Tag: Theming & Design

Christmas party venues: A classic Christmas knees-up

Posted on by engineroom

Sometimes simple is best and the classic, warm and cosy Christmas around an open fire, with a slap-up turkey and all the trimmings, is a tradition best preserved.

At No.4 Hamilton Place you’re guaranteed a feast fit for a king or queen, with a superb ‘Regal Christmas’ spread within the luxury surrounds of this Edwardian town house featuring Louis XVI gilt cornicing, chandeliers, bow windows and a magnificent baroque staircase.

Enjoy a seated dinner, or opt for a more informal ‘grazing’ menu with unlimited house wine, beer and soft drinks, before throwing some royal shapes on the dancefloor. With crowns, coronets and tiaras in abundance, No.4 Hamilton Place offers the ultimate in majestically themed experiences for 50 to 300 partygoers. Regal Christmas lunches start at £54pp, bowl food and grazing menus at £74pp and seated dinners at £90pp. Call 020 7670 4314 or email [email protected].

An elegant luncheon or dinner awaits within the Georgian surrounds of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, in Mayfair, with two private dining rooms perfect for groups of 20 to 70 guests. Make your Christmas twinkle with a sparkling wine and canapé reception, followed by a three-course meal with half a bottle of wine per person. Exclusive room hire prices start from £470 for lunch and £500 for dinner, with catering priced at £67.50 per person. All Christmas bookings made and confirmed before 31st August will receive 10% off when quoting ‘TWC Christmas treat’.

Church House Conference Centre, nestled alongside Westminster Abbey in the exclusive Dean’s Yard, promises you’ll simply have a wonderful Christmas time with its excellent value sparkling wine reception and three-course yuletide dinner menu. The event deal incorporates half a bottle of wine, table decorations and crackers, a 4.5-hour beer, wine and soft drinks package, disco, DJ and lighting all for £75 per person, with options available for 50 to 350 guests. For receptions, capacity is available for up to 550. Call 020 7390 1590 or email [email protected] to enquire.

More Christmas party venue options:

Good, old-fashioned nostalgia: 1920s & 1940s

VIP gigs and the edible Sugar Palace

Your own private members club

Lights, camera, exhibition!

Christmas with a conscience

Roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and carols

Intimate, private dining celebrations

Work hard, play hard

Christmas party venues: Your own private members club

Posted on by engineroom

Many people may not know that Mayfair private members club The Lansdowne Club can be hired for private and corporate events. The Grand Ballroom is magnificent with its Art Deco styling, vaulted ceilings and minstrel galleries and this Christmas the club opens its doors to reveal an all-inclusive party package for a very affordable £110 per person. Available for parties of 50-150, this rate includes ballroom hire, arrival drinks, an extravagant three-course meal with wine, plus unlimited drinks from the bar and a superb DJ.

Some key December dates remain available if you’re quick. Call 020 7318 6117 or email [email protected] and quote ‘XMAS13TWC’ to receive a 10% discount.

If a glamorous and classy black and gold themed sparkling wine reception whets your whistle, the Victory Services Club, near Marble Arch station, is a fabulous option. Dine amongst glittering Christmas trees with three courses, plus mini mince pies, for just £53 per person, before hitting the dance floor to the sounds of the club DJ. For further details, call 020 7616 8354 or email [email protected].

More Christmas party venue options:

Good, old-fashioned nostalgia: 1920s & 1940s

VIP gigs and the edible Sugar Palace

Lights, camera, exhibition!

A classic Christmas knees-up

Christmas with a conscience

Roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and carols

Intimate, private dining celebrations

Work hard, play hard

 

In-house vs. externally supplied AV: what to choose?

Posted on by engineroom

Ian Locke, audio visual manager at Church House Conference Centre, weighs up the pros and cons of external AV suppliers versus the professional teams already embedded in-house at event venues.

In the events industry today there are a wealth of production companies offering creative service expertise and the latest equipment and technology, but there are also many venues which offer high quality audio visual services coupled with the latest technology in-house, constantly updated to meet the changing needs of the events industry. So why do some clients prefer to bring an external production company in to a venue while some will always opt for in-house?

When a client choses to source their AV requirements externally, it is usually because they have worked together for a number of projects and have become a preferred supplier. The client may feel that their events have more continuity, relying on the relationship with their supplier to ensure that content is delivered consistently.

In fact, a venue’s in-house AV team is often just as experienced at interpreting and understanding the client’s needs as specialist external suppliers, delivering as reliable and consistent a service as an independent production company. Often, in a short period of time, they can gain a client’s confidence and build a lasting relationship through their skills and expertise.

One of the main benefits of using an in-house AV team is their knowledge of their venue’s capabilities, from the technology available and the building’s infrastructure, to what services would best suit what a client is looking to deliver to their guests. As the in-house AV team is an integral part of the venue’s event team, there will already be a strong working relationship and good communications between the two.

It is understandable that a client may feel unsure about using a team they have not worked with before, so look for indications of quality such as industry awards and testimonials for reassurance, and attend planning meetings before the event to ensure that the AV team is delivering on your brief.

External production teams and internal AV teams can make an excellent combination. Sometimes due to time constraints and timescales between the venue’s bookings, it is difficult for the production company to provide and install all the refinements their client requires.

In-house AV teams can assist in the provision of major parts of the production such as technical support, sound systems, lighting, stage sets, or a combination of these requirements, in order to help production companies meet the tight deadlines.

At Church House we are always happy to work alongside others and we have great working relationships with several external AV company. Working together on projects provides a great opportunity for all involved to share key industry knowledge and skills.

 

Related news

Top accolade for Church House Conference Centre AV team

Book now for Off to Work’s Event School 2013 – 9th & 10th April

Posted on by engineroom

Award-winning event staff supplier, recruitment consultancy and professional training academy Off to Work is delighted to launch its Event School for 2013, with a special focus on style and design.

With names like Masterchef winner Keri Moss and former The Apprentice contestant Miriam Staley within the speaker line-up, bookings are expected to be snapped up quickly for the two-day workshop series, which will run on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th April at the London Irish Centre, Off to Work’s dedicated Training Academy in Camden, London.

Building on the success of last year’s school, Event School 2013: Style & Design will bring together renowned professionals from successful creative businesses to deliver a practical, workshop-led programme focusing on specific areas of the event planning and delivery cycle.

From a designer ‘mocktail’ mixing masterclass with Sejuiced and a lesson in wine buying for events with Blanco & Gomez, to workshops in food styling and event storytelling through photography with Red Photographic, room theming and lighting with Wise Production, plus content marketing and event communication tips from Custard Communications, Event School 2013 is aimed at event planners, event coordinators and managers, event agencies, caterers, F&B staff, chefs, marketing staff and business development teams.

Highlights of the programme include a networking lunch and concurrent panel debate on ‘Menu design for events’, featuring Keri Moss, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2012, Nick Mead, director at Eden Caterers, Vicky O’Hare, managing director of Party Ingredients and Gerald Aberdeen, executive head chef for Table Talk. These expert menu developers and chefs will share tips and tricks for planning a show-stopping selection of dishes that are not diluted by challenging dietary restrictions.

The workshop style of the programme means that delegates can pick and choose which ‘modules’ best fit their job role and requirements and attend these sessions as one-off learning experiences.

Attendees working in events and hospitality will leave inspired and equipped with tangible skills to aid their career development and to maximise the impact and profitability of future events.

“We’re pleased to welcome our clients, our team and all events professionals to attend any or all of the Event School’s workshops. We’ve designed workshops to be intimate, with a cap on 20 people, to ensure you can enjoy a focused and interactive learning environment,” said Philip Atkins, managing director, Off to Work. The exceptions to this are the educational, networking lunches.

A vibrant and sociable company, Off to Work has been providing the finest, skilled staff to the events and hospitality industries throughout the UK and overseas since 2001. Throughout this time, the company has stayed true to its guiding principle ‘to help provide some of the best experiences and memories people have ever had’ – something they achieve by remaining committed to hiring only the people most passionate about hospitality.

Event School 2013: Style & Design will take place on 9th & 10th April 2013 at London Irish Centre, Camden Square, London, NW1 9XB. For the full workshop programme, to find out more information or to book, please email Lucy Katan, call 020 3155 1975, or visit the dedicated website page.

Workshops are priced at £40+VAT each and package rates are available if you’d like to attend multiple sessions.

Glamorous £40k Waterford Crystal chandelier installed at Chandos House

Posted on by engineroom

An ornate, Victorian chandelier by Waterford Crystal, valued at £40,000, will welcome future visitors to Chandos House as the venue’s glamorous Terrace Room becomes home to the stunning showpiece.

Moved from sister venue One Wimpole Street, which has undergone extensive renovation, the arrival of this historic and opulent chandelier at the Grade I listed events and wedding venue is a perfect complement to The Terrace Room’s Venetian windows and French doors, which open out onto the Terrace Garden.

In celebration of the chandelier’s installation, Chandos House commissioned the design and build of a bespoke bar, stained to match the existing and original wood, making the room ideal for cocktail receptions and parties.

Nicholas Dennis, house manager at Chandos House, said: “The Terrace Room has been transformed. What was always a beautiful, but understated room has now become somewhere that reflects the rest of the glamour and opulence for which Chandos House is renowned. I look forward to the coming months, which I expect will be very busy and I look forward to seeing the new bar in full swing with some fabulous cocktail and drinks parties taking place.”

Chandos House is an intimate venue ideal for meetings, conferences, formal dinners, private parties, product launches, wedding receptions, civil ceremonies and partnerships. Located in the heart of London’s W1 between Portland Place, Oxford Circus and the fashionable Marylebone Village, it offers six beautiful function rooms each with dramatic period features, 17 designer bedrooms and a secluded garden terrace.

For more information about The Terrace Room at Chandos House, please call 020 7290 3861 or email [email protected].

RSA completes £3m refurbishment and restoration

Posted on by engineroom

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) has completed a £3m nine-month restoration and refurbishment of RSA House. The venue’s Great Room, Benjamin Franklin Room and ground-floor spaces have been developed in close collaboration with the Fellow-led RSA House Development Committee, Matthew Lloyd Architects and other specialist consultants. The refurbishment amplifies the original appearance of the 18th Century building, whilst providing a technologically advanced space it for the 21st century.

Fixed seating was stripped from the Great Room and replaced with movable seating, transforming the space into a multipurpose area that can be used for a wide range of events including conferences, exhibitions and dinners.

The Great Room staircase is enhanced with a new lighting feature by Troika and includes restoration of the glass mosaic floor discovered under the previous carpet. The ground floor areas now offer a more flexible open plan space which incorporates new informal meeting rooms.

All the rooms at the venue have the latest in technology, from high definition cameras for video streaming and simultaneous recording of live images, to 15 channels of discreet audio, capable of 7.1 surround and beyond alongside HD cinema capable projection.

The refurbishment has improved the technological facilities for visitors, including a bespoke, multi-touch interactive wall within the foyer created specifically for the RSA by Vanguardia. It provides the ability for Fellows and guests to interact with the RSA’s rich content whilst also relaying events live into the space from the Great Room.

Another multi touch wall is featured within the central meeting area, based on an interactive projected image and user gesture recognition.  Events can now be streamed across the web in HD, creating real-time links with audiences in the UK and internationally, with the added provision for external guests to connect in to the event itself.

RSA House comprises 13 event spaces and can cater for large events for 200 and intimate events for between 14 and 50 guests. The House boasts 18th Century Georgian design and was purpose built for the Society in 1774 by the celebrated Scottish architects Robert and James Adam.