By role
Doorly for HR managers
Somewhere around the second week of October, the December question lands on your desk — usually as an aside in a meeting rather than a project with a brief and a budget line. And it's yours now, on top of open roles, a benefits renewal, and whatever last quarter left behind.
A December programme for the whole company that takes an afternoon to set up, needs nobody to show up anywhere, and produces a number you can put in front of the leadership team in January.
“I can already tell my co-workers will really enjoy this. Everything is well thought out.”
“Delivered very quickly. Instructions were very clear. The calendar itself is fun and engaging.”
“Very straightforward set up and an interesting story!”
It never becomes a project
Pick a size tier, add your company name, get one link. No seat list to upload, no invitations to send, no accounts for anyone to create, nothing going near your IT approval queue. From 1 December a door unlocks every morning until Christmas Eve, and your job through the month is optional — post the day's door if you enjoy it, or don't, and it runs anyway.
Your whole to-do list
- Pick a tier by rough headcount
- Add your company name
- Add your logo, if your tier has branding
- Share one link
It reaches the people a party can't
Attendance at the Christmas party is usually half to two-thirds of the company, and the people who don't come are a predictable list: the remote team, the parents, the different time zone, the ones who don't want an evening of drinking, the starter who doesn't know anyone yet. A daily calendar has no venue, no date and no RSVP — someone in their kitchen abroad gets exactly what head office gets.
You get a number, not a vibe
The dashboard shows how many people opened each day's door, how participation held across the month, and how many reached the final accusation. That turns "can we run it again next year" from a matter of taste into a matter of data — and a team whose participation falls off a cliff in week two is usually a team with something else going on.
The comparison that usually decides it
Hosted virtual events price per head. Doorly is one flat price for the whole team for the whole month, which puts the per-person figure at a fraction of a single evening — for twenty-four days rather than two hours.
| Christmas party | Hosted virtual event | Doorly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | £40–80 per head, plus the venue deposit | £20–50 per head for one evening | £299 flat for up to 30 people — about £10 per person |
| Who it reaches | Whoever can travel and stay out that evening | Whoever is free in that timezone slot | Everyone, on any device, on their own schedule |
| Your time | Venue, menus, dietaries, chasing RSVPs | Booking, briefing, a headcount deadline | One afternoon in November, then nothing |
| How long it lasts | One evening | Ninety minutes | Twenty-four days |
| What you can report | Attendance, if someone counted | Attendance, and a feedback form | Daily participation across the month |
Christmas party
- Cost
- £40–80 per head, plus the venue deposit
- Who it reaches
- Whoever can travel and stay out that evening
- Your time
- Venue, menus, dietaries, chasing RSVPs
- How long it lasts
- One evening
- What you can report
- Attendance, if someone counted
Hosted virtual event
- Cost
- £20–50 per head for one evening
- Who it reaches
- Whoever is free in that timezone slot
- Your time
- Booking, briefing, a headcount deadline
- How long it lasts
- Ninety minutes
- What you can report
- Attendance, and a feedback form
Doorly
- Cost
- £299 flat for up to 30 people — about £10 per person
- Who it reaches
- Everyone, on any device, on their own schedule
- Your time
- One afternoon in November, then nothing
- How long it lasts
- Twenty-four days
- What you can report
- Daily participation across the month
Party and virtual-event figures are typical UK market rates, not quotes. Doorly's are our published prices.
The deadline that actually binds
Setup takes an afternoon, so the constraint is your diary rather than ours. Have the link in hand in the last week of November and announce it on the morning of the 1st — a calendar that starts on the 4th visibly has less energy than one that starts on the 1st.
What HR managers ask before buying
What does it cost, and how do I get it signed off?
It's one flat price for the whole team for the whole month — £299 covers up to 30 people, which works out at about £10 per person. It's a single line in the budget and a single invoice, with no per-head true-up in January, which is usually what makes it an easy approval compared with a per-head event.
What participation should I actually expect?
It varies by company, and anyone quoting you a guaranteed number is guessing. What we can tell you is the shape: a strong first week, a dip in the middle, and a climb back up once accusations open near the end. The dashboard shows you your own numbers day by day rather than an industry average.
Do I need to do anything during December?
No. Doors unlock on their own from 1 December to Christmas Eve. Posting the day's door in a channel makes it run hotter, but it's optional — the calendar doesn't degrade if you get busy, which is the whole reason it suits a role that has a day job attached.
What employee data do you hold?
A display name that each person types in themselves, and their guesses. We don't need an HRIS export, email addresses, or a seat list, and there's nothing to integrate with your systems — so there's no data-sharing agreement to negotiate before you can run it.
When do I need to have decided by?
Setup takes an afternoon, so the binding deadline is the announcement rather than the build. Aim to have the link in hand in the last week of November and announce it on the morning of 1 December.
December, handled by the end of the afternoon
See the doors, the dashboard, and what the whole thing costs for a team your size.
See pricing