Are you looking for ideas for how are you going to celebrate end-of-year with your colleagues? For six years, Melbourne was ranked as the #1 liveable city in the world from among 140 cities and remained at the #2 in 2018. Melbourne got this recognition for a reason – it means, among other factors, that there is plenty to do and plenty to see. If you are falling short of ideas and venues to celebrate your year-end Christmas party, then it means that you are yet to discover Melbourne’s hidden pearls.
Over the past two decades, we have organized hundreds of unique and special private and corporate end-of-year Christmas parties in Melbourne. Each of which were custom-tailored to fit into the expectations of the organizers and participants. In this article, we are going to share some of the best Christmas party venues across Melbourne and of course, some fun team activities that will help you celebrate a successful year and welcome in a new one.
Here is what we will cover in this article
Office Christmas Party Ideas
- Dinner Party
- Night Clubs and Pub Crawls
- Melbourne Winery Tours
- Melbourne River Cruise Party
- Twilight Train Tours
Christmas gift ideas for your office team members (or loved ones)
Games Themes for Corporate Christmas Parties
Office Christmas Party Ideas
Planning your end-of-year office Christmas party for everyone to enjoy is one of the most difficult tasks – considering the variety of opinions and preferences individuals in a team have. With different definitions of ‘enjoyment’, all your colleagues will have different choices and ways of celebrating. Whether it is good or bad, everyone in the team will talk about your party for the whole year, so you have think of something that every one of them will enjoy – well, at least most of them. With the above scenario in mind, here are some of the best tested and most appreciated ways to organize your office Christmas party:
Dinner Party
Well that sounds archaic and ancient too – but a dinner at one of the best restaurants in Melbourne with a table full some sumptuous meals, still remains one of the humblest ways to appreciate the hard work that everyone in the team has done throughout the year. If you have a smaller team; dinner with some drinks and live music from a popular band can help everyone in the team to be a part of the celebration.
There are many world-class dining establishments in Melbourne that offer some of the world’s best culinary experiences – here are some of hot picks.
- Windows, The Pullman
- Alluvial, Intercontinental
- The Atlantic, Crown
- The Press Club
- The Press Club
- Le Bon Ton
Pro Tip:
- Christmas is arguably one of the busiest times for restaurants and depending on the popularity of these establishments, they will be booked out well in advance. We suggest you finalise your plans and make reservations as soon as possible.
- Before finalising a place, we advise to roll out the options to all your team members to vote. The restaurant which earns the most points is the winner. An online survey tool, like Survey Monkey can help in organising this without consuming your time.
- Get a professional office Christmas dinner organiser on board if you want to sit and enjoy the night with your colleagues. You can send us a quick enquiry here & we will take care of the rest.
Night Clubs and Pub Crawls
If your team is dominated by ‘party animals’ than your team should definitely head out to explore Melbourne’s nightclubs and pubs as part of office Christmas party celebration service. Melbourne is popular for its never-ending night life and as such there are plenty of nightclubs and pubs that will entertain you into the early hours of the morning. Below are some of the most promising nightclubs in Melbourne that offer the best in music, drink specials and overall enjoyment.
- Penthouse 15
- Chasers
- Wah Wah
- Charltons
- Royal Hotel
- CQ
- Club Retro
- The Loca
- Eden
- Young & Jacksons
- Geebung Polo Club
- Inflation Nightclub
- Cricketers Arms Hotel
- White Bar
- Hotel Discovery
- Pug Mahones
- Transport
- Blue Moon Bar
- Turf Bar
Pro Tip:
- Avoid going in your own vehicle from one to another nightclub. Our city is famous for its party buses and there is always the risk you may be over the legal limit. Book one of the best party buses for your nightclub and pub crawl tours in Melbourne in advance. Book your party bus here.
- Get a professional nightclub tour organiser in Melbourne, like Dreamscape Tours, on board to help you organise the tour, itinerary, transportation and all the fun your team would like to have. Such an arrangement will cost you, but it will ensure that you also enjoy the celebration. Get in touch here and we will take care of the rest.
Melbourne Winery Tours
Home to 800+ wineries and 600 cellar doors in 21 unique wine regions, Victoria is one of the most popular destinations for enotourism in the Australia. As such, there are many exquisite wineries in Victoria that your team can head to for enjoying your end-of-year Christmas party. Because of the growing interests among Melburnians in winery tasting tours, most of the wineries offer full tours of their wineries, cellars and of course provide great wine to moisten those taste buds. And if you are going out there to celebrate a Winery Christmas function, they have plenty more to offer including lunches, snacks and dinner parties at the winery itself.
Of all the wineries in Victoria, some of the most popular wineries in terms of their landscape, wine production, varieties of wine produced and additional activities offered to entertain eno tourists in their locality are in the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Geelong and Macedon Ranges. We suggest to discuss your team’s requirements with a local winery tour agency in Melbourne like Dreamscape Tours and book something that suits your group.
Before making the call, quickly go through these winery tours and see what they offer:
- Mornington Peninsula Winery Tours
- Yarra Valley Wine Tours
- Geelong Wine Tours
- Macedon Ranges Wine Tours
Pro Tip:
- Celebrate your winery tour in class – depending on your budget, hire a party bus or a limousine for the winery tour. This will ensure that your team can enjoy all the drinks, without having to bother about getting home in the evening and driving under the influence.
- While booking your winery tour, discuss if the tour operator provides any team building activities as part of the package. Discuss all the available options and let them know your preference – this will ensure that there are no last-minute requests (and dejections)!
Melbourne River Cruise Party
Organizing a cruise party while voyaging through the iconic Yarra River can be a great way to exchange Christmas wishes with your team and thanking each of them for a great year. Being at the heart of Melbourne’s social life – Yarra River cruises offer you a spectacular view of the Melbourne’s skyline in the backdrop.
What makes Yarra River Christmas boat cruises even more special for organising a corporate Christmas celebration is the wide range of options you receive in terms of the team building activities offered. And of course, not to mention the variety of menus to choose from and tunes available to get the party started.
Pro Tip:
- Book upfront: Remember Yarra River cruises are very popular and overbooked for Christmas, from early on in the year. So, get in touch with a boat cruise organiser as soon as possible and book it. Click here to discuss your requirements with us.
- Consider the size of your team and ensure you book a cruise that fits into to your team’s requirements and look out for the cost factors against the services offered to you. If you are hiring a tour agency to organise the cruise party, discuss all your requirements before the cruise begins. This will ensure that you will not have surprises or hidden costs arise on the day!
Twilight Train Tours
We love Melbourne for the abundant choices offered to spend precious time with your loved ones. If nightclubs, dinners, winery tours and boat cruises are mainstream for your team, then we are certain that they would like to turn the clock back and enjoy their Christmas aboard the Melbourne’s iconic Victorian era Twilight Train.
Organising your corporate Christmas party aboard a Twilight Train can be one of the most memorable events your team can enjoy, mixed in with a lot of nostalgia. The spacious train offers a wide range of group activities, live music and dancing along with some distinct culinary menus to choose from. After enjoying this historical train journey, continue the celebration with the team at a party venue in Melbourne’s busy Docklands precinct.
Pro Tip:
- Book as early as possible. As said earlier, the train gets overbooked for Christmas and therefore it is best to book as early as possible. Check what bookings are available for 2021 here.
- Discuss your entertainment requirements with your tour organiser to ensure that your team gets what it wants on the day. To plan a great event, it is necessary that your tour organiser is aware of your team’s expectations and preference. Talk with them today and see what they can arrange for you.
Christmas gift ideas for your office team members (or loved ones)
Exchanging gifts has been an integral part of the Christmas spirit since the inception of time. It is the way of showing love and gratitude towards someone you care for. Giving a gift to your team members can be a great way of appreciating all the good work they have done through the year for the company.
While we all accept this and would like to show our appreciation aligning with the overarching Christmas spirit, some of us are not so eloquent in deciding the gifts we should offer. And that’s very normal – some people are very good at selecting gifts and some are not. It’s a fact. But that should not restrict anyone from gifting. We have put together a list that includes some of the most loved and very much appreciated Christmas gift items for your team members.
Chocolates
Chocolates – the only food containing feel-good endorphins which makes you feel happy – is a perfect gift for anyone, you can find varieties of chocolates, and you just need to pick the right one. 40 grams of dark chocolate a day, keeps the doctor away. On top of that, chocolates are known to extend our life span and what can be a better gift than a little longer life.
Desserts
Desserts are adored by almost everyone and giving desserts as a gift is overwhelming. You can create your own gift basket with different kinds of desserts in it. As we all know, some of the best gifts are edible and you don’t have to think twice before gifting anything sweet. So, why think when all you want to do is to gift a box full of mini desserts to your team mates.
Bottle Of Wine
A bottle of wine makes a great gift for anyone – friends, colleagues or family. A delicious bottle of wine will not be forgotten any time soon. Customise it by writing your own text to feature on the label to make it an even more special present.
Coffee Mugs
A cute coffee mug with inspirational quotes or a personalised message may work best as a gift. Your staff will remember you when filling up their coffee each morning at the office or at home.
Plants
Get over flowers, gift plants this Christmas instead. They last longer than a bunch of flowers and provide more decoration for your office desk or at home. This isn’t just a gift, it’s also a responsibility to look after something and owns as theirs. Nothing looks better than maintained interior decorations.
Games Themes for Corporate Christmas Parties
Apart from expressing your gratitude towards your team for the great work they have done for the company, corporate events are also a great way to boost the team spirit. These are occasions, which provide the avenue and opportunity for your team members to know the social side of their co-workers. And what could be better then some games and themes to bring the best out of everyone in a social setting.
Without the fun element, even if you have organised a big bash and have lined up some great gifts, the party might tumble down the boring lane pretty soon. Avoid it – contact us to find out about our time-tested Christmas party games and sprinkle life in to your corporate Christmas party this year.
For small offices, you can easily manage the party by yourself but for large groups, it can be a hectic task. At Dreamscape Tours, we offer some of cool games based on your preference as part of our Christmas corporate functions packages, talk to us and we will be more than glad to offer customised entertainment packages for you.
If there are any Christmas corporate functions, or gift ideas or party fun themes that we missed out and that you think might be even interesting, share them with us in the comments below. Cheers and Merry Christmas in advance!
Contact Dreamscape Tours and Events on (03) 9844 1122 to book your corporate christmas party today!
