Is Summer the New Christmas?

Have you Heard?

Event organizers notice seasonal shift in party calendar.

As they say, the past is a different country and so it seems this may be the way with the Christmas party-organising scene. According to British events-planning agency Clownfish Events, demand for summer parties now outstrips that for Christmas parties among leading corporate clients and is showing no sign of changing.

Christmas parties traditionally represented the high point of the event planner’s corporate diary with all the activity taking place at what is most people’s busiest time of the year. The switch to summer parties means there is less pressure placed on just a few weeks in late November and December.

Summer parties can, arguably, have more creative scope than Christmas gatherings and are more likely to be associated with other add-ons such as a team-building exercise or a barbecue. Attendees are reportedly happier to spend longer time at events during long summer nights rather than dashing around town in the cold in the winter, desperate to get home.

Of course the downside, especially in Northern Europe, is always going to be the unpredictability of the summer weather ensuring a Plan B is always top of mind — and destination and event planners are increasingly choosing to place clients in flexible venues that work come rain or shine.