77% of UK business leaders consider the annual corporate Christmas party the most important work event of the year, emphasising its significance in the corporate calendar.
The research, which surveyed hundreds of senior business leaders from a host of industry sectors [ranging from banking to pharmaceutical] on their perceptions of the corporate Christmas party, also revealed that 72% of businesses have a Christmas party every year without fail, with only 9% of companies refusing to celebrate the festive season – bah humbug!
This figure rises significantly with larger organisations with over 1,000 employees, where just 2% of businesses succumb to their inner Scrooge and opt out of Christmas celebrations.
Business leaders are increasingly investing in their annual Christmas parties, with average spending rising from £160 per head in 2022 to £172 in 2024. This trend aligns with a broader pattern of rising expenditures in corporate Christmas parties, which have seen a 7.7% annual increase. 61% of businesses now allocate more than £150 per head, while a mere 5% opt to spend less than £75 per head. These figures highlight a growing emphasis on delivering memorable and high-quality festive experiences for employees.
Organisations are now starting to plan their Christmas parties earlier, with a peak in enquiries seen during the months of July and August in 2023 and 2024. This marks a shift from the more cautious approach post-COVID in 2022, when enquiries were typically made later in the year, during September and October
With the build up to Christmas being an incredibly busy time of year, the survey revealed that 40% of senior business leaders outsourced Christmas party planning to events professionals, with 29% revealing that they sometimes secure external support and just 28% advising they manage the entire process themselves.
Interestingly, professional support is perhaps something more organisations should consider as the majority of respondents felt an increase in entertainment and games would make the corporate Christmas party more enjoyable, with key comments including: “More fun activities to make sure employees have a fun filled party” and “For improvements, I would suggest including more interactive games”.
Additional take outs from the research include:
- 60% believe ‘employee good time’ to be the most important thing when planning a Christmas party, followed by cost [21%] and location [11%].
- Socialising with colleagues [28%], Food and drink [26%], and theme and atmosphere [24%] are the main things respondents enjoyed about their Christmas party last year.
This research comes as Camm & Hooper unveil the festive themes for its portfolio of venues, with the iconic London sites set to become corporate party hot spots this Christmas.
Qamile Zejnullahi, Group Marketing Director of Camm & Hooper, mentioned: “The corporate Christmas party is definitely one of the most anticipated and celebrated events on the work Christmas calendar. We’ve observed a growing trend where organisations are reaching out and starting their event planning earlier starting in 2023. This perfectly aligns with over 70% of businesses moving up their Christmas celebration timelines.
We’re super excited to roll out a different Christmas theme at each of our venues, each inspired by the venue’s unique vibe and character. We’re also planning many events for clients who have something specific in mind for their own celebrations. This is why I love our venues—there’s so much creativity involved in transforming blank canvas spaces into anything imaginable, offering incredible flexibility. With brands diving into in-brand experiences and embracing personalisation like never before, the possibilities are truly limitless. We are working with a number of exciting brands and can’t wait for the festive period to commence!”
With its client base comprising of household brands Netflix, Disney and Smirnoff, Google, Cup of Joe, Camm & Hooper boasts a growing portfolio of seven different venues across London and Glasgow.
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