Free webinar: The Event App Challenge

Central Hall Westminster is hosting a free webinar featuring a panel of industry experts who will debate ‘The Event App Challenge – costs, logistics & engagement’

Thursday, 5th February 2015
09.00am – 10.15am

The events industry is talking ‘apps’ but are your questions answered?

What is the service scope of event apps?

Which one is right for your events?

What is the actual cost of an event app?

What is the planning process?

… and most importantly…usage. How do you drive engagement successfully?

Central Hall Westminster’s expert panel will include 3 event app providers (servicing low, medium to high end market segments), an engagement specialist and representatives from the industry.

The session will give you a solid understanding of the opportunities/challenges involved to enhance the event experience through apps, covering practical questions, feasibility, shared best practice and more.

Join this free webinar online at 9am on Thursday 5th February and get a head start to ‘tech-proof’ your future events.

REGISTER HERE: www.c-h-w.com/webinar

Recruitment now open for the all new IET London: Savoy Place

IET Venues are pleased to announce that they are now taking applications for the phased recruitment for their all-new IET London: Savoy Place following its 2-year £30m refurbishment. Starting in March and April 2015, these core roles including Operations Manager, AV Manager, Venue Administrator, Diary & Events Co-ordinator and Business Development Executive will be critical in shaping the final preparations of the building ready for its reopening in October 2015, as well as building the wider team.

IET London: Savoy Place has been home to the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) for over 100 years, as well as serving as the flagship venue within the IET Venues group. The venue plays host to over 70,000 visitors and members a year attending a wide range of conferences and events; most recently ‘Qatar House’ for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the ‘Global Grand Engineering Challenges’ summit with Bill Gates and will.i.am. Since its closure in July 2013, the building has been transformed throughout with flexibility, energy efficiency, cutting-edge IT, AV and wireless connectivity at the core.

Key improvements to the new venue include:

Cutting-edge IT, AV and wireless connectivity throughout

High-end facilities for event filming, live-streaming and production

An enlarged Riverside Suite overlooking the Thames +25% capacity

Brand new second lecture theatre in the centre of the building

Reorganisation of the rooms within the building – ensuring ‘premium space’ occupies the front and the infamous views across the Thames, with offices and secondary space towards the back

2 x state of the art boardrooms with HD video conferencing, relay screens and filming and streaming functionality

The Heritage Library – now converted into a premium meeting and dinner space with 2 private balconies overlooking the Thames

The Faraday Centre – bringing together all member / engineering services into 1 dynamic space including a digital Knowledge Centre, Kelvin Café, Brainstorming Room and large Members’ Lounge

Reconfigured reception / communal areas with 2 new passenger lift shafts to improve customer flow throughout the building

Enhanced accessibility features including a ‘sesame lift’ at the front of the building – enabling the stone steps to retract automatically for wheelchair access

A series of engineering exhibits throughout the building including a digital chandelier in reception, 100 objects which changed the world display, 2 x large video walls and ‘celebrating engineers’ sculptures down each stairwell

 

Current vacancies:

Diary & Events Co-ordinator and Business Development Executive

Interested applicants should contact Clare Davies ([email protected] / 0207 344 5708)

Closing date: 2 February

 

Operations Manager, AV Manager, Venue Administrator

Interested applicants should contact Sean Spencer [email protected]

Closing date: 2 February

Behind-the-scenes film photography exhibition at BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, its headquarters in London and home of its membership worldwide, will open its doors to the public to showcase ‘BAFTA, Backstage’, the latest photographic exhibition from the BAFTA archive.

Supported by Deutsche Bank Asset & Wealth Management, ‘BAFTA, Backstage’ opens to BAFTA members and their guests from Monday 19 January and then to the public on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2015.

Showcasing over 80 images, the exhibition features the work of eight photographers who have covered BAFTA’s Film Awards in the past, with reportage and portrait photography of leading film talent.

The selection of photography includes Annette Bening, Banksy, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Chris Hemsworth, Colin Firth, Daniel Day Lewis, Daniel Radcliffe, Danny Boyle, Dev Patel, Emma Watson, Felicity Jones, Frieda Pinto, Gary Oldman, Goldie Hawn, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Hudson, Jeremy Renner, Kate Winslet, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Spacey, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Mickey Rourke, Noel Clarke, Sharon Stone, Samuel L Jackson, Tom Hardy, Leonardo Di Caprio and this year’s EE Rising Star nominee, Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

The eight featured photographers are Brits Ian Derry, Sarah Dunn, Phil Fisk, Charlie Gray, Rich Hardcastle, Ellis Parrinder and Greg Williams, and Canadian Jessie Craig. The exhibition will also include the awards photography of Michael Barrett, Doug McKenzie, Richard Kendal, Jonathan Birch, David Dettman, Stephen Butler and Marc Hoberman.

Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “Our latest exhibition, ’BAFTA, Backstage’, is a stunning collection of photography from the BAFTA archive. It features film’s biggest names captured by some of the very best photographers working in the UK today, so I encourage everyone to come along and enjoy a small selection from our archive as we open our doors to the public on 24 and 25 January, ahead of the EE British Academy Film Awards on 8 February.”

Supporting art and artists has been a focus of Deutsche Bank’s cultural activities for more than 30 years. Its cultural program – which spans music, theatre and the visual arts – is driven by a belief that everyone should have the opportunity to experience culture regardless of race, social background and education.

Tickets to the exhibition are free of charge and can be booked through http://bafta-backstage.eventbrite.co.uk. The exhibition opens from 10.00 to 19.00 on both Saturday 24 January and Sunday 25 January with last admissions at 18.00. Tickets for the exhibition will be available, with admission at 30 minute intervals. At 14.30 on both 24 and 25 January, a Q&A will take place with the featured photographers.

New suppliers, new venues as The Westminster Collection prepares for its 2015 events programme

The Westminster Collection (TWC), London’s venue marketing consortium, is delighted to welcome a selection of new venues and suppliers to membership.

Accomplished event photographer Karolina Krasuska specialises in music, event and editorial photography and has over 10 years’ experience in the field, with established long-term relationships with clients that include Toni & Guy, Pernod Ricard UK and IFC. Renowned for her contemporary, edgy style and ability to capture the energy of an event, she has covered London Fashion Week for seven years and she also worked with TWC at its Destination Westminster venue showcase in October 2014, which was held at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

Mobile bar specialist The Bar Bazaar provides high quality event bars, reception desks, food service stations and all manner of stylish event bar solutions to venues and clients including The Brit Awards, the V&A and Jimmy Choo. The bars are custom built offering bespoke finishes and layouts and they can be branded thanks to the company’s exceptional in-house production facilities.

The Event Hire Company provides exclusive furniture, kitchen equipment and accessories for hire to both the private and public sectors and has experience of a wide variety of events, including corporate hospitality, weddings, exhibitions and conferences. The team is expert in providing a wealth of knowledge and seamless pre- to post-event service to a client portfolio that includes Team GB, The City of London, John Lewis, BBC and ITV. The Event Hire Company was also a supplier to Destination Westminster at BAFTA and enjoys established relationships with a number of venues within TWC membership.

New to the collection’s portfolio of venues is St James Theatre, the first newly-built theatre complex in Central London in 30 years. Located just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, it plays host to cabaret, comedy, music and theatre with current shows including the critically acclaimed Bad Jews.

The theatre is a perfect venue for product launches, private screenings and for more intimate creative workshops. It’s only a few minutes from Victoria station and boasts an intimate 312-seat theatre available for daytime events and a flexible 100-seat studio, a wonderful live entertainment space that lends itself to becoming a flexible and self-contained corporate events venue. The St. James Bar and Brasserie and the Carrara Restaurant offer a range of stylish, informal dining options.

Another recent re-joiner of TWC, after a break from membership, is the award-winning QEII Centre, newly refurbished as part of a £12 million rebranding and renovation project. The iconic venue, which sits opposite Westminster Abbey, is boldly re-establishing its wow factor within the global events industry, now offering a more modern and stylish environment for the 400+ national and international events that are hosted there each year. It provides the ideal central London location for high profile conferences, conventions, exhibitions and corporate events with impressive capacity for up to 2,500 delegates.

Karin Parkinson, TWC board director and Central Hall Westminster’s facilities and administration manager, said: “We wish a very warm welcome to our new venues and partners, who have already shown real eagerness and commitment to becoming active members of The Westminster Collection’s network of venues and suppliers. Through our energetic 2015 marketing communications programme, we look forward to assisting in bringing their services to the attention of prospective new clients.”

TWC will shortly look forward to the opportunity to promote its member venues to events professionals at International Confex in London on 18-19 February 2015. Sales and marketing representatives from more than 20 of its 41 venues will be present at TWC stand CF57 to meet and greet show visitors across the two days of the event, ready to talk event planners through the collection’s eclectic portfolio of central London venues.

TWC’s 2015 events programme includes International Confex (18-19 Feb), Embassy Event Expo and The Meetings Show (7-9 July) together with its own annual venue showcase (Sept 2015) and a newly-revamped series of venue familiarisation trips for buyers.

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The first TWC fam trip of the year takes place at St James Theatre on Weds 25th February, 08:30-10:30am. Any event planner wishing to attend this exclusive event can email [email protected] to request a place.

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Immerse yourself in contagious creativity at new London events space St James Theatre

Come and explore the characterful St James Theatre, newly available to the London corporate and private events venue market, at an exclusive, private tour hosted by event manager Adam and his team. The coffee morning takes place on Wednesday 25 February at 8:30am. If you’d like to be there, please email [email protected] to request a place.

St James Theatre is the first newly-built theatre complex in Central London in 30 years. Located just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, it plays host to cabaret, comedy, music and theatre with current shows including the critically acclaimed Bad Jews.

The theatre is a perfect venue for product launches, private screenings and for more intimate creative workshops. It’s only a few minutes from Victoria station and boasts an intimate 312-seat theatre available for daytime events and a flexible 100-seat studio, a wonderful live entertainment space that lends itself to becoming a flexible and self-contained corporate events venue. The St. James Bar and Brasserie and the Carrara Restaurant offer a range of stylish, informal dining options.

Explore more here and to request a place on the private coffee morning tour, please email [email protected].