Bashlo · Guides for hosts · How to plan an office party
How to plan an office party
An office party has a mixed crowd: people who know each other a little, but not too well.
Fix the date with the team early, send one invitation link that works on any phone, and ask about food and accessibility in the same place. Keep the evening comfortable for a mixed crowd: short, optional shared moments, and nothing that puts anyone on the spot.
Start with the date and the budget
Agree the date with whoever signs off on it, then tell people as early as you can. Office parties compete with family plans, especially in December, and a date announced early gets more of the team.
Decide what the company covers and what it does not before anyone asks. Clarity about food, drinks and any gift budget avoids awkward conversations later.
One invitation for everyone
Teams use different chat tools, and some colleagues never see the group channel. A single invitation link works everywhere: paste it in the channel, an email or a message. Colleagues answer going, maybe or not this time from their own phone, with no account and nothing to install on a work phone.
The guest list updates itself as answers come in, so the organiser does not have to keep a spreadsheet of replies.
Ask the practical questions up front
Ask a short question with the invitation: anything people cannot eat, or anything that would help them attend. The answers are visible to the host only, which matters for health or dietary details people would rather not share with the whole team.
If the team brings food, a potluck list shows who brings what without a long thread.
A Secret Santa that respects the team
An office Secret Santa needs a clear budget and a little care. Draw the names by link so each person sees only their own, mark the pairs who should not draw each other, and let everyone leave a wishlist. The organiser does not need to know who has whom, so they can take part too.
On the night
Arrive early, check the space, and put the join code somewhere visible if you plan activities. Start with time to talk, keep any program to a small part of the evening, and end on time; people remember a party that finished while it was still good.
Afterwards, a short thank-you message to the team goes a long way.
Questions hosts ask
Do guests need an account?
No. Guests answer the invitation and join the party from the link with only the name they want to be called: no account, no password, no email address and no phone number.
Who sees the answers to the host’s questions?
Only the host. Guests see their own answers and can change them until the party.
How many guests can join?
Up to 80 guests can be in the room for the live program, each on their own phone. Guests must be 13 or older to join.
Do guests pay anything?
No. Guests never pay, and no guest is ever asked for a payment detail.