Month: October 2015

Winter markets, Charleston balls, parties in the Crypt: Christmas 2015 in Westminster

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Turn back the clocks at RIBA Venues this Christmas

Have a roaring ‘20s Christmas party at RIBA Venues for just £65.00 per guest! Use your secret password and enter through huge bronze doors, speakeasy style. Then make your way to the roof top Wren Room. Party the night away with bowl food and unlimited drinks while enjoying the sparkling lights of London and its iconic landmarks. Treat your 50 to 120 guests this Christmas to a festive celebration they won’t forget.

Bubbles on us at Army and Navy Club!

Book your Christmas party on any of these dates and enjoy a complimentary Army & Navy Club Champagne upgrade (from the sparkling wine option): Fri 4, Tue 15, Wed 16, Fri 18 December.

Parties are also available throughout January 2016, with a minimum of 20 guests, at £75 per person to include: a glass of Army & Navy Club Champagne, a three-course menu, coffee and mince pies, ½ bottle of Club wine, mineral water, room hire, microphone for speeches (if required), festive crackers and VAT.

To redeem this offer just mention ‘TWC’ at the time of enquiry.

Santa and slopes at No. 11 Cavendish Square

After a day on the slopes or just a day in the office, enjoy a well-deserved après-ski as No.11 Cavendish Square transforms into a Ski Lodge this Christmas. Guests will be warmly welcomed into the alpine Lodge with burning fire places, antlers and wooden decoration galore. Enjoy the views of the beautiful Northern Lights while you sip on mulled cider or sparkling wine.

As the atmosphere builds, you will be taken to The Glass House where a superb dinner created by the venue’s in-house caterers (Ampersand) will be served. You can then dance the night away while enjoying drinks from the Lodge bar.

Jingle Bell Rock at Conrad London St James

Conrad London St James is offering up all the best and most traditional things about Christmas all wrapped up in two neat packages: The Christmas Cracker lunch package and The Jingle Bell Rock dinner package. Lunch events are £70pp and you can enjoy an evening affair for £95pp. Both packages include a three-course meal and room hire and both can be tailored to your individual needs.

Christmas markets and 1920s Charleston ball at 8 Northumberland Avenue

You can take it for granted that your 2015 Christmas party at 8 Northumberland Avenue will be a ball with not one, but two festive themes. The team is fizzing with creativity, devising elegant, original and seamless events so you don’t have to. They are bringing the outside inside this winter in the Old Billiard Room and Annex with a Christmas Market feel. Twinkling lights, snowy boughs and lashings of mulled wine make for an evening of rosy-cheeked charm and traditional festive fun, all in the bustling heart of London.

The 1920s are roaring again in the elegant, Charleston age-inspired Ballroom this Christmas. From the moment you enter the room through a giant draped curtain you are transported to another time. It’s all about dizzying decadence, gilded glamour and full-on fun, with an immaculately restored Victorian Ballroom as a backdrop.

St James Theatre brings you a cabaret Christmas

Looking for a unique venue for your Christmas gathering? How about one of London’s hottest cabaret venues, St James Theatre? They have selected Christmas dates now available in their intimate Studio space, with packages starting from just £1,600+VAT.

The Studio is a wonderful live entertainment space that lends itself to becoming a flexible and self-contained corporate events venue. With a private bar, purpose-built stage space and built-in AV and lighting, the Studio offers a unique space to hold your Christmas gathering. The venue can hold up to 100 seated and 20 standing.

St. James’ Court, a Taj hotel, presents Alice in Wonderland

This year, hold your Christmas party in Wonderland with St James’ Court’s special Alice in Wonderland themed Christmas party package.

Look forward to classic festivities with a Wonderland twist in their opulently decorated banqueting rooms and stunning Shakespearean Courtyard. Prices start from £110pp so don’t be late for this very important date!

15% off Christmas at The Law Society

A Christmas party in London’s most beautiful hidden gem, The Law Society, is a warm and inviting setting for an enchanting Christmas party. Christmas packages start from £73+VAT per person and include everything you could need for an amazing festive celebration, including superb catering, a sparkling wine reception and unlimited wine, bottled beer and soft drinks throughout, DJ and dance floor.

This flexible venue will be all yours to use as you wish for your best Christmas party yet. As a special offer they are offering you an exclusive discount of 15% off Christmas party packages. Simply quote TWCXMAS15.

Glamorous festivities at One Great George Street

Enjoy your festive lunch with family, friends and colleagues in a magnificent central London building. Tucked away behind One Great George Street’s stunning four-domed Edwardian facade, Brasserie One is a hidden gem set apart with friendly staff, formidable food and a wine list to please every palate. Party packages start from £87.00pp and include Christmas novelties and a three-course set menu with wine.

Cracking Christmas offers at St Martin-in-the-Fields

St Martin-in-the-Fields has a new sumptuous space for private dining and small group gatherings of up to 20 people. Located downstairs in the Crypt, The Apse is a circular recess and an original feature of this iconic church designed by architect James Gibbs.

The interior of the Apse has been fitted with beautiful furniture designed and created by British craftspeople. The Apse is an exciting addition to the range of St Martin’s spaces available to hire for parties, receptions, launches, conferences and meetings. To complement the event spaces St Martin’s has a special festive party package, called the Christmas Cracker, which offers guests the opportunity to party the night away in the heart of Trafalgar Square from £70 per person. For further information email [email protected].

Party til dawn this Christmas at The Athenaeum

Few places in the world are as enchanting as London at Christmas and the Athenaeum is perfectly placed in the heart of it all, nestling between the edge of Victorian Mayfair and the Royal Parks.

Make your Christmas party your own and chose from festive afternoon teas, champagne receptions or a decadent five course meal. Christmas private dining menus come with festive party favours, Christmas decorations and include room hire.

Menus start from £45pp and it doesn’t have to end there. Carry on the party and spend the night with 10% off all overnight stays for guests dining from the Private Dining Menus from 16 November to 24 December 2015! Simply Quote ‘ATHXMAS’ when enquiring.

Party in the new-look IET London: Savoy Place

Partygoers will be some of the first to experience Christmas hospitality at IET London: Savoy Place following the venue’s £32m refurbishment and two-year closure.

After its re-launch in November, guests can choose from newly refurbished rooms the Heritage Library, with two private balconies, or the Riverside Room and Roof Terrace. Both spaces offer unique panoramic views across London, including 360-degree views from the expansive Roof Terrace.

Enjoy a sparkling wine drinks reception with festive nibbles in your private room, followed by a three-course seated festive menu with coffee and petit fours, before taking to the dance floor to dance the night away.

Available from £95 + VAT per person, there is a minimum requirement of 80 guests in the Heritage Library and 150 guests in the Riverside Room. The package includes dining room hire from 18:00-23:00, half a bottle of house wine, festive table decorations and PA system and microphone.

Festive films at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly

BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, the iconic headquarters of the famous awards is the perfect venue for a unique and luxurious Christmas celebration. Guests are welcomed for a special festive screening, with the choice of seasonal classics such as It’s A Wonderful Life or an upcoming blockbuster like Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Refreshments and the food experience can be themed to match the chosen film. Prices start from £70.00pp+VAT (based on 200 guests) and a dedicated team will be on hand to help plan every element of the evening, BAFTA 195 is the ideal destination for a show-stopping Christmas event.

Where to have lunch in Westminster

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Whether it’s a mad dash to the canteen, a quick scoff at your desk in between emails or skipped altogether, we think its high time lunch got the attention it deserves and where better to stop the clock and tuck into a midday bite than Westminster? Here are our top five places to indulge.

Dishing up everything from a £10 set menu for those of you short on time to a decadent Sunday Roast with all the trimmings, the Blue Boar Restaurant at Conrad London St James has your midday munch covered. Their seasonal menu includes 3 courses for £22.50, with the option to take your dessert back to the office. Working lunches are available Monday-Friday, 12:00-2:30pm. The restaurant is also available for private dining with two dedicated rooms and a private drinking room for more intimate gatherings.

Want a working lunch venue with a difference? The talented chefs at House of Commons are always developing exciting new dishes and their brand new autumn and winter menus are available from Monday 12 October. They include wonderful winter warmers like flaked Gloucester old spot pork with sticky apple and crackling and Earl Grey tea jelly and butternut squash veloute with pumpkin seed tuille, perfect to keep you toasty on a crisp winter afternoon.

Located in the heart of Westminster, Bistro is the primary dining offering at St. James’ Court, on Buckingham Gate, just a few steps from Buckingham Palace and St. James’ Park. Contemporary European restaurant Bistro impresses with unique presentations and flavours, local sourcing of fresh produce and Executive Chef David Tilly’s careful selection of ingredients. Lunch offers include two courses for just £19.50 and three courses for £23.50.

RIBA Venues, just a short walk from Oxford Street, offers lunch with a twist with their sandwich-free ‘brain food in a box’. The three-course lunch boxes contain a mixture of oily fish, low-fat meats, whole-grain products, fruits and vegetables to keep delegates alert throughout the day. The range of dishes include fresh salmon or chicken, whole-grain pasta and vegetables cooked with herbs grown in the venue’s own herb garden all designed to keep you on track and focused throughout the afternoon.

At City Café at the DoubleTree by Hilton London– Westminster private luncheons can be enjoyed for up to 150 guests. The cuisine is modern European and the chef’s unique afternoon tiffin stand matches the contemporary design. For private lunches you can work with a member of their team to decide on menu choices and be ensured your experience at the venue will be taken care so you can enjoy a relaxing afternoon at this SW1 London restaurant.

So there you have it. There can be no excuse now for a skipped, rushed or wasted lunch. But don’t just take our word for it. Take back your lunch hour and see what Westminster has to offer!

Trio of miaList honours for TWC venue talents

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The Meetings Industry Association’s (mia) prestigious miaList was announced on Monday 28 September during a celebratory lunch at the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel, London.

Maria Schuett, head of marketing at Central Hall Westminster and Mark Taylor, chief executive of the QEII Centre, are amongst the 11 events industry professionals now on the prestigious miaList, following successful nominations from their teams.

Mark Taylor scooped the Leadership Award, which was newly introduced this year. Nominated by his team for his exceptional leadership during a time of major investment and significant change for the iconic QEII Centre, Taylor outshone a number of other leading industry figures to claim the title and his place on the miaList.

“The nominations for this award were outstanding as you would expect from a passionate and innovative industry,” said Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia. “The judges selected the recipient of this award based on their knowledge of his 30 years in the industry, his passion, commitment and dedication to delivering cultural change.

“The nomination for him came from his team who highlighted the difference he has made at his current venue, his commitment to the customer journey and the way he has galvanized his team to rebrand and reposition the venue.”

Maria Schuett secures her place on the miaList 2015 for her marketing credentials. Speaking of Maria as she called her to the stage, Longhurst said: “Maria’s nominator said ‘Maria has an infectious determination and energy. Her work has played a pivotal role in securing business’. The judges said Maria is terrific, intelligent, ambitious, personable and hugely creative.”

Due to the incredibly high standard of nominations received, a number of shortlisted individuals received special commendations, including IET Venues’ Simon Timmis, who was acknowledged as ‘a driven and passionate marketing manager’ by his nominator. He ‘is thoroughly liked and well respected’ and the judges were very impressed with Simon’s focus and his commitment to team development.

Congratulations to Mark, Maria and Simon! If you’d like to tell the mia about those people who make your organisation special, or the unsung heroes behind the scenes, keep an eye out for the miaList 2016. For more information or to register for an application pack, contact [email protected].