How Deloitte turned a year-end dinner
into a night no one forgot.
38 colleagues. Two hours. One stage. When Deloitte’s London consulting practice booked The Arena for their Q4 team celebration, they wanted something beyond the usual venue. Here’s what happened — and what it meant for the team.
01 — The brief
Beyond the usual dinner.
Sarah Chen, people experience manager at Deloitte's London consulting practice, came to us with a problem many large organisations quietly share: after two years of hybrid working, her team of 38 felt like colleagues on paper and strangers in person. Annual dinners had been held. Drinks had been had. Nothing had stuck.
She wanted something with genuine shared risk. An activity where hierarchy would dissolve — even briefly — and people would go home with a story, not just a receipt. She'd read our piece on group harmony and workplace trust. That's when she reached out.
The brief was clear: private hire of our largest space, full catering package, an event coordinator on-site, and a setlist that would work across a team spanning 24 to 52, from grad intake to senior partner.
02 — THE CHALLENGE
A room full of people who don't let their guard down.
Consulting firms attract people trained to be composed. Presenting without notes. Staying readable. Karaoke — at its core — asks you to do the opposite. To be loud, imperfect, and openly vulnerable in front of the people who write your performance review.
"I genuinely wasn't sure half of them would get on the mic. I thought we'd have a room of people watching one brave person."
Sarah Chen, People Experience, Deloitte LLP
We'd planned for this. Our event coordinator Marcus worked with Sarah in the two weeks prior to shape an arc for the evening: a warm-up period with group songs locked in first, duet pairings that cut across seniority levels, and a final hour of open requests. The goal was to make the first mic pass feel like a gift, not a gamble.
03 — On the night
The arc of an evening.
- 19:00
Arrival & canapés
Guests arrived to the room already lit and playing background Motown. Canapé pass, tab bar open. No screens visible yet — the stage was draped. Deliberate theatre.
- 19:40
The reveal
Marcus took the mic. Brief introduction, genuine warmth, no pressure — and the first song was already queued: Don’t Stop Me Now. Every word on screen. The room sang it together before anyone had technically agreed to participate.
- 20:15
The first individual mic
A senior partner — 14 years at the firm — walked to the stage with a gin in hand and sang Angels by Robbie Williams. Imperfectly. Entirely. The room came apart. Sarah told us later it was the first time she’d seen him not in a suit jacket in two years.
- 21:00
Open floor
By 9pm the queue had 14 songs in it. A grad analyst and the managing director did a duet. Four people who hadn’t spoken since onboarding spent twenty minutes arguing about the next pick. The bar tab ran out.
- 21:30
The encore
Whole-room finale. Livin’ on a Prayer. Thirty-eight people. Every single one on their feet. Lights down to near-dark, just the stage glow. No one left when it ended. The tab was extended.
04 — In their words
“I’ve organised team events for eight years. The formula is always the same — nice venue, nice food, polite conversation, and everyone leaves remembering the food. This was different. We left remembering each other. People were still talking about it two weeks later in the Monday standup.”
“I’ve been to the Palladium. Wembley. Nothing has made me feel like a rockstar quite like singing Bohemian Rhapsody to 37 of my colleagues who were obligated to cheer.”
“The space is genuinely beautiful. I expected a sticky-floored box. This felt like an event. The coordinator had everything sorted before we even asked.”
05 — Outcomes
What changed after.
New cross-team friendships formed
Reported by 7 in 10
Already rebooked
Q2 2025, set
Internal post-event rating
4.9 / 5
Sarah ran an anonymous post-event survey a week later. 94% said they would attend a similar event again. 68% said they felt more comfortable speaking openly with a colleague they hadn't spoken to much before. Three separate teams requested their own sub-group sessions in the following month.
The rebook was confirmed before the invoice was paid.
06 — The room
The Arena, exclusively yours.
Deloitte hired our largest space: The Arena.
18 - 40 GUESTS
exclusive hire
catering included
coordinator on-site
The Arena
Full venue exclusivity with a proper performance stage, pro sound, and an event coordinator who handles everything.
“A senior partner sang Robbie Williams, imperfectly, entirely — and the room came apart.”
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“Planning a corporate night your team will actually remember? Start here.”