a deposit. For pre-booked parties there are also drinks packages, which give you a set price per head. That makes the budget much easier to sign off.
Think about the journey home
People forget this until about 11pm. A venue near a few Tube lines means fewer late arrivals at the start and fewer complaints at the end.
Soho is about as central as it gets. Thirst is on Greek Street on the corner of Bateman Street. Leicester Square station is a six-minute walk and Piccadilly Circus is eight minutes away. Tottenham Court Road is close too.
Choose a space that fits the night
A drinks reception with a short speech from the boss needs somewhere people can gather and hear each other. A party where everyone wants to dance needs a DJ and a proper floor. Most teams want a bit of both.
Thirst Soho has two floors with quite different moods. Upstairs is the cocktail bar with chic interiors and a more intimate feel. Downstairs becomes a dance floor with DJs from 9pm. The upstairs bar holds 70 standing and the basement holds 80. You can see both spaces and send an enquiry on the Thirst Soho bookings and events page.
Ask the boring questions early
Nobody wants to discover the cancellation terms after someone drops out. Before you confirm anything find out what the deposit is and how much notice you need to give if numbers change. Ask about closing time and the door policy. Ask about access too because not every old Soho building is step free.
Thirst Soho answers most of this on its FAQs page. Bookings of up to 20 need 24 hours' notice to cancel and larger groups need 72 hours. With less notice the deposit is kept. The bar is open until 3am and has a cloakroom. There is no formal dress code but sportswear and gym wear are a no. The building is old and the toilets are downstairs, so they are not wheelchair accessible. Let your team know in advance.
Don't forget food
A party that starts at six and runs late needs something to eat. Decide early if you want a sit-down meal before the bar or food at the venue itself.
Thirst serves grazing nibbles upstairs. Guests can also order food to the table from Suvlaki next door. For anyone not drinking there are non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu.
When to do what
Ideally you agree dates and a rough headcount eight to ten weeks before the party. Contact venues and compare terms a couple of weeks after that. Pay the deposit four to six weeks out and confirm final numbers a fortnight before. A few days ahead send the team one message with the date and start time plus the address and dress code. It saves you answering the same five questions all week.
If you are reading this in late November don't panic. The same steps still work. You will just have fewer dates to pick from and a midweek night becomes your best bet.
