The Westminster Collection makes an impact at The Meetings Show

Last month, leading venue consortium for Westminster venues, The Westminster Collection met with event buyers and bookers from around the world at The Meetings Show at London Olympia.

The stand, which was manned by a variety of event professionals representing venues from across the consortium, offered the perfect place to discover over 35 stunning Westminster venues and find out how the collection can save buyers time when looking for a wow-factor venue.

Announced on the first morning of the show, The Meetings Show also provided the perfect opportunity for the collection to share its plans for a complete re-brand, name change and new website set to launch later on this year and encourage registrations for the launch event.

Throughout the three-day show over 350 contacts were scanned with just shy of 40 specific enquiries generated which were promptly communicated to all member venues to make business proposals.

The collection’s success at the show highlights just one of the significant benefits for membership to The Westminster Collection and provided a dynamic business platform for both the member venues and the event buyers in attendance.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a member of The Westminster Collection, please click here. Alternatively, if you are looking to book a stunning venue for your next event, find our full collection here.

#EventProfs come and see us at The Meetings Show!

#EventProfs heading to The Meetings Show next week? Why not head to Westminster while you’re there?

Come and visit The Westminster Collection at stand J502 and discover our collection of unique Westminster venues.

We have a venue for every event from intimate and quirky meeting spaces to large-scale iconic landmarks all located in one of London’s most recognisable areas.

Register to attend for free here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

QEII Centre to inspire Londoners with #SparkSesh workshops

Westminster’s QEII Centre is looking to get Londoners inspired this summer by hosting a series of creative #SparkSesh workshops.

Part of QEII’s 30th birthday celebrations, the 90-minute fun and interactive events will cover storytelling, introspective reflection, creative vision and how to get ahead in all aspects of life.

The first #SparkSesh, ‘Stories That Move People To Action’, will take place on Tuesday 28 June at 6pm.

Run in partnership with London-based creative agency Just Add Water, the session will use film clips and popular media as part of interactive activities to show attendees what makes a great story and how storytelling can be used to influence other people’s way of thinking.

Roopi Woodall, marketing manager at QEII Centre said: “If you’re feeling like you’re at a bit of a creative stand-still or struggling to get ahead in life, #SparkSesh could be what you need to start feeling reinvigorated and seeing life from a new perspective. The events will be positive, insightful and memorable – you’d be surprised how much can change in just an hour and a half of creative thinking.”

The following three #SparkSesh events will take place in September. Monday 12 September will be all about creativity, Thursday 15 September will be looking at why people do what they do and on Tuesday 20 September the final session will look ahead to articulating the future.

Ian McKechnie from Just Add Water added: “These workshops will help attendees to think in new and exciting ways, put their ideas across more powerfully and get what they want in life. The first #SparkSesh focusing on storytelling is perfect for anyone who wants to be more engaging and connect with people on a more emotional level. Facts can only take you so far, but stories are a far more powerful way of influencing outcomes.”

Victory Services Club launches the Trafalgar & El Alamein Suite

The Victory Services Club will be launching the newly refurbished Trafalgar & El Alamein Suite in July 2016.

This flexible event space, which has a capacity for up to 250 guests is adorned with stylish décor, fine furnishings and classic lighting, creating a sophisticated atmosphere for guests to enjoy.

The suite really does provide the ideal event room for conferences, meetings, receptions and more.

To find out more information, please contact the Events team today on 0207 616 8305 or email: [email protected]

Private members club website gets a new lease of life

The Victory Services Club website has been given a brand new look and the finished website is better than ever. Updated to include some of the latest features in web design, the new site gives online visitors an enjoyable experience that matches that offered at the club itself.

The new site’s navigation makes it easier than ever before for online visitors to find what they’re looking for, and to find out more about the fantastic venue and exceptional in-house catering on offer at the 100 year old Club.

The revamped events section of the new site has been designed to encourage individuals and corporate event bookers to engage with our first class in-house events team. Event bookers looking for somewhere to host a corporate event, from award ceremonies to private dining, are now just one click away from finding the perfect venue.

With more and more internet users using their smartphones and tablets to browse the web, having a website that’s mobile optimised is essential for the modern marketplace. The new Victory Services Club website is responsive so whether visitors view it from a mobile, tablet, laptop or PC the site will automatically adjust itself to suit the device it’s being viewed on.

The Club’s investment in the new website reflects its commitment to offering visitors the very best in customer service and will help take the venue, so richly steeped in history and heritage, into the next chapter of its story.

For more information about the Victory Services Club and to check out the new website visit www.vsc.co.uk

Central Hall Westminster launches new virtual reality experience in China

Central Hall Westminster announced the launch of its new virtual reality (VR) experience during a week-long visit to China.

It was showcased at the IT&CM Exhibition Shanghai, the Department of Commerce in Zhejiang Province and at a meeting with the team at Alibaba HQ Hangzhou.

Central Hall’s new virtual reality technology aims to showcase the venue’s versatility and range of event spaces to both international and UK buyers. The VR experience not only enables viewers to get a 360 degree view of the event spaces on offer throughout the central London venue in a virtual show-round, but also features a variety of live events scenarios as a fully immersive viewing experience. VR live events include the BBC’s New Year’s Bryan Adam’s concert 2015, amongst other high profile events.

Paul Southern, Managing Director at Central Hall Westminster, said: “This has been an exciting development for us at Central Hall. Our ability to harness this technology and connect the venue to the most remote places in China, and indeed anywhere else in the world we take it, is an extraordinary advance within our sales process. We anticipate that this will help to strengthen our position within the Chinese market as we continue to develop relationships in this sector.”

Maria Schuett, Head of Marketing at Central Hall Westminster, added: “The objective is to support our clients to conceptualise their ideas within our flexible event spaces, not replace the physical experience. The new virtual reality package, showcasing various layouts, productions and visual settings, adds a new dimension to those earlier discussions with clients.”

The VR experience has been created by Trek Wireless, creators of interactive digital assets for the retail and hospitality industries that work seamlessly across PC, tablet, mobile and VR devices. For further information about Central Hall’s virtual reality offering please visit https://www.c-h-w.com/vr.

Increase in UK-based filming for big productions at One Great George Street

Historic Westminster venue One Great George Street witnessed a marked increase in filming bookings in 2015 with location managers for the BBC TV series The Night Manager, the film War Machine starring Brad Pitt and Wonder Woman all choosing to use the venue.

Shedding some light on this trend, Charles Somers of Charles Somers Locations, the Location Manager for Wonder Woman, said: “The UK tax incentive, combined with easy access to top rate crews and facilities, in conjunction with favourable exchange rates, make it highly likely that the trend for major US features to film in the UK will continue throughout 2016 and beyond.”

Mr Somers noted that there were many unique aspects to the venue that set it apart from other filming locations. He said: “The quality of the architecture combined with the proportions of the rooms gives One Great George Street the unique position of being one of the best locations in London for the type of scene we were filming.”

He added: “The building works on so many levels, not just from a creative point of view but also from a logistical standpoint. We were able to accommodate all the other departments inside the location, such as background artists costume, make-up and wardrobe, as well as the crew and crowd dining areas, which helps make the day run very smoothly for the location department.”

Find out more at http://www.onegreatgeorgestreet.com/news-centre/press-release/2016/a-wonderful-venue-for-wonder-woman/

RIBA Venues to host launch of new low sugar Prosecco Thomson & Scott Skinny Prosecco

RIBA Venues, the conference and events arm of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), based at 66 Portland Place in London, today announces it has won the contract to host the launch of new low-calorie Prosecco brand, Thomson & Scott Skinny.

Thomson & Scott Founder, Amanda Thomson has single-handedly created a portfolio of sparkling wine for people who like to enjoy Champagne and Prosecco but with the benefit of no or low added sugar. Thomson & Scott Skinny Prosecco will be showcased at a special event at RIBA Venues on 19th April to mark its UK launch. The Thomson & Scott Skinny range will also be added to RIBA Venues’ preferred supplier list and wine list, the first meeting and events venue to do so.

RIBA Venues’ Head of Venues, Stephanie Ellrott, says: “I was really excited when I met Amanda with her skinny drinks concept, which is a great idea and would suit a number of the events we host here at RIBA Venues.

“We look forward to welcoming Amanda and her team for the launch tasting and building a lasting partnership as the first venue to offer this product to the events industry.”

Amanda Thomson says: “RIBA Venues is exactly the kind of smart, innovative and stylish partner with whom I’m looking to collaborate.  I couldn’t think of a more beautiful venue to host what I believe is an elegant, new approach to drinking Champagne and sparkling wine.”

Lights, camera, action at One Great George Street

One Great George Street has added to its filming credentials as it was chosen as the location for upcoming film War Machine – a satire of America’s war with Afghanistan.

The American comedy war film, which is directed and written by David Michôd, is based on the non-fiction book ‘The Operators’ by Michael Hastings and features Brad Pitt.

War Machine’s Location Manager Tony Hood shares his experience of working with One Great George Street’s Special Events Team: “There are a number of stunning rooms within the building but what really sets the venue apart is the helpful nature of the event staff who have everything covered. It is unusual in Central London to find a single location that has such an extensive range of film-worthy spaces, and additionally the room to house the various elements of the production to allow us to shoot out the scenes quickly and efficiently.”

War Machine follows hot on the heels of the current BBC thriller series, The Night Manager, which was also filmed at One Great George Street.

To find out more please visit http://oggsvenue.com/

Welcome Regent’s Conferences & Events

The Westminster Collection is proud to introduce our newest member venue Regent’s Conferences & Events.

Just a few short minutes from Baker Street Station and located within 11 acres of private grounds in Regent’s Park, the venue offers capacities of up to 370 for conferences as well as vast opportunities for outdoor events such as team building or barbeques.

Chairman of the collection Robin Parker commented on the new member venue: “We are delighted to welcome Regent’s Conferences & Events to our collection and look forward to involving them in all our activities. We are in the middle of a really exciting period for the collection and it is the perfect time for our new member to immerse themselves in everything we have coming up. To welcome a venue with such impressive outdoor space is fantastic and I know they will be a real asset to the collection.”

If you are reading this on behalf of a Westminster venue and are interested in becoming part of the collection please contact [email protected]