Organising the company Christmas party can be one of the highlights of the corporate calendar, but hiring an entire London venue isn’t always the right option. For smaller and medium-sized teams, a shared corporate Christmas party can offer the atmosphere, entertainment and production of a large-scale celebration without the cost of taking a venue exclusively.

Shared Christmas parties bring several companies together at the same venue, usually with each organisation having its own reserved tables or designated area. Guests enjoy the wider party collectively, including dinner, entertainment, dancing and other festive experiences.

For businesses looking for an impressive Christmas celebration with a straightforward per-person price, they can be an excellent alternative to an exclusive party.

What Is a Shared Corporate Christmas Party?

A shared corporate Christmas party is an organised festive event where several companies celebrate at the same venue on the same evening.

Rather than one business hiring the entire venue, the space is divided between different corporate groups. Your company will normally have its own allocated tables for dinner while sharing the entertainment, bars, dance floor and wider event experience with the other guests.

Depending on the venue and package, the evening might include:

• Festive drinks on arrival
• A three-course dinner or alternative dining format
• Professional Christmas theming
• Live entertainment
• DJs and dancing
• Production, lighting and sound
• Fully staffed bars
• Cloakroom facilities
• Security and event management

Some venues go considerably further, creating immersive Christmas experiences with elaborate scenery, performers, interactive entertainment and spectacular production.

The result can feel much more like attending a major event than simply going out for Christmas dinner.

Why Choose a Shared Christmas Party?

A Big-Party Atmosphere, Whatever Your Group Size

One of the biggest advantages is atmosphere.

A Christmas party for 20, 30 or 50 employees in a large venue can sometimes feel relatively quiet if the space has been booked exclusively. Put the same group into a professionally produced event alongside several hundred other guests and the experience changes completely.

There’s energy from the moment guests arrive, the dance floor feels busy and your team becomes part of a much larger celebration.

Access to Impressive London Venues

London has some extraordinary corporate event venues, but many have capacities running into several hundred or even thousands of guests.

Hiring these spaces exclusively may not be practical for a smaller company.

Shared party nights give smaller groups the opportunity to experience venues and levels of event production that might otherwise only be available to much larger organisations.

Easier Budgeting

Shared corporate Christmas parties are commonly sold as packages with a price per person.

Instead of separately budgeting for venue hire, catering, staffing, production, entertainment, furniture and event management, many of these elements are incorporated into one package.

This makes comparing options and controlling the overall Christmas party budget considerably easier/.

Less Organisation for Your Team

An exclusive Christmas party can involve a surprising number of decisions.

There is the venue to find, menus to select, production to arrange, entertainment to book, furniture to consider and numerous suppliers to coordinate.

With a shared party, much of this work has already been done.

The venue, format, catering, entertainment and production are established, leaving the organiser to concentrate on choosing the right experience and looking after their guests.

Shared or Exclusive Christmas Party – Which Is Better?

Neither format is automatically better. It depends on what you want from your event.

A shared Christmas party can work particularly well for companies that:

• Have a smaller or medium-sized guest list
• Want a lively, large-scale atmosphere
• Prefer a clear per-person budget
• Want entertainment and production included
• Don’t need complete control over the venue
• Want to minimise the amount of internal event planning required

An exclusive corporate Christmas party may be more appropriate when:

• You have a larger guest list
• Privacy is important
• You want extensive company branding
• You have a particular creative theme in mind
• Speeches, presentations or awards form part of the evening
• You want complete control over catering and entertainment
• You would like the entire event designed around your company

There is also plenty of middle ground. Some venues offer private areas within a larger Christmas event, giving companies greater exclusivity while retaining the atmosphere of a shared party.

What Should You Look for in a Shared Christmas Party Package?

It’s tempting to compare packages simply on the headline price per person, but this rarely tells the whole story.

Look carefully at exactly what is included.

Location and Transport

For a company Christmas party, accessibility matters.

A spectacular venue becomes less attractive if employees face a difficult journey home late at night. Consider Underground, rail and bus connections as well as the availability of taxis and nearby hotels.

Central London venues can work particularly well when employees are travelling from different parts of London and the South East.

Food and Drink

Christmas party catering has moved far beyond the traditional turkey dinner.

Depending on the venue, you might find three-course dining, bowl food, street-food concepts, food stations or contemporary festive menus.

Check what’s included in the package and whether dietary requirements can be accommodated.

Drinks are equally important. Establish whether your package includes an arrival drink, table wine, drinks tokens, a cash bar or an inclusive drinks package.

Entertainment

Entertainment can transform the atmosphere of a Christmas party.

A DJ and dance floor may be enough for some companies, while others will prefer live bands, performers, casino tables, roaming entertainment or interactive experiences.

Find out what’s included rather than assuming everything shown in promotional material forms part of the standard package.

Christmas Theming and Production

One of the advantages of a good shared party is that the cost of professional theming and production is spread across many guests.

This can result in a far more impressive setting than an individual company could justify creating for a relatively small number of people.

Lighting, staging, sound, décor and entertainment should work together to create a complete experience from arrival through to the end of the evening.

Your Company’s Space

Ask how your group will be accommodated.

Will you have reserved tables? Can colleagues sit together? Is there an opportunity to create a private area? Can you add subtle company branding?

These details become increasingly important as group sizes grow.

How Many Guests Do You Need for a Shared Christmas Party?

One of the attractions of shared Christmas parties is their flexibility.

They can work for relatively small teams as well as companies bringing considerably larger groups. Instead of having to find a venue appropriately sized for your exact guest numbers, you simply reserve the number of places you require.

This makes shared parties particularly useful when final attendance numbers are difficult to predict.

For larger groups, however, it is worth comparing the cost of shared tickets against an exclusive Christmas party. Once guest numbers reach a certain point, hiring your own venue may become more attractive and give you significantly greater flexibility.

Lotus Events can help you compare both options.

When Should You Book a Shared Christmas Party in London?

Earlier than many companies think.

The most popular dates are usually Thursday and Friday evenings in December, and availability for these can disappear well before the festive season begins.

Starting your search early gives you a much better choice of:

• Venues
• December dates
• Locations
• Party themes
• Packages
• Price points

If your preferred Friday isn’t available, consider a Wednesday or Thursday. Moving the party by just one day can sometimes open up considerably more choice.

Are Shared Christmas Parties Suitable for Clients as Well as Employees?

They can be.

A high-quality shared Christmas event can work well for entertaining employees, clients and business partners, particularly when the venue and hospitality are of a suitable standard.

However, if the purpose of the evening is heavily focused on client entertainment, networking or relationship building, an exclusive event may offer greater privacy and more opportunities for bespoke hospitality and branding.

The right choice depends on who you’re inviting and what you want the evening to achieve.

Making a Shared Party Feel Like Your Company’s Christmas Party

Just because you’re sharing a venue doesn’t mean your celebration has to feel anonymous.

Depending on the venue, there may be opportunities to personalise elements of the evening with:

• Branded table stationery
• Company gifts
• Awards
• Photography
• Personalised menus
• Table decorations
• Reserved areas
• Pre-party drinks
• After-party arrangements

Even relatively small touches can help create a stronger identity for your group.

Shared Christmas Parties vs a Restaurant Christmas Dinner

For smaller companies, the other obvious option is booking a private room or several tables in a restaurant.

That can work extremely well when food and conversation are the priorities.

But if you’re looking for a genuine party atmosphere, a shared corporate Christmas event offers something quite different.

Instead of dinner followed by everyone deciding where to go next, the entire evening takes place in one environment. Dinner, entertainment, music, dancing and drinks are all part of the experience.

For companies that only bring the whole team together occasionally, that sense of occasion can make a significant difference.

Finding the Right Shared Corporate Christmas Party in London

London offers an enormous choice of Christmas party venues and packages, which is both an advantage and a challenge.

The best option isn’t necessarily the biggest venue, the most elaborate theme or the lowest ticket price. It’s the party that works for your guest numbers, location, budget and company culture.

At Lotus Events, we organise corporate Christmas parties throughout London and can help you compare shared party packages with exclusive venue options.

Tell us approximately how many guests you’re expecting, your preferred dates, location and budget, and we’ll help identify suitable options.

And if you’re unsure whether a shared or exclusive Christmas party represents better value for your company, we can compare the two.

Plan Your Corporate Christmas Party with Lotus Events

Whether you’re organising Christmas drinks for a smaller team, looking for a spectacular shared party or planning an exclusive celebration for hundreds of guests, Lotus Events can help.

Our team can assist with Christmas party venues, catering, entertainment, theming, AV and production, event branding and complete event management, giving you one experienced team to manage the celebration from initial ideas through to the event itself.

Start planning your company Christmas party with Lotus Events and let us find the right London venue and package for your team.