Tag: Entertainment

Regent’s Conferences & Events reports record summer of outdoor events

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Regent’s Conferences & Events has reported its most successful summer of outdoor events in a record breaking few months.

The central London based events venue has seen an all-time high of both guest numbers and average spend per head. Welcoming over 10,000 guests to the lawns between May and July, firms and private planners forked out an average of £137 per guest – a 40% increase in guests on pre-pandemic levels.

With only very minor F&B rate increases for 2022, the surging average spend is largely attributed to companies wanting to reward staff and individuals hoping to ‘make up for lost time’, putting extra spend behind their events.

An average of six lawn functions per week across an 11-week period has been in addition to the regular indoor event operation, with weekend clients using over 30 classrooms and 50 weekday classrooms for language schools, training events and meetings.

The venue was virtually booked out by April, but even after inevitable COVID dropouts, rail strikes and cancellations, it still saw 90% occupancy – 30% above target.

Regent’s has observed an increasing preference for savoury treats over sweet, with the crispy fried chicken burger eclipsing the former winner – the classic BBQ beef burger. With 80% of all outdoor guests opting for barbecued catering and 50% having a street food stall option too, the Taste of Greece menu and Italian Pizzeria were next on the popularity list.

Summer party entertainment trends have seen a shift from competitive sporting activities to more holistic wellbeing activities and interactive drink experiences like cocktail making.

Regent’s’ External Events Manager, Rafael Azzopardi said: “This summer has been quite remarkable for outdoor business. We knew we were in a fortunate position throughout the pandemic to offer such vast outdoor space for events, but even we didn’t foresee such demand continuing at this scale. The desire to celebrate, paired with the uncharacteristically brilliant British weather we have had has made for an unforgettable summer.

“The events team have been stretched like never before, delivering exceptional service through temperatures reaching 40 degrees and the catering team has continued to respond to demand and update its innovative offering. The searing heat boosted the popularity of ice cream as the most popular dessert, serving over 7,000 ice creams! Half the event planners have opted for two food servings per event and more cocktails per guest than we’ve ever seen before.”

Located within private gardens in Regent’s Park, the venue offers four acres of landscaped lawns for summer events of up to 1,200 guests, with a sheltered marquee available from May to September.

 

If you’d like to enquire about booking Regent’s Conferences & Events for your summer 2023 event, contact us at [email protected]

 

To find out more about their indoor meeting and function facilities, head to their page.

You’re invited to the spookiest showcase in town!

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Things are set to get pretty spooky this October when all our member venues come together at One Great George Street for our annual showcase – and you’re invited to attend… if you dare!

Creep along on Tuesday, 24 October at 6.30pm and meet with our selection of scarily good venues – all based in London’s iconic borough of Westminster. On your way, you may even bump into the phantom monk said to walk the tracks at Westminster Tube Station.

In true Halloween tradition, not only will you have the chance to meet and chat with representatives from our 34 venues, but you’ll also be invited to take part in a ‘Trick or Treat’ lucky dip where you could win some spooktacular prizes and experiences.

With fashionable townhouses and private members’ clubs to luxury hotels, celebrated attractions, historic institutes and societies, we can help you find the perfect venue for your next event quickly and efficiently, no matter what you’re planning.

Pre-register for your place by contacting [email protected] before the witching hour on Friday, 20 October.

Places are strictly limited and Westminster Venue Collection reserves the right to qualify your event planning credentials in order to confirm your place.  

20 Cavendish Square now supporting emerging artists

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20 Cavendish Square at the Royal College of Nursing has announced it will be supporting a new emerging artist every two months by exhibiting art in its office.

The fantastic venue will be showcasing a range of exciting styles over the coming months throughout its meeting rooms and office space. The paintings will be available to buy and the it is hoped the changing nature of the exhibitions will inject energy into the workplace, creating a dynamic and stimulating environment.

Art is a subjective topic and changing the works regularly will enable 20 Cavendish Square to cater for a range of tastes. It will provide the opportunity for staff and visitors to enjoy gallery quality art at work, encouraging people to share their opinions, promoting conversation and communication.

Cassandra Henry conference & internal manager, at 20 Cavendish Square, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to give emerging artists a platform whilst also having a positive impact on our space.”

The first artist to be exhibited at 20 Cavendish Square is Mark Fisher. Originally from Canterbury, Mark now works from him studio in Sedlescombe, East Sussex. He was taught to draw and paint from an early age by his mother, winning his first art competition at the young age of 16.

Mark’s collection of London cityscapes, are painted in a distinctive, representational style. Inspired by artists such as J.M.W Turner and Kurt Jackson, he is interested not only in the landscape but in the architecture that sits within it. Using deliberate brushwork, Mark builds the city in horizontal and vertical lines from high view-points to deliver an atmospheric body of work.

20 Cavendish Square is working with Little Van Gogh to bring these changing exhibitions to their London office.

Chloé Adams, director of Little Van Gogh, which works with artists all over Europe exhibiting 7,000 pieces of art internationally, said: “We are delighted to be showcasing our artists with 20 Cavendish Square. They have embraced supporting the arts wholeheartedly and the artwork is going to look fantastic in the space.”

For more information, please visit [email protected].

Lights, Camera, Westminster – curtain’s up on venue collection’s starring roles

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Fresh off the back of Sunday night’s glitzy Oscar ceremony, Westminster Venue Collection (WVC) has revealed its members witnessed a 30% increase in film location enquiries in 2016.

The recently rebranded collection, which features 34 members all based in London’s iconic City of Westminster, announced film locations bookings now amount up to 10% of their yearly event revenue.

With fashionable townhouses and private members’ clubs to luxury hotels, celebrated attractions, historic institutes and societies, it’s no wonder an impressive 86% of the eclectic mix of venues have been used as the locations for both the big and small screens.

Keen cinema-goers will know member venue One Great George Street has played a starring role in a range of productions including last year’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘War Machine’ featuring Brad Pitt as well as Woman in Gold (2015). The venue’s Great Hall became the Guildhall for Mark Darcy’s law society dinner in Bridget Jones’ Edge of Reason (2004) and doubled as the National Gallery where Mr Bean is a guard in Bean (1997).

The QEII Centre’s impressive and highly versatile space – the Churchill – which regularly offers a backdrop for a variety of large events ranging from conferences, award ceremonies, corporate dinners, parties and presentations provided an Oscar-winning performance in ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2014).

Other productions have seen member venues providing key locations in Calendar Girls (2003), Spectre (2015), Sherlock Holmes (TV series) and the nation’s favourite wizarding series, Harry Potter.

Commenting on the trend, Kate McCarthy, marketing manager at member venue One Great George Street, said: “From the enquiries we’re receiving, the positive trend for location bookings definitely looks set to continue for One Great George Street in 2017. We’re looking forward to welcoming a whole host of new names and stars to our venue in the coming years.”

Clare Arouche, WVC chair and head of business development at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, added: “With a host of iconic, unique and historical buildings within our membership, Westminster Venue Collection truly is a location scout’s dream and with our new and improved search function on its website, the perfect setting is just a few clicks away. We look forward to hearing about all the fantastic film and television projects our venues are involved in throughout 2017 and beyond.”

If you would like to find out more about booking one of WVC’s venues for an upcoming film, television or documentary piece please visit the venue collection page and place your enquiry.

Fashion-forward RIBA Venues hosts Wales Bonner

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RIBA Venues, the conference and events arm of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), based at 66 Portland Place in London, recently played host to the Wales Bonner fashion show on 8 January 2017.

The event, which took place during London Fashion Week, showcased Wales Bonner’s 2017 winter/ autumn collection to 150 guests in the venue’s RIBA Gallery. 

Acclaimed fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner won the L’Oréal Professional Talent Award for her graduate collection and Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2015. Her work explores representations of black male sexuality and identity which is informed by research that encompasses critical theory, composition, literature and historical sources.

 Grace Wales Bonner said: “The Florence Hall was a very impressive space which allowed me to be ambitious with the show concept. The venue and location are beautiful and inspiring, it was a pleasure to work with the RIBA team.”

RIBA Venues head of venues, Moya Maxwell, said: “We were delighted to welcome such an acclaimed fashion designer to RIBA Venues. This further consolidates our offering as a great venue for high-profile fashion events, as well as conferences and meetings.”

To find out more about RIBA Venues click here.

Get in the festive spirit at The Clubhouse

Posted on by vlondon-admin

Looking for gift inspiration? Perhaps something for your partner, boss, client or PA? Visit The Clubhouse’s Christmas Market on Wednesday, 7 December between 12pm and 5pm, where a number of their members and other local businesses will be showing off their wares, including Snow Leopard Vodka, Broadbent Gallery, London Road Jewellery and Sweet Reason.

For more information please contact Elizabeth Faichney on [email protected].

The Westminster Collection to reveal its new identity

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London’s leading consortium for Westminster venues, The Westminster Collection, is set to unveil a total re-brand including new name, identity and website at a glamorous showcase next month.

In an innovative move for the collection, the new branding that will be revealed at Central Hall Westminster on 12 December, will create a more contemporary, engaging and intuitive booking experience that allows event professionals from around the world to access Westminster venues at the click of a button.

The full new-look branding and website will be revealed exclusively to those in attendance at the launch event which will also give guests the chance to meet and network with the 34 member venues as well as key industry peers.

Entertainment will be in abundance during the interactive evening, which is set to start at 6pm, with music provided by member venue St Martin-in-the-Field’s resident choir St Martin’s Voices and guests can get snap-happy in a photo booth provided by PhotoBooth Magic – a preferred supplier for the collection.

Those in attendance on the night will also get the chance to to win a whole host of prizes including a remote-control James Bond car from the London Film Museum and a pair of Christian Louboutins from Cavendish Venues.

Following an introduction from The Westminster Collection’s chair Clare Arouche, Rob Chambers, collection board member and events manager at London Film Museum, will deliver an opening speech highlighting the key features of the new website, the thought-process behind the branding and plans for the collection’s future.

Chair of The Westminster Collection, Clare Arouche said: “We, as a collection, are thrilled to be able to reveal our re-brand and new website that offers event buyers and planners an even more efficient way of accessing a host of premium and diverse Westminster venues all in one place. A lot of work, research and development has taken place to ensure that the new website offers today’s time-poor planners all of the functionality they need to easily access, enquire and book prestigious venues in the heart of London. The news marks a dynamic time of change and development for the well-established collection.”

To pre-register for your place at The Westminster Collection’s exciting re-brand showcase, contact Verity Lethbridge on [email protected] before Big Ben strikes midnight on Friday, 9 December.

Places are strictly limited and The Westminster Collection reserve the right to qualify your event planning credentials in order to confirm your place.

 

St Martin-in-the-field choir hits the high note

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Renowned music venue St Martin-in-the-Fields’ incredible choir, St Martin’s Voices, is now available to book for concerts and events.

The venue has a rich musical legacy from performances by Handel and Mozart to current day concerts and the venue has been at the forefront of music-making in London for centuries.

Formed in 2014, St Martin’s Voices now perform regularly in concerts and events both in the UK and internationally, including a recent tour to the southern US states, and represent the next step in St Martin’s musical journey.

For further information on booking St Martin’s Voices to sing for a Christmas dinner or reception at St Martin’s email [email protected]

Church House Westminster hosts its first Fashion Show

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One of Britain’s up and coming fashion brands showcased its latest collection during the first catwalk event to take place at Church House Westminster.

OSMAN, a designer favoured by the likes of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and British actress Emma Watson, held its London Fashion Week show for its Spring/Summer ‘17 collection at the venue.

Amelia O’Mahoney at OSMAN, said: “Church House Westminster provided the ideal location for the showing of our latest collection. The show was a great success and has been well received by all those who attended. We’d like to thank all the partners who contributed to this, including the support provided by Church House and its staff.”

Church House Westminster’s General Manager Robin Parker said: “It’s great to be part of London Fashion Week, one of the city’s most creative events. The Osman fashion show is just the type of event we have been looking to attract since Church House Westminster’s rebrand earlier this year, and we are delighted they chose to showcase their Spring/Summer ’17 collection to the fashion world against the backdrop of the Assembly Hall.”

BAFTA plays host to ‘A Night to Remember’

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During this year’s London Fashion Week, The Green Carpet Challenge (GCC) united with BAFTA and the British Fashion Council to present ‘A Night to Remember’ hosted by Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Anna Wintour, Natalie Massenet, Livia Firth, Amanda Berry, William Vintage and the Metropolitan Museum of New York Fashion Institute curator Andrew Bolton with Andrea & Guido Bonaveri.

‘A Night to Remember’ celebrated fashion from the world’s iconic red carpets – from the movies to the Met Ball and unveiled a unique exhibition of iconic vintage couture gowns discovered by William Vintage. Undeniable red carpet icons, they exemplify the values of artisanal skills and handcrafting from the 20th and 21st centuries with work by Hubert de Givenchy to John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. The event also saw an eco-world first: the unveiling of Bonaveri’s eco-mannequins. Bonaveri is world-famous for creating mannequins for the fashion industry and now launches the first biodegradable mannequin.

Guests including Victoria Beckham, Helena Bonham Carter, Joely Richardson, Luke Evans, Arizone Muse, Amanda & Tallulah Harlech, will.i.am, Caroline Rush, Mario Testino, Sabine Getty, Erin O’Connor, Daisy Lowe, Caroline Sieber, Christopher Bailey, Henry Holland, Stephen Jones, Erdem, Matthew Williamson, Hannah Weiland, Molly Goddard, Portia Freeman, Pixie Lott, Justin O’Shea, Laura Bailey, Lauren Santa Domingo, Nicole Farhi and Bianca Jagger attended.

Following the presentation, was the premiere of ‘The First Monday in May’, Andrew Rossi’s feature capturing the collision of high fashion and celebrity at one of the globe’s biggest fashion events: the Met Gala, famously chaired every year by Anna Wintour, artistic director, Conde Nast.

Amanda Berry, CEO BAFTA said: “The creative industries must take responsibility for their impact, seizing every opportunity to ensure the creation of art has a positive environmental legacy. Since 2011, BAFTA has chaired the BAFTA Albert Consortium, helping the film and television industries to act on their impact together. With over 400 organisations involved, the consortium provides the tools, guidance and opportunities to all those who recognise the urgent need for action on climate change. Five years of collaboration has seen the roll-out of environmental management tools, bespoke industry training and, most recently, the costume directory – a guide to ethical sourcing. The Green Carpet Challenge highlights important progress made in fashion and BAFTA is excited to be working with GCC and hopes that the collaboration will allow us to drive further sustainable progress.”

To find out more about BAFTA or to make a booking click here.

Photography supplied by Dave Bennett from Getty.