Company Christmas Party in Lower Austria: Ideas, Itinerary, and Checklist for 20 to 80 People
Every year, the same question comes up at the office: Where are we celebrating this year? Last year’s venue was noisy, the menu was lackluster, and after midnight, half the staff still had to drive home. If you want to approach your team’s Christmas party differently this time, this post will help: it includes a realistic timeline, ideas for the entertainment, an assessment of what you should plan for, and a checklist you can easily work through.
We’re writing this from the perspective of a company that has been organizing corporate events for many years—currently at our branch in Breitenstein at the foot of the Semmering, and starting in the summer of 2027, once again at the Parkhotel in Hirschwang. However, much of this applies to any venue.
When You Should Start Planning
The honest answer: now. The most popular dates—that is, Fridays and Saturdays between late November and mid-December—are already booked up at many venues through October. If you don’t make your reservation until November, you’ll often only be able to book a Tuesday or have to switch to January. Which, by the way, isn’t such a bad thing: A party in January is usually more relaxed, less expensive, and your coworkers are ready to see each other again.
A schedule that has proven effective:
Which location is right for your team?
There are three typical options. A restaurant in the city is convenient but rarely exclusive, and after the meal, the group tends to disperse. An event venue with a DJ is good for large groups, but with 30 people, it can quickly feel empty. And then there’s the hotel in the countryside with overnight accommodations: the trip there is like a little getaway, you have a private room just for your team, there’s a social program before dinner, and afterward, no one is watching the clock because they have to drive home.
In our experience, for teams of 20 to 80 people, the third option is the one that leaves the most lasting impression. The reason is simple: those who stay overnight stay until the very end, and experience has shown that the best conversations happen after 11 p.m.
Here in Breitenstein, the trip from Vienna takes just over an hour—by car via the S6 or by train to Semmering or Breitenstein, then continuing on the RUFbus. For your celebration, we have spaces available for both small and larger groups (restaurant: approx. 20 people; brasserie: approx. 80 people; bistro for a nightcap: approx. 40 people), and the guest rooms are located right in the building.
Side Events: What Might Happen Before and After the Meal
The supporting program determines whether it will be a celebration or just a dinner. It doesn’t have to be a big event, but it should be something that brings people from different departments together. Here are a few ideas that work well for us:
What we don’t really recommend: a program that lasts longer than an hour and a half, and anything that requires someone to stand up front and give a presentation. Not everyone enjoys that, and the Christmas party isn’t the right place to find out.
Food and Drink: Set Menu or Buffet?
For groups of up to about 30 people, we recommend a three- or four-course sit-down meal; it’s more relaxed, and everyone sits down at the same time. For groups of 40 or more, a buffet is more practical because it allows people to form groups, and no one has to wait an hour for the main course. In both cases, it’s important that vegetarian and vegan dishes are treated as equals and aren’t presented as mere side dishes.
For us, “regional” and “seasonal” aren’t just marketing buzzwords—they’re simply what our kitchen has to offer in December: locally sourced game, sauerkraut, potatoes, chestnuts, paired with our house beer, Grubenzwerg, and wines from Lower Austria. If you’re celebrating in November, you might still catch the goose season. And when it comes to drinks, a flat rate is less stressful for everyone than billing based on consumption.
Overnight Stay: The Element That Changes the Celebration
No one has to wait for the driver at 10 p.m., no one drives home with mulled wine in their system, and management doesn’t have to stay sober until the end. When you reserve a block of rooms, either the company pays or each guest pays individually at an agreed-upon rate—both are common practices. The next morning, there’s a group breakfast, and anyone who wants to can take a walk through the snow before heading home.
Here in Breitenstein, we have a large number of rooms available for this, with breakfast included. For larger groups, we can help arrange accommodations at nearby partner hotels.
How much does a company Christmas party cost?
That depends on the meal, beverages, activities, and lodging, so instead of giving a rough estimate here, we’ll list the components: meal or buffet per person, flat-rate beverage fee or billing based on consumption, recreational activities such as bowling or curling, and overnight stay with breakfast per room. We’d be happy to calculate the total for you based on the number of guests, so you’ll have a figure you can use internally.
A tip from experience: What you save on the venue, you’ll often end up spending twice as much on taxis and bad moods.
