Conference Aston to Work Hard, Play Hard this Christmas
September 2010
Birmingham businesses will be working and playing hard this Christmas, despite a tough trading year for companies.
In a survey carried out by Conference Aston, 75% of Birmingham companies said they would be planning a Christmas party this year. Only 8% of the 100 companies surveyed have made the decision to cancel Christmas parties, with a further 30% of organisations tightening budgets.
The average budget for the festive season is between £20-30 (42%) and £31-40 (£35%). And cost was not the deciding factor in choosing a party venue, beaten into third place by location and what was on offer.
The survey also highlighted the need to reward staff at the end of the year is still an important way of maintaining good staff morale within the workplace, said Conference Aston's head of sales and marketing, Christine Page.
"We're all very aware of the current economic environment, but it seems from our survey that organisations recognise the need to reward loyal staff who have worked hard through a tough year with a good night out," she said.
"We're already received a wave of enquiries for Christmas parties and the feedback we are getting is that no one wants to be seen to be overly extravagant, but they do want to have a great night with good food and entertainment."Conference Aston has launched a series of festive packages to suit a range of requirements, from a lunchtime menu and a Christmas party night to a Work All Day, Party All Night package, which combines a day conference with a night of partying.
"The conferencing package is great for organisations who want to bring together their staff and use the opportunity to share business news and best practice, before partying into the small hours," said Christine.
"We have already seen a number of bookings for this package as well as the more traditional party nights and are planning for a very busy and merry Christmas."
Conference Aston has already begun booking parties for the festive season and will be bringing a taste of Christmas to Birmingham on September 8, when it launches its Christmas menu at a tasting event. To attend the event which will take place at Conference Aston from 12pm to 3pm, please contact 0121 204 4300.
Conference Aston welcomes more than 54,000 people a year to Birmingham for training, residential conferences, for weddings and to stay in its high quality hotel facilities and on site campus accommodation.
It sits at the heart of Aston University, which is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce.
