Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment for Larger Events

Once a Christmas party gets past about a hundred guests, it stops being a party you organise and becomes an event you produce. There's a venue contract, a run of show, a budget holder who wants one clear number, and a room big enough that no single act can hold all of it at once.

This guide is about corporate Christmas party entertainment at that scale. It's written from the supplier side, after a lot of Decembers running racing simulators at company-wide parties and client nights, and it covers how to size the entertainment, how to keep a big room busy and what to check before you sign.

BIG ROOMS NEED A SECOND ATTRACTION

In a ballroom or a large marquee, guests spread out. The people near the stage feel part of the evening, while the people by the back bar often don't, however good the act is.

The corporate parties that work tend to have a main event and something running alongside it that guests can wander over to whenever they like. A band or a DJ gives the room its shape, and a second attraction gives the far corners a reason to be there.

Racing simulators suit that role because they don't need the room's attention. Up to 16 F1-style simulators can race the same circuit on one live leaderboard, so a line-up along one wall becomes a competition the whole party can follow on the big screen without anyone having to stop what they're doing.

SIZE IT AS A BACKGROUND ACTIVITY

The most common mistake at larger events is sizing the entertainment as if every guest will queue for it at once. At a Christmas party they won't, because people arrive at different times, eat, sit through the speeches, dance, and drift over to the racing in ones and twos across the night.

That means you need far fewer simulators than the headcount suggests. A handful of simulators will keep a party of a hundred or more busy when the racing is one attraction among several rather than the whole programme.

The number to work with is throughput. With our team running quick changeovers and short qualifying-style stints, each simulator gets through roughly 8 to 10 drivers an hour. Take your entertainment window, subtract dinner and speeches, multiply by that figure and compare it with your guest count.

If the racing is the main event, say a race night for the sales team, plan for one simulator per three or four guests instead so that everyone gets a proper go.

ONE LEADERBOARD FOR THE WHOLE COMPANY

A single live leaderboard is what turns a row of simulators into something the whole company talks about. Departments start comparing times, somebody from finance sets a lap nobody can beat until eleven o'clock, and before long the directors are being talked into having a go themselves.

Head-to-head racing needs an internet connection at the venue, so ask the venue's events team about a reliable connection when you first speak to them. If they can't offer one, hotlap time trials run without it and still give you a leaderboard.

BRANDING FOR CLIENT AND COMPANY NIGHTS

Corporate Christmas parties often double as a thank-you to clients or a chance for the business to show itself off a little. The simulators can carry that, with your logo on the seat backs, the base boards or a full wrap, and we can even add in-game branding. Mention it when you ask for a quote and we'll show you what's possible.

WHAT TO CHECK WITH THE VENUE

Large venues are usually easier to work in than hotel function rooms, but it's still worth confirming the details early. You'll want the get-in and get-out times, the route from the loading point to the room, and a dry space for the simulators.

Power is simpler than most organisers expect, because one standard 13A socket runs two simulators and a line of six needs just three sockets. Setup takes around two hours before your guests arrive, and our team takes everything away after the event.

GETTING ONE NUMBER SIGNED OFF

Budget holders at larger companies want a figure they can approve without chasing extras later. F1 simulator hire is from £790 a day, and the rate for each size of grid is published on our racing simulator hire prices page, so you can build the number before anyone asks for it.

Delivery is included within 100 miles of our Silverstone base, and beyond that it's £1.50 a mile, charged once per event rather than per simulator. Events in London, Manchester and Birmingham carry a £300 surcharge that covers parking, additional staffing and congestion charges. Subsequent days are discounted 25% if your event runs over more than one day.

Our team runs the experience at every hire. They build the grid, look after your guests all evening and pack everything away, and because staffing is part of the hire rather than an optional extra, it never appears as a separate line for someone to cut.

BOOK DECEMBER DATES EARLY

December Thursdays and Fridays go first, so if your date is already fixed it's worth checking availability now. Our guide to Christmas party entertainment hire covers the full booking timeline, and our event simulator hire page covers events outside the Christmas season.

GET A QUOTE

Tell us your date, your venue and roughly how many guests you're expecting, and we'll come back with a quote within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Call 01327 856155, or see how a set-up works on our racing simulator event hire page.