Outsourcing your staff party or organising it yourself: the candid trade-off

There are three things an agency can never do well without your input. The first is the guest list. You know which employees should be invited. You know which conflict between two departments you want to avoid at the seating plan. And you know which employee may bring a partner and which may not. The second is internal communications. The tone in which you invite employees says something about your culture. No external writer can invent that for you. The third is the choice of the board's address. What the board does and does not want to say stays with the board.

The rest is better outsourced: venue scouting and comparison, technical production (AV, lighting, stage), catering negotiation, booking and coordinating entertainment, logistics (parking, cloakroom, transport) and building and executing the run sheet.

That second list easily adds up to 150 to 300 hours of work. That is four full working weeks for one employee. And you have not even delivered it yet, only prepared it. For an agency, that is daily bread.

More about organising a staff party yourself if you want to make the comparison.

For a staff party of 100 to 300 employees, several venue types work. Think industrial heritage buildings (atmosphere and character), office and warehouse locations (cost-aware), holiday parks or country estates (with overnight option) and modern event venues (all-in-one). For more than 500 employees, the playing field gets smaller.

A typical programme structure for a staff party looks like this: at 7 pm, there is arrival with a welcome drink and music. At 8 pm, the plenary section follows with the board's address and possibly a look back. From 8:15 pm, the culinary section starts with background music. At 9 pm, the official section closes and the entertainment or DJ starts. At 11 pm, the party hits its peak. At midnight, the closing follows with the last group of guests.

Budget range for outsourced staff parties: for 100 to 200 people, expect €25,000 to €65,000 in total. For 200 to 400 people, expect €50,000 to €130,000. For more than 500 people, expect €100,000 to €400,000. Those amounts include venue, catering, entertainment, technical and agency fee.

More about finding the right venue.

An agency adds three things that are hard to arrange on your own. First, you have access to artists with a booking waiting list. Popular Dutch bands are booked 6 to 12 months in advance.

Second, we make sure the act fits the company culture. A technology company wants something different from a construction company. A young start-up wants something different from a traditional family business. That fit takes experience. You don't want to book a DJ who sets the wrong mood.

Third, we take on the programme coordination. The peak moment of the party must coincide with the peak moment of the entertainment. A band that starts at 9 pm while the plenary section ends at 8:30 pm lands on a dead moment. Coordination between sound check, catering changeover and entertainment is more than ticking off a list.

More about booking entertainment for corporate events.

A staff party costs roughly €250 to €350+ per person ex. VAT at 250 to 500 guests. For 500 to 1,000 guests, expect roughly €225 to €325+ per person. For 1,000 to 2,000 guests, roughly €200 to €300+ per person. Above 2,000 guests, roughly €150 to €200+ per person. All amounts ex. VAT, including venue, catering, entertainment and production.

With the WKR (work-related costs scheme), you can organise this in a tax-efficient way.

We have been doing this for 20 years. That means we know which caterer reliably serves hot food at 250 people. And which sometimes misses the mark. Which AV partner copes with weekend stress. Which venue has a deposit policy that traps you when last-minute changes happen.

You don't build up that knowledge in one project. We produce more than 150 events each year. When we say "this combination works", that is not a gamble but experience. And the other way round: when we say "don't go with that supplier", it may save a lot of money and stress.

A staff party that employees still talk about on Monday differs from "quite nice" in three things. A venue that fits the culture. A programme that is not too tight, but not too loose either. And entertainment that surprises without taking over the evening.

We make those trade-offs in your favour.

Call 085 401 40 14 or email hello@live-impact.nl for a no-obligation introduction. We listen first to your company, your culture and your goal. Only then do we come with a proposal. Quick, and without obligation.

We are Seriously fun. Serious in production. Fun in the result. That is how we make staff parties work.