When it comes to a corporate night out, Leicester doesn’t compete with the likes of Manchester or Birmingham, but that’s what makes it special. As opposed to venues in bigger cities, venues in Leicester have later availability, cheaper prices, and are able to accommodate a team that splits its time across Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and the East Midlands and doesn’t have to consider a corporate night out a logistics project.
Leicester is a highly underestimated city. Over the last decade, the city and surrounding area have developed a completely new food scene. Currently, the city and surrounding area of Leicester have the highest concentration of South Asian food places in the Midlands. This is useful to know if your team is trying to decide between a traditional corporate Christmas menu or South Asian food. Just like the food scene, venues have also developed and improved significantly over the last decade.
Leicester is located on the Midland Main Line, which means it’s easily accessible from most major cities in the UK. It is an easily accessible city from the South, East, and West Midlands, as well as North London. All of the major cities easily have connecting train lines and multiple direct train lines to Leicester, as well as numerous road connections.
Here’s a tip: Leicester’s city centre is small enough to be walkable. The train station is only a 10 minute walk from all the restaurants and bars. Because the city is more condensed, demand for late-night taxis is lowered as well. That’s a small detail, but it matters a lot when the evening is winding down.
Areas to consider:
The Cultural Quarter is actually the only fully developed place in the whole city. It is where you can find the latest independent venues, restaurants, and creative spaces. It is great for medium size groups of private dining.
The Lanes, referred to as the old market and shopping area all the bars and restaurants, are all good choices if your event is of a more casual nature. If the plan is to have drinks and food and to not have a structured event, this is the city centre area to look in.
This is why hotel venues in the city centre can be a good option. They have the same room available for each event and have done it a lot of times, so they can tell you what works and what does not.
If the team is looking for something a bit different, we suggest the Golden Mile area along Belgrave Road. Here is where the bigger part of Leicester’s South Asian restaurant ecosystem is. A number of the bigger restaurants have private dining and event organizing. The quality of the food is higher compared with a regular Christmas party menu, leads to a lower cost per head, and also the hotel function room’s character is not something this provides. This is more suited for companies that have no strong preference to the traditional way of throwing Christmas parties.
Budget
Shared party nights run between £40 – £65 per head and will include food and a drink. Hiring a mid-level venue will cost between £1,500 – £3,000 for the space, with food and drink to be paid for in addition.
Private dining at some of the well-regarded South Asian restaurants on Belgrave Road would cost between £35 – £55 per head and may include a welcome drink. For a team of 40, this is a significant difference.
If you have budget and value Leicester’s premium hospitality, we suggest you look for the options available. There is more value for your money when it comes to entertainment options.
What Leicester is less good for
For any event having more than 150 attendees, Leicester’s options will be fewer than Birmingham or Manchester. Leicester’s options for spaces to lease out for larger scale functions are fewer, and larger hotel ballroom spaces are claimed quickly for December.
Teams traveling from outside of the Midlands are less likely to select Leicester, as it is less of a destination than Manchester or Edinburgh. Teams excited to travel from London likely find Manchester or Edinburgh to be more interesting destinations. Leicester is a decent option for a team economically and geographically located there.
One important fact to consider
Due to cultural and religious reasons, a relatively large number of Leicester’s residents choose to abstain from drinking. Many of the venues and restaurants take the preference of non-drinkers more into consideration than venues in other cities. This is good for members who are non-drinkers and are typically displeased with previous Christmas parties, as the options of venues in Leicester and in particular, on Belgrave Road are the most considerate to non-drinkers.
It is good to know that it is likely to be a more non-drinker inclusive decision to host a Christmas party in Leicester, specifically in venues in Belgrave Road. This likely is a good reason for teams who have expressed that offering more non-drinker options is important.
Booking timeline
In the early planning stages, you will notice that Leicester’s venues are available later into the calendar than those in Manchester. But you shouldn’t let this give you the impression you can wait until November. Leicester’s most sought-after venues in the Cultural Quarter and on Belgrave road fill up their Friday and Saturday slots in December by mid-October. You really should be in touch with venues by September, if not early October (at the latest).
If you are looking at venues in different cities, make sure you check out our Manchester guide and our office Christmas party planning guide. You will get the full details on expectations around budgets, venue types, and timeline for bookings.