Shared or Exclusive Christmas Parties in London?

Privacy for your guests

Exclusive use keeps every part of the event private to your company. Whether you want to discuss annual business results, recognise employees, entertain clients, or bring senior leaders and partners together, you can do so in a private setting.

Your guests can also move around the venue knowing that everyone present belongs to your party, which creates a more personal atmosphere for the reception, dinner and dancing.

More control over the running order

A private event gives you greater flexibility around arrival times, dinner service, speeches, awards and entertainment, although Smart Parties will recommend the best running order based on years of hosting exclusive Christmas parties in London. If the Managing Director needs to address the room, we can plan that moment around the wider schedule.

The same applies to client welcomes, prize-giving, product content, company films – you name it! Your Account Manager can identify the right point in the evening for each element, allowing guests to hear and see it properly without holding up the celebration.

More scope for personalisation

An exclusive party gives you space for adding company branding, bespoke content, and additional entertainment. The options depend on the venue and package, although they can include branded screens, a personalised welcome, upgraded performers, and company-specific staging or AV.

You could even choose to combine an afternoon conference, award ceremony, or annual general meeting with your Christmas party.

A venue suited to your guest list

London offers exclusive venues for company guest lists of very different sizes, from rooftop spaces and historic interiors to large venues built for several thousand people.

The size and layout need to match the way you plan to use the room. A venue that feels impressive for a reception may require a different layout for a seated dinner, stage presentation and dance floor, so your expected guest numbers and event format should form part of the brief.

One team coordinating the complete event

With a Smart Parties exclusive package, your venue, catering, production, theme, and event operations are included in a single plan. This gives you one central point of contact and keeps every supplier working towards the same timings and guest experience.

The Smart Parties event portfolio includes historic buildings, rooftop spaces, museums and large-scale venues that we transform for Christmas. Our current exclusive-use venues include:

• Exhibition White City

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 780

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 1,500

• Landing Canary Wharf

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 320

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 450

• Evolution London

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 2,000

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 4,000

• Magazine London

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 600

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 2,000

• The Gatsby Club at 60 Great Queen Street

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 220

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 350

• Grand Temple at 60 Great Queen Street

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 350

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 1,200

• Illuminate at the Science Museum

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 400

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 400

• Landing Forty Two

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 220

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 300

• Control Room A

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 120

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 220

• The Pelligon

  • Maximum Seated Capacity: 400

  • Maximum Standing Capacity: 750

Capacities depend on the layout, production requirements and package you choose, so speak to our team before creating your guest list around a published maximum. You can explore the latest options on our exclusive Christmas party venues page.

1. How many guests do you expect?

Use a realistic attendance estimate rather than your full employee or client database. A smaller group can find more atmosphere and value from a shared event, while a large guest list may make exclusive hire commercially practical.

Numbers alone won’t settle the choice. A company with 200 guests may still prefer a shared evening if it values a fixed package and established programme, while a smaller company may choose exclusive hire because they value privacy.

2. What should the party achieve?

If the main objective is to thank employees and give them an energetic night of dining, entertainment and dancing, a shared party can deliver everything you need.

If you want to host clients, present awards, communicate company results or build the event around your own programme, exclusive hire is probably the better fit.

3. How much privacy do you need?

Consider what your speakers plan to discuss, who will attend and whether guests need a private environment. Confidential company content, senior client entertainment, and formal recognition can point you towards exclusive use.

If the evening centres on socialising and celebrating, sharing the wider venue with other companies may add to the atmosphere rather than detract from it.

4. How much do you want to customise?

A shared event gives you a complete theme and programme, which removes decisions and keeps planning manageable. You choose the date, package and relevant upgrades, while the venue team delivers the established experience.

Exclusive hire suits companies that want to shape the timings, content, branding and entertainment around their own guests. Prepare a clear list of priorities so the additional flexibility supports the event objective.

5. Where will your budget have the greatest effect?

Look at the experience guests receive for the total spend. A shared package can mean your budget delivers production, entertainment and atmosphere that your company could not create alone.

For a large guest list, exclusive hire may use the budget more effectively by giving the whole company a private venue and allowing you to tailor the event around employees or clients.