Every November, office managers call venues with the same request. They want something festive, they have no time to design it and they need a price they can send to finance by the end of the week.
A venue that answers with three ready-made themes and a price per guest wins a lot of those calls. The trick is choosing themes your team can set up quickly and pricing the decor so it pays for itself within a season or two.
Which Holiday Party Themes Can a Venue Package?
The holiday party themes that package best are ones a venue can set up the same way many times with owned or reusable decor, such as a winter lounge, a 1920s speakeasy, a casino night, a cozy cabin and a holiday market food hall. Each package pairs the theme with a set menu, a bar tier and a short list of included decor. The client chooses a theme and a headcount, and the venue already knows the setup, the staffing and the margin.
What Makes a Theme Worth Packaging
A good packaged theme is easy for clients to picture and easy for your team to repeat. Before you invest in decor, check each idea against a few tests.
- It works in your main room without major changes to lighting or layout
- The decor can be stored compactly and reused for several seasons
- It fits a range of company sizes and cultures
- It pairs naturally with your existing menu and bar options
Avoid themes tied tightly to one religious holiday, since companies increasingly want parties that include everyone. Seasonal, wintry or retro themes travel well across teams.
Five Themes and What Each Package Includes
These examples show how a theme turns into a package. Adjust the inclusions to your own room and suppliers.
Winter lounge
White and silver linens, warm string lighting, lounge furniture groupings and a hot cocoa or mulled cider station. Pair it with a cocktail reception menu and a signature drink. It suits mixed crowds and works for both early evening and late parties.
1920s speakeasy
Dark linens, gold accents, a jazz playlist or trio, a classic cocktail menu and an optional photo backdrop. It works best with a full bar tier, which lifts the average package price.
Casino night
Rented gaming tables with dealers, play-money chips and a prize raffle at the end. The tables and dealers come from a specialty vendor, so price them as a pass-through with a coordination margin. Check local rules on gaming and raffles before advertising prizes.
Cozy cabin
Plaid or wool textures, lanterns with flameless candles, a comfort-food buffet and a s'mores or dessert bar. It is a good fit for smaller teams and weeknight dates.
Holiday market food hall
Several food stations styled as market stalls, a mulled drink station and space for a local maker or two. It keeps guests moving and works well for large companies with mixed schedules.
How to Price the Theme Add-On
Start with a base holiday package priced per guest, covering the room, menu, a bar tier and standard decor. Then price each theme as an add-on based on what it costs you to deliver.
Consider a winter lounge decor kit that costs $3,000 to buy. If you expect to use it 12 times across two seasons, that is $250 per use. Add about $90 of labor for setup and teardown and $40 for storage, cleaning and replacing a few broken pieces. Your cost per use is about $380.
Priced as a flat add-on of $650 to $750, or a few dollars per guest for a mid-sized party, the theme covers its cost and earns a margin. After the kit is paid off, the add-on becomes almost pure margin until the decor needs replacing.
For themes that rely on vendors, such as casino tables or live music, add a coordination margin to the vendor's quote and state what is included. Clients pay for not having to find and manage the vendor themselves.
Present the Packages Simply
Put the packages on one page with a photo of each theme set up in your room. List the base inclusions once, then show each theme's extras and its add-on price. Include the dates still available and the per-guest price at a typical headcount.
Clients compare venues quickly in the holiday season. A one-page menu with clear prices makes your venue the easy choice to forward to a decision-maker.
Train the sales team to lead with the base package and mention the themes second. Most callers want a number first. Once they have it, a short description of two themes and a photo of each usually does the selling, and the add-on price is easy to accept on top of a figure they already approved.
Plan Next Year's Themes Now
After this season, review which themes sold, which ones took longest to set up and which decor showed wear. Drop the theme that sold least, refresh the bestseller and order any new decor in the off-season, when suppliers are less busy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are popular holiday party themes for companies?
Winter and snow themes, 1920s or retro cocktail parties, casino nights, cozy cabin parties and food hall or market setups are common choices. Many companies prefer themes that feel seasonal without being tied to one religious holiday. The best theme is one that suits the team and the venue.
How much should a venue charge for a themed holiday party?
Price a base package per guest for the room, food, bar and standard decor, then add the theme as a separate charge. Build the theme price from decor cost per use, setup labor, storage and a margin. Local market rates will shape the final number.
Should a venue buy or rent holiday decor?
Buy decor you will use many times across several seasons, and rent pieces you need only once or rarely. Buying makes sense when the cost per use falls well below the rental price. Factor in storage space and the labor to clean and maintain it.
How far in advance should venues market holiday party packages?
Many companies start booking holiday parties in late summer and early fall, so packages should be ready by then. Keep promoting through October and November for weeknight and January dates. Update the available dates on your package sheet each week.
