A company Christmas dinner seats 40 to 120 guests, one per 5 cm place card. Seven of the eight catalogue formats are that height. The figure comes from the Fluxenna catalogue, checked in July 2026. HR organises the event in four weeks, with two structural decisions. The first is whether there are assigned seats. The second is how the teams are mixed. By the end of this guide you will have the room plan finalised and the name order ready. The starting point is the place cards catalogue.
What you need
- The up-to-date staff list, with department and contact email.
- An RSVP deadline, communicated in writing to the whole company.
- The restaurant's floor plan, with the number of tables and guests per table.
- An allergies and intolerances form that must be completed.
- One place card per confirmed attendee, plus a 5% margin.
- A spreadsheet with the seating by table, in columns: name, department, table, restriction.
- Four weeks between closing the attendee list and the day of the dinner.
Step 1: Close the attendee list with a deadline
The invitation goes out six weeks in advance with a clear cut-off date. Two weeks to confirm is enough in a medium-sized company. After that date, the list is closed for production.
Ask people to confirm with their name written the way they want to see it. Many employees use a short name day to day. That is the one that should go on the table.
Trick 1. Send a reminder 48 hours before the deadline. It recovers a good share of pending replies without having to chase anyone.
Trick 2. Add a plus-one box to the same form. Plus-ones are the main cause of mismatches between the list and the room.
With the list closed, the rest of the process stops shifting.
Step 2: Decide whether the dinner has assigned seats
The short answer is yes, and it is worth explaining the reasons to management. Without assigned seats, the room sorts itself by department in under a minute. Each team sits with the team it already eats with every day.
That spontaneous seating defeats the purpose of the dinner. A company dinner is for people to get to know each other outside their usual workflow.
Assigned seating also solves practical problems. It avoids scattered empty chairs, speeds up service and makes allergies easier to manage.
Trick 1. Communicate the approach before the dinner, in one line. "This year we're mixing teams" halves the resistance.
Trick 2. Publish the plan on the intranet 24 hours before. Anyone who wants a change asks in writing, not at the door.
Step 3: Mix the teams at each table
With tables of ten, the seating works with one stable rule. No department takes more than four chairs at the same table. With three departments per table, the conversation spreads without scattering.
Start with the largest team and distribute it first. Then place the small teams, which are the ones that create cohesion. Leave recent joiners until last.
People who have been with the company less than three months need a carefully chosen seat. Sit them next to someone from their own area and someone from another.
Trick 1. Mix length of service too, not just department. One table averaging twelve years and another averaging one creates two different dinners.
Trick 2. Mark in the spreadsheet who works remotely. They know the fewest faces and gain the most from the seating.
Step 4: Spread management around the room
The usual mistake is to put the whole management committee at one table. It reads as a top table and puts up an invisible barrier across the room.
The professional approach is the opposite. Each committee member hosts a different table, spread around the space. With six directors and twelve tables, half the room has someone senior to talk to directly.
Reserve the seats with access to the central aisle for management. If there is a speech, the speaker reaches the microphone without crossing the room.
Trick 1. Rotate positions every year and put it in writing. It stops any table being seen as the good table.
Trick 2. Seat management with their backs to the entrance, never facing it. It reduces the flow of people coming over during dinner.
Step 5: Collect allergies and intolerances and take them to the seat
The restrictions form is compulsory and closes with the attendee list. It collects allergies, intolerances and diets: gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free, vegetarian, vegan.
The restaurant needs the count by table, not just the total. Send it 72 hours in advance, in table format.
In the room, the information travels with the seat. A discreet mark on the place card lets staff identify the dish without asking out loud. A dot of colour in the bottom corner is enough.
Trick 1. Use a code of two colours at most. With five, the waiter stops looking and goes back to asking.
Trick 2. Give the head waiter a copy of the plan with the restrictions marked. It is the document that prevents most service incidents.
Step 6: Order the place cards from a list of names
The order goes in once the list is closed and checked. Production works from a list of names, in a single file with one row per guest.
The Fluxenna catalogue, checked in July 2026, has no minimum order. Production takes 24-48 hours and delivery to mainland Spain takes 3 to 5 working days. Prices range from €2.99 to €3.99 per piece, depending on the format.
Two formats work for a corporate event. The table place cards with name and magnet stay useful after the dinner. The place cards with the name in script lettering give a more understated look on the tablecloth. Both are made in matt PLA bioplastic.
Trick 1. Check the file with a second person before sending it. A misspelt surname at a company dinner gets talked about the next day.
Trick 2. Order 5% extra pieces without names. They cover last-minute additions and unexpected plus-ones. The criteria for choosing between formats are set out in this guide to choosing the right favour.
Step 7: Set up the room the day before
Set-up is finished the afternoon before, with the restaurant already empty. Arriving on the day with 120 loose names is the most common cause of delay.
Place the pieces table by table, following the printed plan. Mark each table with a number visible from the entrance. Put the general list next to the door.
In terms of colour, a corporate table calls for restraint. The configurator range offers ivory white, desert sand, ash grey, caramel and latte brown. Pantone announces its colour of the year every December and WGSN publishes colour forecasts two years ahead. A warm neutral ages better than a seasonal shade. Long-table set-up references are in the personalised wedding collection. The composition criteria are detailed in this guide to table decoration.
Trick 1. Photograph each finished table. The photo helps you restore a seat that has been moved and serves as a record for the following year.
Trick 2. Leave two empty chairs at the most accessible table. That is the place for latecomers, without disrupting the plan.
Five common mistakes
1. Leaving the dinner without assigned seats. The room groups itself by department and the dinner loses its purpose. Solution: assign seats and communicate the mixing approach in writing.
2. Seating the entire management committee at the same table. It creates a barrier visible from the rest of the room. Solution: place each director as host of a different table.
3. Collecting allergies through the internal chat. Replies get lost and the count never adds up. Solution: a compulsory form, closing on the same date as the list.
4. Ordering the names without a spelling check. Double-barrelled surnames and accents go wrong more often than expected. Solution: a double check of the file before sending it to production.
5. Setting up the room on the day of the dinner. Any hitch turns into a delay to service. Solution: set up the afternoon before with the printed plan in hand. The choice of materials is compared in this table of place card materials.
Frequently asked questions
Should you assign seats at a company dinner?
Yes, and it is the decision that most changes the outcome of the event. Without assigned seats, the room sorts itself by department in under a minute. Each team sits with the people it already eats with every day. Assigned seating also speeds up service and keeps allergies organised.
How do you mix departments at each table?
With tables of ten, no department should take more than four chairs. Three areas per table spread the conversation without scattering it. Place the largest team first and leave recent joiners until last. Mix length of service too, not just department.
Where does the management committee sit?
Spread around the room, with each member hosting a different table. Putting them all at one table creates a barrier visible from the rest of the space. Reserve the seats with access to the central aisle for them. Rotate positions every year and put it in writing.
How do you manage allergies without singling anyone out?
Collect restrictions on a compulsory form that closes with the attendee list. Send the count by table to the restaurant 72 hours in advance. In the room, a discreet mark on the place card identifies the dish. Use two colours at most.
How far in advance should you order the place cards?
Order them as soon as the list is closed and checked. The Fluxenna catalogue, checked in July 2026, has no minimum order and makes pieces in 24-48 hours. Delivery to mainland Spain takes 3 to 5 working days. Add 5% extra pieces without names.
To finish
A company Christmas dinner is sorted in the spreadsheet, not in the room. A closed list, assigned seats, mixed teams and management spread out. Allergies travel with the seat and names are checked twice. Set-up is finished the afternoon before. The sizes are 3 and 5 cm. The eight formats, in five colours, are in the place cards collection. The rest of the December table is in the Christmas collection.
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