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TOP TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR COMPANY’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

OUR FAVOURITE EVENT SPACES& CATERING PLACES TOCELEBRATE END OF YEAR

CHOOSE THE BEST WINE VINTAGES & BUBBLES FOR EVERY OCCASION & BUDGET

LIFT OUT GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EVENT YET!

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publishersSusan Riley {susanr@magmedia.com.au}William Rowe {williamr@magmedia.com.au}

editorLisa Quittner {editor@magmedia.com.au}

designSusan de Kretser - Smith & Rowe{studio@smithandrowe.com.au}

advertisingBelle Ngien0411 615 910{advertise@magmedia.com.au}

cover imageImage courtesy of Atlantic Group [V] - Corporate Showcase

published by

Magmedia Pty Ltd ABN 69 118 720 960, Registered Offi ce: Suite 3, 15-17 Pakington St, St Kilda VIC 3182Ph: (03) 8506 9908 Fax: (03) 9525 3944

3000melbourne welcomes any contributions from our readers. Please send material to the above address. 3000melbourne is a free publication and is distributed through selected outlets. Views expressed in Winter Getaways do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editor or publisher. No responsibility is accepted by 3000melbourne or PartyPlanner for the accuracy of the information within the publication. All material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labelled “Not for Publication”. No part of this publication may be recorded, stored in a retrieval system or reproduced in any form without permission of The Publisher. The Publisher assumes no errors or omissions in this publication.

Top tips for planning your company’s Christmas Party 3

Become an expert on champagne in time for the festive season 6

Choose the best wine vintages for every occasion 6

IN THIS ISSUE:

Heading into the last quarter of the year and undoubtedly the most exciting there are plenty of highlights ahead, perhaps best of all the festive season and a lazy summer break now clearly in view on the horizon.

Without delay now is the time to be choosing venues and booking your home or work end of year celebration. In order to do this you have to have a clear goal in mind and I think most importantly -what do you want to achieve? Is your End of Year function merely a formality, or do you want to create a memorable experience ending the year on a high?

I’m not exactly sure where the tradition of an end of year celebration originated from but I can only assume as an opportunity for employers to show their gratitude to staff and to facilitate an environment where employers and employees can mingle in a relaxed atmosphere and let their hair down (within reason, we’ve all heard those horror stories about quiet Percy in Accounts who had one too many shandy’s at the work Christmas party!).

Party planners this upcoming festive season should consider the following -this is an opportunity to show gratitude to staff members, it’s not the time to cut back and tighten up on the purse strings, without your staff you have no business. In addition, surely you want to end the year on a high with happy, enthusiastic staff that have enjoyed a fantastic end of year celebration and leave excited to return.

Whether it’s group building fun, elegant or eclectic party theming or a cultural culinary experience we hope you’ll fi nd some of our favourite venues included in this guide of interest.

Happy Planning!

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Lisa Quittnereditor@magmedia.com.au

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Regardless of the size of your company, planning its Christmas party can be a time consuming and tedious process. Here are the top tips from Atlantic Group [v]’s Managing Director, Hatem Saleh and Head Chef, Tom Milligan for planning the social event of the silly season – stress free!

FIRSTLY…WILL YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY HAVE A THEME?

Before you think about booking venues or hiring entertainment, decide on a theme, should you want one. Then, when you are looking at venues you can ask the Event Manager all the right questions about your event & décor

Hatem’s tip: Save time & effort by getting advice off the Event Manager about where to go for the best quality props & entertainment.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN CHRISTMAS PARTY VENUES

As early as possible, start contacting potential venues as most will offer site

inspections with their events team. Here are some things you should consider:

• Capacity – can the venue give you several options for size & style (i.e. sit down or cocktail)?

• Location — is it accessible, good for cabs and public transport? Does it offer a view to compliment the atmosphere?

• Facilities — are there decent audiovisual facilities onsite? You may require equipment for speeches, presentations, live entertainment etc.

Hatem’s tip: Ask your Event Manager whether their audiovisual facilities will accommodate trending features such as a live Twitter feed or video feed of the room throughout the event

SEND OUT INVITATIONS EARLY

You want as many employees as possible to attend the event so it is important to notify them of the date early.

Hatem’s tip: Attach the Christmas party to another corporate event such as a conference to ensure a greater turn out.

Discuss this opportunity with the venues you are looking at– if they have several different spaces on site they may easily be able to accommodate this.

TASTE IN FOOD

Steer away from boring dinner-buffets as they can be predictable and less likely to encourage a high attendance. Alternatively, look at venues that offer interesting catering options such as interactive food stations – where chefs can entertain guests & create dishes before their eyes.

Tom’s tip for savoury: Hawker/street food – Vietnamese, Malaysian and other Asian cuisines are a delicious, healthy, interesting alternative and a refreshing change from classic Christmas party fare. Food stations that serve bowls of San Choi Bau, fried rice etc. encourage guests to get up and move around as well as add a delicious aroma & ambience to the room. Make sure you ask your Event Manager about the different catering services they offer.

Tom’s tip for sweet: Candy buffets with company-branded take-home boxes are a visually appealing and sure-way for guests to leave with sweet memories of the event.

ICE BREAKER ENTERTAINMENT

Not all attendees will be outgoing and naturally sociable so it is important

to make sure that everyone feels at ease and enjoys their night. Interactive entertainment at the start of the night will help initiate conversation and create a few laughs.

Hatem’s tip: Not everyone will want to dance so make sure that your entertainment offering is more than just a DJ. Think about including photo-booths, casino tables or mini-competitions running throughout the night – your Event Manager will be able to provide you with some interesting options.

AND REMEMBER:

It’s the end of a long year, so make sure that you get a chance to relax, celebrate with your colleagues and enjoy the best Christmas party your company has ever held!

Champagne, anyone?

Multi award winning Atlantic Group [v] are Melbourne’s leading hospitality & event specialists. Managing Director and Melbourne Award winner Hatem Saleh is known for his vision of establishing hospitality venues over two decades across Southwharf, Docklands and Southbank and works alongside Tom Milligan who runs the fi ve event kitchens that this year were awarded Function Centre Caterer of the Year by Restaurant and Catering Association

TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR COMPANY’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

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There’s a dazzling world of champagne to be discovered. Never have a greater variety of styles, wider diversity of brands or more exquisite quality emerged from the source of the fi nest fi zz on earth. Champagne offers more options than ever to add sparkle to your occasion, your cuisine, your mood and your taste. It’s a thrilling chase to fi nd just the right bottle, but it can be a daunting task, too. This guide will take the guesswork out of your next bottle of bubbles.

THE CHAMPAGNE GUIDE 2014-2015Release: November 2013RRP: $39.95

Did you know you can drink a different bottle of Australian wine every day for over nine years and still only have tasted one wine from our current

3,500 vintages? Add in the changes that occur in vintages over time and keeping up becomes an impossible task.

Rob Geddes is a wine industry veteran, the author of seven books on wine and is in high demand for executive level presentations on wine, as a lecturer and after dinner speaker, educator and wine show

judge both here and overseas. Rob was also admitted to the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1992, becoming the third Australian member of this prestigious body.

Known as the Master of Wine, Rob will release the 31st edition of Australian Wine Vintages 2014 (referred to as ‘The Gold Book’)this September, providing a comprehensive guide to help wine drinkers select the best quality vintages in any price range, just in time for festive season entertaining.

Presented in a travel-friendly pocket sized handbook, as well as in App format, this edition includes an updated list of Certifi ed Organic and

or Biodynamic wineries, advice on older wines dating back to the 90’s, and a quick guide to wine varieties and regions so readers know what to look for. For every wine there is advice on the quality of its fl avour, vintage quality, when to drink each wine, indicative retail prices and alcohol strength. The Gold star list recognises the most consistent wine producers in Australia, with an annual list of the top 100 wines tasted, regardless of price.

AUSTRALIAN WINE VINTAGES 31ST ED - BY ROB GEDDES

RRP: $34.95

www.australianwinevintages.com.au

BECOME AN EXPERT ON CHAMPAGNE IN TIME FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON!

CHOOSE THE BEST WINE VINTAGES FOR EVERY OCCASION

right bottle, but it can be a daunting task, too. This guide will take the guesswork out of your next bottle of bubbles.

Did you know you can drink a different bottle of Australian wine every day for over

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