How to sell tickets to a Christmas party

The short answer

Work out your costs and a price that covers them, put the party on one page with a capacity, and go on sale six to eight weeks out with a cheaper early price that ends on a date. Offer a group or table ticket for friends and workmates, say your refund policy before people pay, turn on a waitlist for when it sells out, and close sales a day or two before so the caterer has final numbers.

Why Christmas parties are different

A Christmas party sells on a deadline everyone shares. People’s December calendars fill in a few weeks, venues book out, and the 25th, 26th and 1 January are public holidays. That makes three things matter more than usual:

• Going on sale early enough to land in the calendar before the rest of December does
• Group bookings, because people come with their mates, their netball team or their office
• A plan for sell-outs and drop-outs, because plans change a lot in December

Pricing a Christmas party ticket

Start from what the night costs: venue hire or minimum spend, food, drinks if included, music, decorations, staff, and anything for the kids. Divide by a realistic crowd, not a full house. The break-even calculator shows how many tickets you need at a price, and the ticket price calculator suggests a price from your costs.

Then decide what the ticket includes, and say it plainly: “Includes a two-course dinner and a drink on arrival”. A few common shapes:

• One price, all in: simplest, best for small parties
• Early bird, then standard: rewards people who commit early and gives you numbers sooner
• A table or group ticket: a table of eight or a group of six at one price
• A child or family price, for a community or club party with kids

Keep it to three ticket types or fewer. A long list makes people stop and think, and that’s when they don’t buy.

When to put Christmas party tickets on sale

Six to eight weeks before is a good rule. For an early December party, that’s mid to late October. For a party in the week before Christmas, early November. Run the early price for two or three weeks and finish it on a set date, so there’s a reason to book now.

Close sales a day or two before the party, or whenever the venue needs final numbers. Remember that plenty of people are away from mid-December, so a party in the last week before Christmas may need a smaller room. See When should I put tickets on sale?.

Refunds and a waitlist

December plans change. Decide your refund policy before you go on sale and show it on the page. “Refunds until seven days before” is common for a catered party, because the caterer needs numbers. Never write “no refunds”: the law still gives refunds in some cases, like when you cancel. “No change-of-mind refunds” is the honest version. The refund policy generator writes one for you.

When the party sells out, a waitlist keeps the people who missed out. Any refunded or released place goes to the next person in line, so the room stays full.

The night

Have a list at the door, sorted by name, and scan QR codes from a phone so the queue moves. Have a plan for walk-ups if there’s room, and for the person whose ticket is on their partner’s phone.

It’s summer, so think about heat, shade and water, and have a wet-weather plan for anything outdoors.

On One Ticket

Start from a template: the Christmas trivia night, Work Christmas party and New Year’s Eve party are set up and ready to change, or browse every template.

Each ticket type has its own price and Capacity. For an early bird, choose Add a price change and pick when it starts: On a date, So many days before the event or Once so many tickets are sold. People per ticket makes a ticket type admit up to eight people for one price, like a table of eight: each person gets their own ticket and counts against the capacity. Set Max tickets per order (up to 25) so one buyer can’t take the lot. Sales end on each ticket type closes sales when the venue needs numbers.

Pick your Refund policy from No change-of-mind refunds, Refunds until a set number of days before, Refunds any time before the event or Case by case, and add your own wording under it. Switch on Waitlist when sold out under Ticket settings; with Offer them to the next in line, a freed place is held for the next person for 6 hours. If the date or place has to change, everyone booked is emailed the new details, and everyone who paid online (and hasn’t checked in) can get a full refund. See Refund policy and Waitlist.

On a paid ticket the buyer pays a small booking fee and you receive your full ticket price, paid into your own Stripe account. On any plan you can absorb the booking fee instead, and sell extras with the ticket, like a drink token. Everyone booked is reminded the day before and the morning of. At the door, scan tickets from any phone, find a guest by name, and record walk-ups at the box office as Cash or Card at the door. See pricing.

Related: How to organise a work Christmas party, How to sell tickets to a New Year’s Eve party and How do I set up early bird tickets?.