London News
CVB Pick of the Week: Skylounge @ DoubleTree by Hilton – Tower of London
Make the most of the summer weather at Double Tree by Hilton – Tower of London’s Skylounge. Begin your evening with a drink on the outdoor terrace of this chic city cocktail lounge, which has been specifically designed to offer spectacular views from its two terraces: the South Terrace looks out over Tower Bridge, the historic Tower of London and the River Thames, while the North Terrace has stunning views of the Gherkin and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Meet with friends to marvel at the panoramic views as the Skylounge mixologists create an eclectic mix of imaginative cocktails and serve a wide selection of whisky, fine wines and bottled beers. Enjoy incredible views from the Skylounge bar or from the stunning roof gardens during the months and order a variety of tempting bar snacks from the small plate menu or Terrace BBQ menu (coming soon).
Please note that reservations are only available for for tables at the bar, tables outside are allocated on a first come first served basis.
For more information about Skylounge @ Double Tree by Hilton – Tower of London, please contact Event Solutions.
CVB Pick of the Week: 76 Portland Place
76 Portland Place is a contemporary conference, training and entertainment venue in London that demonstrates a real synergy between old and new, having retained its original Georgian architecture such as high ceilings and beautiful marble floors, and combined them with bespoke event design to create 12 flexible, stylish and modern rooms, including two state-of-the-art lecture theatres.
Promising customers a friendly and flexible service, excellent food, superb facilities, and an ideal location, this versatile venue is a stone’s throw from Regents Park, within walking distance of five tube stations and a short drive, taxi or bus hop from major transport hubs including Euston, St Pancras and Marylebone.
The venue is a proud holder of the Meetings Industry Association AIM Gold accreditation for excellent service, and the professional team are happy to assist with all aspects of event planning, including theming, entertainment, logistics and accommodation.
76 Portland Place caters for almost all event requirements, making it the perfect choice for meetings, corporate parties, training, private dining, screenings, conferences and evening receptions. The venue can seat 170 in theatre or lecture style right though to meetings of five people of less, and provides high-end audio-visual capabilities, including video conferencing, a cinema-quality projector, Bose surround sound, and market-leading webcasting technology.
Through its talented chefs, dedicated kitchen team and commitment to sourcing seasonal organic produce, 76 Portland Place has a long-standing reputation for delivering outstanding food, ranging from canapés to the very best in fine dining.
For further information please contact Jenny Hullock at 76 Portland Place on 020 7470 4871.
Follow 76 Portland Place on Twitter: @76PortlandPlace
To hold your next event at 76 Portland Place, contact Event Solutions.
CVB Pick of the Week: Grand Connaught Rooms
Opulent, stylish, sophisticated, glamorous. If you’re looking for a venue in London that stands out from the crowd and will impress you’re guests – The Grand Connaught Rooms is that venue.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect London venue for all your corporate events, an inspirational venue for training and learning, an opulent and exclusive space for an A-list London party or one of London’s most exclusive and magical wedding venues, the Grand Connaught Rooms delivers for all of these.
The iconic Grand Hall, one of London’s largest and most impressive event venues, the sophisticated Champagne Bar, the indulgent Tempus Restaurant, the sleek and modern meeting rooms, Grand Connaught Rooms is the ultimate venue in London.
Now introducing our fabulous new Penthouse Roof Terrace, an oasis of calm with fabulous views over Covent Garden and Holborn. The Roof terrace is best enjoyed alfresco for drinks receptions but an exclusive art deco style space and lounge are a fall back for bad weather and to provide seating.
For more information about hiring the Grand Connaught Rooms for your next event, contact Event Solutions.
CVB Pick of the Week: Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols
Event planners looking for that venue with a little added ‘chic’ should look no further than the fashionable Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols. Located in the heart of Knightsbridge, this stunning space provides added versatility to meet all your event requirements.
Situated aloft Harvey Nichols luxury department store and synonymous with all that is fashionable and creative, the Fifth Floor includes private dining room, cocktail bar, open plan café and terrace, wine shop and food market.
Ideal for shopping parties, cocktail receptions, private dinners, breakfast meetings, fashion shows and afternoon teas, this venue can create bespoke events to suit your needs.
The Harvey Nichols team, adept at hosting intimate events for many of the who’s who on the international circuit, are happy to design your food and beverage menu to suit the individual style of your event, and to leave your guests feeling utterly inspired.
To find out more about holding your next event at the Fifth Floor, please contact Event Solutions or email the Events Manager Novella; na@harveynichols.com.
CVB Pick of the Week: Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is one of the most exclusive and unique venues in London.
With three legendary spaces available for private and corporate event hire, ranging in capacity from 40 to 400, it offers the opportunity to hold an event in the studios where legends have made landmark recordings.
From the iconic atmosphere of Studio Two, where The Beatles recorded 190 songs, to the grandeur of Studio One, home of some of film’s most famous soundtrack recordings, Abbey Road Studios is an unparalleled, unforgettable event venue.
The Record a Song experience is also available, to groups of 15-100 guests.
To find out more about holding an event at Abbey Road Studios, contact Event Solutions.
Recollections of a London Fam trip
London & Partners organises regular familiarisation trips to help event planners and destination management companies to discover new venues, hotels and incentive ideas whilst brushing up on their knowledge of the UK capital.
Last month, Bill Finklea, Vice President Operations for New York-based Site Search & Select joined a US delegation who were treated to a four-night stay around the meetings exhibition, International Confex, which will take place again next year in March at ExCeL London.
Here, Bill describes his time in and around the capital, extolling the virtues of signing up with London & Partners for future planned familiarisation trips.
“I used to live in London from 1989 to 1990 so I’m always excited to return and discover how the place has changed and what new and interesting itineraries we can offer our clients.
London & Partners hosted our party of eight, all from US cities such as Atlanta, San Francisco, New Jersey, Denver and San Diego and took us first for a two-night stay at the Radisson Edwardian in the nearby town of Guilford.
I was very impressed with the town’s history and its ease of access into central London and to Heathrow airport.
After arriving on a Sunday and spending a delightful day touring Hampton Court, we spent the following day doing hotel site inspections.
We saw the Sofitel London at Heathrow, which adjoins Terminal 5 and offers conferencing for up to 1,700 delegates and then we had lunch at the Hilton Terminal 5. The hotels around Heathrow offer exceptional business and events facilities.
In the afternoon, we visited the Waldorf Astoria Syon Park, which is a beautiful property on a country house estate with a ballroom that can seat up to 450 guests. We then visited Coworth Park, part of the Dorchester Collection and set in 240 acres of Ascot countryside.
On the Tuesday, we went into London and started with the Wyndham Grand at Chelsea Harbour. I knew it in its former life as a Conrad hotel so it was great to see its evolution.
From here we had a tour of Chelsea Football Club‘s meeting and events facilities, before heading to the Grand Connaught Rooms and the Park Plaza County Hall.
The highlight of the day for me though was a trip to the top of the Gherkin building at 30 St Mary’s Axe in the City. It is an amazing events space with phenomenal 360-degree views.
Dinner on the Tuesday evening was enjoyed at the Mayfair Hotel London with its 410 beautifully appointed rooms. The following day we then headed to London’s docklands and International Confex.
We all really enjoyed the exhibition as it was an opportunity to talk to some of the smaller hotel chains and venues that we otherwise would not have seen.
That evening, we enjoyed a night out in London’s West-end.
I firmly believe that the city has never looked better. It is so vibrant, so clean and there is such energy. This may be a result of the upcoming London Olympic Games and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations but it all adds up to make London a number one destination of choice for this year.
The city’s convention bureau is such a valuable asset as well. They keep me informed of all new and refurbished properties and act as my direct link into contacting London hotels and suppliers.”
Full programme announced for the London 2012 Festival
The full programme for the London 2012 Festival was revealed this morning at an event held within the Tower of London and attended by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, actress Julie Walters and some of the stars set to appear this summer.
Some 12,000 events and performances featuring over 25,000 artists from all 205 participating Olympic nations have been planned for between 21 June and 9 September all over the UK. There will be 137 world firsts and 85 UK premiers.
London highlights will include the floating children’s opera The Owl and the Pussycat written by Monty Python star Terry Jones, which will travel through London’s canal network plus pop-up Shakespeare performances around the city, with a cast led by actor and director Mark Rylance.
A barge manned by a group of well-known comedians will set sail from London and attempt to reach Edinburgh’s celebrated Fringe venue, The Pleasance, staging pop-up comedy gigs along the way. Whilst The BT River of Music will showcase performances from five continents across six stages located in iconic locations around the capital. Some 160,000 free tickets will be available for confirmed acts including the Noisettes and the Scissor Sisters.
Major London events which form part of the Festival include BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, the BBC Proms, the World Shakespeare Festival and Urban Classic – a mashup between the BBC Symphony Orchestra and urban acts including Ms Dynamite planned for Waltham Forest Town Hall on 5 July.
Ruth MacKenzie, Director of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival said: “It will be the largest cultural celebration in our lifetime. With new work from the best musicians, comics, artists, film makers and more, there will be arts events taking place in unusual places all over the UK that will showcase the best in international culture when the eyes of the world are on us this summer.”
Principal funders of the London 2012 Festival are Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor. BP and BT are Premier Partners.
The Festival brochure can be downloaded here.
Government to retain freehold and explore private sector management of Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
The Government has had a rethink over the future of The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster.
The decision to market and dispose of the venue, taken by the previous Government in April 2009, has been through a review process.
The review has concluded that the Department for Communities and Local Government should retain its freehold interest in the building in line with current Government Property Unit policy to retain freeholds in the Whitehall area.
This means that the building will remain as a conference centre as it has proved to be of considerable economic benefit to the Westminster area, as recognised by Westminster City Council.
The Department for Communities and Local Government will now explore all the viable options for the future of the Centre. It will then decide whether the conference business should continue under the existing arrangements or be marketed to the private sector.
The Department is investigating three options – a short-term operating contract, a medium-term lease and a longer-term lease, but would consider other value for money options the market proposed.
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre currently operates as a successful trading fund and delivers an annual net surplus from trading in excess of £2million.
Summer Eventia 2012 delivers high-performance speaker line-up and networking in London
A decision by the trade association for the events and meetings industry to bring its annual conference forward by three months so that it could be held in London, was applauded this week as the Summer Eventia 2012 delivered engaging content and valued networking for more than 200 delegates.
Hosted by Kings Place in Kings Cross and rescheduled from its traditional July date to avoid a clash with the Olympics, the Summer Eventia saw 39 speakers participate in 18 sessions. These ranged from discussions around technology, creativity and the economy to nurturing talent, sustainability and the impact of the London 2012 Games.
Dennis Turner, former Chief Economist at HSBC opened the Summer Eventia on Monday 23 April with an insightful look at the economy, delivered in a light-hearted and engaging way.
Turner was followed by two panels of experts discussing the economic landscape for the events industry and the Olympic boost.
The afternoon on the first day was spent discussing the operational challenges of getting around London during the Games with, among others, Nicky Ward from Transport for London and Trevor Smith from LOCOG’s city operations team.
Delegates were then able to choose from a series of breakout sessions. Highlights included John Hooker’s take on working in the BRIC economies, new ideas and apprenticeship schemes to engage event talent and advice on the impact of recent changes to employment law.
Day one ended with Andy Lopata’s masterclass in networking and a reception plus entertainment in Kings Place.
Highlights from the second day of the Summer Eventia 2012 included in-depth showcasing of the latest available technology including RFID and 3-D mapping, plus the latest social media tools to help amplify event messaging such as Storify and Pinterest.
Eventia Vice-Chairman Simon Hughes said: “The content programme for the Summer Eventia 2012 was driven by delegate responses from the previous year’s event. We listened to what the industry wanted in terms of education and networking. Judging by both anecdotal evidence and social media feedback from delegates, we have delivered on all aspects. I’m delighted with the results.”
During the two-day conference, destination host sponsor London & Partners hosted a drop-in advice clinic for anyone with questions relating to the Games or bringing their events to the UK capital.
Zanine Adams, Head of Event Solutions & UK Sales for London & Partners said: “We were delighted to bring the Summer Eventia to London in 2012 and it was great to see so many fantastic speakers delivering content relevant to today’s event planning needs.”
CVB Pick of the Week: inamo st james
inamo st james is a unique and memorable location for your event. With E-Table™, the world’s first interactive ordering system beamed onto your tables, you can take complete control over your dining experience. Order your meal, choose your virtual tablecloth, view the chefs at work on ‘Chef Cam’, and much more, even customise the images on your table surfaces to create a truly distinctive and personalised event.
None of this distracts from the high quality food. From Hot Stone Rib Eye to duck breast with a tamarind sauce, the menu is sure to impresss.
Perfect for occasions as contrasting as a product launch, conference meal, or a birthday party, inamo st james impresses with technology and delights with food and design.
“For a magical moment, it feels like a futuristic dining utopia” – The Independent
“A fantastic menu boasts a host of sublime dishes” – Easyjet magazine
inamo st james is the sister restaurant of inamo on Soho’s Wardour St, voted London’s best restaurant 2010 by readers of Time Out London. inamo St James was shortlisted for the 2011 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
To find out about holding your next event at inamo st james, contact Event Solutions.