Holiday event season brings plenty of opportunity —and plenty of competition for planners’ attention.
Whether you’re promoting private dining, company holiday parties, catering, or year-end celebrations, a strong holiday email should make three things clear: why someone should celebrate with you, what they can book, and what they should do next.
The good news? Your email doesn’t have to be complicated to work hard for your business.
Below are five holiday email examples restaurants, event venues, and caterers can adapt to promote their offerings, encourage earlier bookings, and turn more seasonal interest into event revenue.
What Makes a Great Holiday Marketing Email?
Before you hit send, make sure your email answers the questions a busy planner is likely asking:
- What are you offering?
- Who is it for?
- Why should I book it?
- Is there a deadline or limited availability?
- What do I do next?
Keep the message focused. Strong visuals can help sell the experience, but they should support, —not bury, —the most important details.
And make your call to action easy to find. Whether you want guests to submit an event inquiry, explore a package, or book an eligible event online, they shouldn’t have to search for the next step.
Here are five approaches to try.
1. The Early-Booking Holiday Party Email
If your goal is to build your event book before peak season hits, give planners a reason to make a decision early.
That doesn’t necessarily mean discounting your event.
Consider offering something that adds value to the experience, such as a welcome beverage, appetizer upgrade, complimentary dessert, décor enhancement, or another perk that makes sense for your venue.
Example subject lines
Book Your Holiday Party Before Prime Dates Fill Up
Holiday Party Planning Starts Here
Your Team Deserves a Holiday Party Worth Celebrating
Celebrate the Holidays with [Venue Name]
Example email
Holiday celebrations are around the corner. Is your party on the calendar?
Bring the team together at [Venue Name] with [private dining/event space], seasonal menus, and everything you need to make this year’s celebration memorable.
Book your holiday event by [date] and receive [early-booking incentive].
Prime dates won’t stay open forever.
CTA: Plan Your Holiday Party
Why it works
The message creates urgency without overwhelming the reader. It focuses on the event experience, gives the promotion a clear deadline, and directs the planner toward one action.
Tripleseat Tip: Your offer doesn’t need to be a discount. An upgrade or add-on can create urgency while helping you protect the value of the event.
2. The Private Dining Showcase Email
Sometimes the space itself is the strongest selling point.
For restaurants and venues with private dining rooms, rooftops, patios, lounges, or flexible event spaces, use your holiday email to help planners picture their celebration there.
Example subject lines
Picture Your Holiday Party Here
A Private Space for This Year’s Holiday Celebration
Your Holiday Table Is Ready
Host a Holiday Party Your Guests with Rave About
Example email
Make this year’s holiday gathering feel like an occasion.
From intimate dinners to full-team celebrations, [Venue Name] offers spaces designed to bring people together.
Explore:
- [Private Room], accommodating up to [X] guests
- [Second Space], ideal for [type of event]
- Seasonal food and beverage packages
- Customizable event options
Tell us what you’re planning, and our team can help you find the right fit.
CTA: Explore Private Events
Why it works
Instead of asking planners to imagine what your venue can accommodate, this email gives them specific information they can use to evaluate it.
Pair the copy with strong photography of the space during an actual event whenever possible. A decorated, active room can help a planner envision the experience more effectively than an empty space.
3. The Holiday Catering Email
Your holiday revenue opportunity doesn’t stop at your front door.
Office lunches, client gatherings, at-home celebrations, team meetings, and holiday parties can all create demand for catering.
A catering email should emphasize convenience as much as the menu.
Example subject lines
Let Us Handle the Holiday Catering
Holiday Hosting? We’ve Got the Food Covered
Feed the Whole Team Without the Holiday Stress
Example email
You make the guest list. We’ll take care of the menu.
Make holiday gatherings easier with catering from [Restaurant Name].
Our seasonal catering options are perfect for:
- Office holiday lunches
- Team celebrations
- Client gatherings
- At-home parties
- Year-end meetings
Choose from [brief menu/package description] and make feeding the group one less thing on your holiday to-do list.
CTA: Order Holiday Catering
Why it works
This message sells more than food, —it sells convenience.
Busy customers want to know that feeding a group can be simple. Make menus, serving sizes, ordering information, deadlines, pickup or delivery details, and the next step easy to understand.
If eligible catering offerings can be booked online, link customers directly to that experience rather than adding unnecessary steps between interest and purchase.
4. The Last-Chance Holiday Availability Email
As the season approaches, your message should change.
Early in the campaign, you’re selling possibility. Later, you’re selling the specific inventory you still have available.
Instead of sending a generic “book your holiday party” email in December, tell planners exactly what they can still book.
Example subject lines
Holiday Party Dates are Still Available at [Venue Name]Still Planning the Holiday Party? We Have Dates Available
It’s Not too Late for Your Holiday Party Plans Holiday Party Plans Aren’t Too Late
December Filling Up? Consider These Dates
Example email
Still need a place for the holiday celebration?
You still have options at [Venue Name].
Limited availability remains for:
- [Weekday/date]
- [Lunch events]
- [Specific room or package]
- [January celebrations]
Whether you’re planning a team dinner, happy hour, or year-end gathering, we’ll help make the planning process simple.
CTA: Check Event Availability
Why it works
Specificity is valuable late in the season. Rather than generating inquiries for dates you can no longer accommodate, point demand toward the openings you want to fill.
This approach can also help you promote weekdays, lunches, smaller spaces, or other inventory that might otherwise go unsold.
5. The “January Is the New December” Email
Not every holiday party has to happen before December 31.
December calendars get crowded quickly, especially for corporate groups juggling employee travel, client commitments, and end-of-year deadlines.
Turn that challenge into a new sales opportunity by encouraging groups to celebrate in January.
Example subject lines
Who Says the Holiday Party Has to Be in December?
Keep the Celebration Going in January
January Is the New December
Example email
Skip the December calendar scramble.
Bring the team together in January instead.
A new-year celebration at [Venue Name] gives your group another reason to reconnect after the holiday rush—whether you’re planning a delayed holiday party, company kickoff, employee appreciation event, or team dinner.
Ask about our January event availability and [optional January offer or package].
CTA: Plan a January Event
Why it works
The email reframes January as a deliberate choice rather than a second-best option.
It can help extend holiday demand into a slower period while opening conversations around kickoff meetings, employee appreciation events, and other corporate gatherings.
Holiday Email Best Practices to Use With Every Campaign
The creative concept gets attention. The execution helps turn attention into action.
Write a clear subject line
Clever can work, but clarity should win.
A planner scrolling through a crowded inbox should be able to quickly understand why your email matters.
Compare:
Holiday Cheer Is Here!
with:
Book Your Company Holiday Party at [Venue]
The second tells the recipient exactly what’s inside.
Lead with the planner’s need
Your first paragraph shouldn’t be a long introduction to your restaurant.
Start with the celebration, the problem you can solve, or the opportunity the reader cares about.
Show the experience
Use high-quality imagery of seasonal food, cocktails, decorated spaces, catering spreads, or past celebrations.
Help planners imagine their event with you.
Make your offer easy to understand
If there’s a promotion, clearly spell out:
- What the guest receives
- What they need to book
- The booking deadline
- Any relevant restrictions
Avoid hiding the actual offer beneath paragraphs of copy.
Use one primary call to action
Your reader should know exactly what to do next.
Depending on the campaign, that might be:
Request Event Information
Check Availability
Explore Holiday Packages
Order Catering
Book Your Event
If the event fits parameters you’ve made available through Tripleseat’s Direct Book, guests can self-book eligible events, large party reservations, and catering online, creating an even more direct path from email to booked business.
When Should Restaurants Send Holiday Emails?
There isn’t one send date that works for every venue.
Corporate holiday party planners may start looking well before the holiday season, while catering customers or smaller social groups may make decisions closer to the event.
Instead of relying on one holiday blast, think in campaigns.
For example, your sequence might include:
Late summer or early fall: Announce holiday event availability.
Early fall: Showcase spaces, menus, and packages.
Mid-fall: Promote an early-booking incentive or high-demand dates.
Late fall: Highlight remaining availability and catering.
December: Promote last-minute openings and January events.
Segment your messaging when possible so that a corporate planner looking for a 75-person private event doesn’t receive the same message as someone interested in drop-off catering.
Make It Easy to Go From Email to Booked Event
A holiday email has done its job when it inspires the right customer to take the next step.
That makes what happens after the click just as important as the email itself.
Tripleseat helps hospitality businesses capture event inquiries, manage the booking process, plan events, and use their event data to grow their business—all in one platform.
For eligible offerings, Direct Book can give customers an even easier path by allowing them to self-book events, large party reservations, and catering online.
Your marketing creates the opportunity. Make sure your booking experience is ready to capture it.
