In planning their Christmas Party programme for 2008 the Mardyke Entertainment Complex carried out a survey to see what Cork people really think of Christmas parties, and some surprising results were revealed.

Dymphna Lordan, Marketing Manager at the Mardyke Entertainment Complex who put the survey together stated “We consider ourselves experts in party planning as we are the venue of choice for groups looking for a fun night out – but this year we decided to get feedback on what people are looking for from a Christmas Party, to see if we could add even more to our Christmas programme and our experienced team were a little surprised with some of the results.”

Over 300 replies were received from people throughout Cork 31% Male and over 67% female – interesting enough two respondents did not know whether they were male or female!!! 

One of the fascinating facts that came out was that over 75% of females did not want to bring their partners to the Christmas Party, compared with 50% of males.  Perhaps girls feel that they can let their hair down more if their partners are not with them – or are they more willing to misbehave than guys?  Or are guys more devoted to their other halves than girls since more males than females would like their partners to come along to the Christmas parties.

Also what came out really strong is that girls like to plan well in advance for the Christmas Party, with a staggering 84% of girls starting to plan what they are going to wear once the date of their party is confirmed.

For the event itself the majority of people like to have an all inclusive night with drinks, food and activities so that everyone can interact.  The message came back loud and clear that most people, over 80%, like a full night with their colleagues of organised activities, that keep everyone together.  Good news for the Mardyke on this, as guests are catered for throughout the night with a wide range of interactive activities that gets everyone mixing straight away, great food and a choice of bars and late night entertainment options.  Dymphna added “Party Planners like this, as they can relax and enjoy the night as well their colleagues and we take care of everything.”

A very positive result, despite the economic downturn, is that companies are very generous with almost 60% of Christmas Parties being funded totally by the company – only 7% of respondents said that employees have to pay entirely for the Christmas Party themselves. 

Not surprisingly romance seems to blossom at Christmas Parties with almost 70% of respondents saying that couples have got together at the Christmas Party, however 18% of that 70% said that the “romance” was forgotten about next day!!!

The main message from the research was that the Christmas Party is alive and well and seems to be recession proof!!  Most see it as a great way to bond with work colleagues, leaving the usual stress and strain of work at their desk top for one night, and enjoying a fun, all inclusive night with their work colleagues.  Although two respondents, both male, stated that as soon as they have the date of the Christmas party they decide to call in sick on the day!  The results are published as the Mardyke launch their 2008 Christmas Package, which is available online at www.mardyke.com.   You will also find hints and tips on planning the perfect Christmas Party on the website or by calling the Mardyke Party Hotline on (021) 427 3000.