Event organisers will be well aware that Gordon Brown doubled the longstanding £75 annual tax threshold for staff entertainment to £150 a few years ago. While it’s most often associated with Christmas party budgets, it’s worth noting that the threshold can be offset against any form of event throughout the year.

So, if your company employs 100 people, at the end of the accounting year £15,000 (including VAT), could as easily be set against a family fun day as post-work team drinks in your local pub.

For many companies, Christmas is still the main event. Rather than viewing the festive bash as a costly chore, smart companies are taking advantage of the tax break to give each staff member £150-worth of party for just £90 a head net.

Many companies are now embracing the issue of corporate social responsibility and are keen to incorporate this in their marketing mix and with in their events.

At this years RSVP exhibition I will be speaking about this hot topic and discussing with a panel of experts whether or not CSR can and should be incorporated in events.

From an environmental prospective Impulse Events tried to do there bit in 2007. Within our Christmas party packages, we recycled every bottle of wine and beer throughout December, we used low energy lighting where possible and requested that our caterers sourced local, organic produce. We will soon be meeting to discuss how we can go further in 2008.

We have also witnessed a rise this year in clients requesting socially responsible events, these have included team building activities incorporating some community work, and have proved extremely popular.

For more information on our team building activities – please click here

http://www.impulseevents.co.uk/team.html

On the 20th September the Impulse Events team headed down to Lord’s Cricket Ground for our annual pre Christmas Party tasting.

This is always one of the most eagerly anticipated days of the year for our team and this year head chef Steve Smith truly outdid himself.

The menu is truly fantastic, over the years i have attended over 100 Christmas Party tastings, and i can honestly say that without doubt this was the best so far…

The starters feature wonderful ingredients such as Foie Gras and Caviar and there is a Beef Wellington option for the main course. Lord’s home made ice-cream was, as always to die for.

The full menu is listed below, if you have booked a Christmas Party at Lord’s you are in for a treat at your tasting on the 26th October, if you haven’t yet booked we have a few dates left so call one of the team today - 0870 383 4595

Simon

Lord’s Cricket Ground - Thomas Lord Suite - Christmas Menu

Starters

Terrine of Salmon
Smoked, Hot Smoked & Gravalax served with soft herbs, crème fraiche and caviar, with a cured salmon dressing

or

Terrine of Duck, Foie Gras & Bayonne Ham
with glazed figs

Courgette, red onion & parmesan tart (v)
Nicoise dressing

Main Courses

Traditional Roast Turkey

With chestnut stuffing, cumberland saudasges, Crisp pancetta served with Creamed brussel sprouts, fondant potato & sage jus

or

Best end rack of ‘Pipers Farm Lamb’
Celeriac, potato and parsnip gratinFrench beans and tomato jus

or

Fillet of beef ‘Wellington’
Cocotte potatoesBaby carrots, button onions & burgundy jus(£2 per person supplement)

Wild Mushroom Risotto (v)
Parsnip crisp and pesto dressing

or

Aubergine Charlotte (v)
Babt vegetable ratatouilleTomato vinaigrette

Desserts

Lord’s homemade Christmas pudding & Orange ice cream

or

Cinnamon Brulee & Orange ice cream

On the 6th September 200 Impulse Events undertook one of their most demading corporate events to date. We created a Hawaiian Beach Party for 1000 people inside one of the hanger-like halls of The NEC.

The event required 5 articulated lorries to deliver the mountains of flight cases and props required for such a large scale event.  Including 150 palm trees, hundreds of deck chairs, surf boards and beach huts.

The most demanding aspect of the build were the two Olympic sized beach volleyball courts, these required over 120 tonnes of sand and another 6 trucks to deliver it.

The Highlight of the event was without doubt the setting of a new world record for the largest ever Luau dance (852 people).

Impulse Events specialise in creating large scale bespoke events for our clients and this was the 6th event we had arranged for over 1000 guests in the last three years.

The Christmas party season is fast approaching with multiple events booked in from November and January, for many the party season can turn into a bit of a blur.

Here we offer a few pointers to help you get through the party season and succeed in making the most of the festive period!

Be Unit Wise: 

• It can be very easy to lose track of how many drinks you are consuming especially at a party.  The common pitfalls include large wine glasses (which could contain as much as a third of a bottle of wine), strong and unfamiliar cocktails and friendly waiters topping up your glass.

• Many people can be tempted to overindulge during the festive season and it is important to remember to stay within the Government’s sensible drinking guidelines.

• The current advice is that most men should not drink more than three to four units and for women to keep to two to three units per day. Find out more about units and how many are in your favourite drinks by visiting http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

Getting Home:

• If you are going to drink leave the car at home. Your body’s ability to process alcohol depends on various things, like your age, weight and gender. Your body breaks down alcohol at a rate of about one unit per hour - and no, there’s no way you can speed this up!

• If you aren’t taking a car, make sure you know how you’re getting home by planning with your friends or colleagues how you will get back from the event at the start of your night out.

• Make sure you have phone numbers for reliable (licensed) taxi firms to hand or find out about public transport. You can look up what time the last underground leaves or which night bus you will need to take and where it leaves from on www.journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk

  If you do have to walk home, avoid walking alone and don’t walk through unlit or unsafe areas.

To stay within the guidelines and to maximise your enjoyment throughout the party season here are a few additional tips from Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business:

• Ensure you drink plenty of water before, during and after the party.  This will help you stay refreshed and re-hydrated. 
• Pace yourself.  Take a break from alcoholic drinks by drinking fruit juice, non-alcoholic cocktails or other soft drinks as spacers.
• Make sure you eat some of the canapés or if you know there won’t be food served at the event make sure you eat something before you arrive.
• Beware of cocktails or the office party punch.  They can be quite strong and more than one can easily push you past the recommended daily unit allowance.
• Look out for friends and colleagues, if you suspect they may have had a bit too much encourage them to have a soft drink or fruit cocktail with you.
• Don’t leave your drink unattended or accept drinks from strangers.

Above all enjoy yourself, the key to having a memorable party season is planning ahead and drinking in moderation. For more hints on how to make the most of your Christmas party visit www.drinkaware.co.uk

If you have been entrusted with the task of organising your companies Christmas party, this can be an excellent opportunity to impress your superiors and peers alike with the best party your company has every seen, on the other hand a Christmas party disaster could lead to some funny looks at work the next day. So how do you make sure that you are the toast of the party?

Pick the perfect venue

First and foremost find the right venue for you, bear in mind the location, not just to your office, but also a location that is convenient for guests to make their way home from. The Grand Hall in St Pancras is situated just yards from the tube, British rail, taxi’s, and buses. There are also plenty of hotels in the vicinity. Check the venues license, if you are a big ‘party’ crowd, you do not want to be turfed out of the venue onto the street at midnight. Perhaps try a London nightclub venue? Also check what the maximum number of guests is for the venue, if you book a party for 200 guests and the response is excellent, you don’t want to contact the venue two weeks before informing them that your numbers have gone up to 220 to be told that the venue cannot cater for the extra guests!

Buy an all-inclusive package

All inclusive packages are now available at the majority of London venues. By buying one of these packages, you ensure that there are no nasty shocks when the bill arrives the day after the party. Beware that an estimated bar bill is just that, and is not a guarantee of what you will spend. With drinks packages make sure that the package lasts for the duration of your party, there is no point buying a 5 hour drinks package if your event lasts for 7 hours!!!

Quality of the Food

When choosing a Christmas party in London, bear in mind that we live in a city with some of the finest restaurants in the world. Guests that are regularly entertained at Gordon Ramsay restaurants or have dined Nobu, Cecconi’s and the like, will not be satisfied with food that could have been prepared in a school canteen! Insist on a food tasting, and find out who is actually preparing the food. At Impulse we only work with top caterers such as Mint and Tamarind.

Motivate your staff to attend

The majority of Christmas party packages now cost in excess of £100 per person, so when staff/guests do not attend this is a huge waste of money, guests should be motivated to attend, let them know in advance what a fabulous evening you have planned for them. Some companies have started imposing financial penalties on those that RSVP, but do not attend. One of our clients last year told staff if they did not attend they would be charged the full price of their ticket, another charged guests £20, but they were refunded in full if they attended! However, make sure you keep an accurate count of those you expect to attend. At one of our Christmas parties at Lord’s Cricket Ground last year, 100 extra guests turned up unannounced at the event, it was extremely fortunate that the wonderful head chef at Lord’s managed to cater for them.

Know your audience

Make sure you book the right event for your company. If you have a young ‘up for it’ crowd, why not consider a night club? For a more mature audience a seated meal is normally expected, and if you have a mix of ages, a more informal event usually works well. Think about the entertainment carefully, would you boss really appreciate the semi-nude burlesque act you have booked, or the ‘blue’ comedian you have had recommended? In conclusion, you know your audience best, so don’t be sold something that someone else thinks that you would like. If you plan ahead to get the right venue, consider the meal carefully, and arrange the right entertainment, you can look forward to the best Christmas party your company has ever seen, and the adulation from your peers that you so rightly deserve! Check out our range of exclusive London Christmas Party venues

This stunning venue in the heart of Marylebone will feature a stunning six foot chandelier, beautifully lit silver birch trees, and of course, the most delicious cuisine.

The HC is perfect for elegant seated dinners and stylish canapé parties, or, if you can’t decide which to have, why not opt for our sumptuous food stations to bridge the gat between the two?Your package at The HC will include:

• Exclusive venue hire (7pm – 1am)
• Stunning three course meal, canapés or food stations provided by Mint Catering
• Bellini reception
• Unlimited premium beers, wines and soft drinks
• Pianist/singer to perform on our grand piano during the reception and dinner
• Beautiful décor, including a six foot chandelier, theatrical lighting and creative draping
• Professional DJ and Discotheque
• Professional Security
• Complimentary Cloakroom
• Full event management
• On-site event manager 
• £5 million public liability insurance

We can cater for groups of 100-200 for a seated meal, prices start at £105 + vat pp

Reception style, The HC can cater for groups of 140-300 and prices start at £90 + vat pp

We still have a few premium dates available  

For more information on our Christmas parties at The HC click here

For more information on our other London Christmas venues click here

For more information on our shared Christmas parties click here  

Alternatively you can always call Simon or Sarah on 0870 383 4595 The Impulse Team

Impulse Events are offering one work experience place over the summer months. Suitable candidates will have just completed A-Level or degree courses, or will be looking for experience during the summer break of their degree.

Our office are in Hendon, North West London and candidates will need to be able to commute easily. We will pay reasonable travel costs.

 If you are interested in applying for this fantastic opportunity please send your CV to info@impulseevents.co.uk. Please also write 100 words on why you would like to spend your summer working for Impulse.

Thank you to all of you who joined us at the Taste of London hospitality.

We hope you had as much fun as we did sampling the delights from some of London’s best restaurants.

What we ate:

Starters

Angela Hartnett – Spinach and ricotta tortelli
Zilli fish – Raviolo al granchio
Scotts – oysters with wild boar sausages
Le Gavroche - Bisque de Homard parfumee a l’armaagnac

Mains

Cocoon – Wagyu Beef
Inn the park – Fishcakes
Sumosan – T&T roll
Yauatcha – Scallop Shumai
Kensington Place- Braised veal mushroom and potato pie

Desserts

Boxwood cafe – Valrhona hot chocolate fondue
Pearl – strawberry and champagne jelly
Marcus Wareing – Lemon meringue pie

Hope to see you there next year!