Company party checklist.
Start with a good plan.

Plan a good evening and make room for the photographs.

I am Mark, photographer and filmmaker at Halding Foto. At company events, I need to know the scheduled activities and have room to capture what happens between them: conversations, reactions and shared experiences.

I created this guide for organising teams. It helps you plan the evening and highlights the agreements that make it easier to capture the moments you want to remember and share afterwards. Read about me or explore how I photograph company events.

Agree the basics first.

Decide who the party is for, how many guests you expect and the occasion. Summer parties, Christmas celebrations and anniversaries may need different venues and programmes.

• Choose a decision-maker and divide the organising team’s tasks.
• Set the date, guest list and whether partners are invited.
• Agree and approve a budget.
• Clarify the venue, transport, accessibility and finish time.
• Consider speeches, awards or a shared activity.

Venue, food and guests.

• Visit the venue and agree table layout, cloakroom, toilets and accessibility.
• Check what venue hire includes.
• Agree the menu, drinks and serving times.
• Allow guests to share relevant dietary requirements.
• Agree the final attendance deadline with catering.
• Clarify parking, shared transport and any accommodation.
• Ask the venue about capacity, safety and any necessary permits.

Entertainment and technical production.

• Choose entertainment suited to the guests and occasion.
• Agree playing times and breaks with the DJ, band or performer.
• Arrange a microphone for the welcome and speeches.
• If showing films, agree a screen or projector and test playback with sound.
• Clarify the mixer, speakers, lighting and who operates them.
• Include additional hours, travel and cancellation terms in the agreement.

Book equipment based on the supplier’s assessment of the venue and programme.

What belongs in your company party budget?

Include the venue, food, drinks, entertainment, technical production, photographer, any film production, transport and staffing. Add agreed cleaning, teardown and optional extras.

Use attendance × price per person for variable costs and actual quotes for fixed packages. Check whether quotes include or exclude VAT and use the same basis throughout. This guide gives no standard party price: your budget should reflect your own agreements.

The free event plan includes a budget worksheet with blank input cells, calculated planned amounts and variances for items where actual costs have been entered.

Prepare a run sheet for the evening.

Add supplier access, the welcome, dinner, speeches, entertainment and closing to a shared event run sheet. Coordinate speeches with the kitchen so service and microphones work together.

If you need a group photograph, choose a suitable time and place when everyone is together. Agree one contact person to gather the relevant people.

Choose the moments you want to capture.

Should the photographs focus on the welcome, colleagues’ conversations, speeches or the dance floor? Send the photographer your programme and prioritise the parts of the evening that matter most.

Agree timings, subjects, image formats, usage rights and delivery. A short event film can be included if filming and staffing are planned for it. Explore photography for company parties and events.

Tell guests about photography.

Before the party, clarify how photographs and films will be used and who handles attendee information and requests not to be photographed.

The photographer’s usage licence and the lawful use of guest images are separate questions. An information sign does not itself constitute consent. Read the Danish Data Protection Agency’s explanation of publishing images, and have the responsible person assess your specific lawful basis.

Final checks and follow-up.

• Confirm attendance, access times and contact people.
• Share the run sheet with the venue, catering, performers and photographer.
• Test the speech microphone and any films before guests arrive.
• Agree who approves changes and additional costs.
• Check handover and teardown after the party.
• Thank guests, use the agreed images and collect lessons for next time.

An event plan you can make your own.

Download the free English Excel file with three worksheets: Checklist, Run sheet and Budget. Assign tasks, owners and deadlines, and keep one shared version with your team. No sign-up is required.

The run sheet contains a fictional example you can edit. Budget amounts start blank and calculate quantity × unit price and variance against actual spending. Use your own supplier quotes and a consistent VAT basis. Amounts are in Danish kroner.

XLSX file. Open in Excel or import into Google Sheets. Adapt the examples to your event.

Planning questions.

Shall I photograph your company party?

I photograph conferences, receptions and company events and also create event films. We agree the key moments, image formats, usage rights and delivery before the day.

Send the date, venue, approximate timings and how you will use the material. I will suggest photography and film coverage suited to the assignment.

Explore conference photography and event photography and pricing.

More guides for your next event.

Planning a professional conference as well? Use the conference checklist. For the event itself, explore the run sheet and free template.

References and further reading.

Supplement your plan with IDA’s conference guide, Aarhus University’s conference handbook and Teletech’s AV project-management guide (in Danish). Adapt the guidance to your event’s size, venue and supplier agreements.

Written by Mark Skov Halding, photographer and filmmaker at Halding Foto. Updated 29 October 2026.