Perry's Blog

One Great(er) George Street - #OGGSRefurb

2015-08-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

Today One Great George Street has announced an extensive refurbishment works plan for 2016.

Home to the Institution of Civil Engineers, the building was designed by Scottish architect James Miller and celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1984 and first became available for public events in 1989. Offering 21 flexible event spaces, the magnificent, Edwardian building with rich neo-Palladian and Baroque interior is currently a popular choice for diverse markets. In 2016, the building will undergo a series of works designed to further improve facilities, energy efficiency and accessibility.

“One Great George Street’s values and standards form a core part of our vision to be the preferred meetings and events venue in Westminster. Having built a reputation on offering excellent service and standards within a stunning building, this refurbishment will maintain and enhance the latter; our historic, physical asset” said One Great George Street’s Director, Gary Payne.

Key activities will include:

• A deep clean of the external stonework to ensure a sparkling reception for visitors
• Maintenance of the historic four glass domes and ornate, painted Great Hall ceiling
• Transformation of the historic library into an inspirational exhibition & events space
• A brand new wheelchair accessible lift to the Upper Library as part of One Great George Street’s continued commitment to accessibility. The venue has paved the way for accessibility in historic venues since the launch of its innovative main entrance platform lift, and has previously won the Catey Award for Best Accessible Venue
• Replacement of all boilers with new energy efficient models in keeping with the venue’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. The new boilers are estimated to be between 30 and 50 per cent more efficient. The venue also operates a 0% to landfill policy, innovative recycling solutions and procures sustainable catering produce

Access to One Great George Street during the refurbishment works:

The venue will be closed to the public from June 20th 2016 to September 19th 2016. For progress updates follow Facebook OGGSVenue or Twitter @OGGSVenue and include the hastag #OGGSRefurb in your posts. If you'd like to make a booking outside the closure period please contact us +44 (0)20 7665 2323.

Strictly Spectacular Weddings

2015-07-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

One Great George Street was the wedding venue of choice for Strictly Come Dancing stars Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton; who along with their friends and family, were recently joined by Fankie Bridge, Susanna Reid and their fellow ‘Strictly’ co-stars for one truly spectacular wedding.

Featuring on the cover of Hello! Magazine and within its stunning 10 page spread, the couple were said to “waltz their way to wedded bliss joined by a host of ‘strictly’ co-stars”.

On seeing his bride groom Kevin noted: “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. Karen looked stunning”, while bride Karen said: “I’m going to marry the person I’ve been in love with since the day we met”.

Dawn Emery of Hello! Magazine noted “…guests enjoyed cocktails and canapés around One Great George Street’s stunning stairwell, then moved upstairs to the magnificent Great Hall, which features a 43ft-high ornate ceiling, dazzling chandeliers and marbled columned walls”.

This year One Great George Street played host to more weddings than ever before. Saturday dates in 2015 are now sold out with early booking recommended for the last remaining Sunday dates and 2016 dates - check here for availability.

For weddings, One Great George Street offers:

Small intimate ceremonies (minimum 60 people)
Larger lavish celebrations and events
Range of all-inclusive package prices
Dedicated Venue Wedding Planner
Complimentary wedding tasting
Recommended suppliers list
Exclusive use of entire building
Award-winning venue accessibility

Tech Trends at One Great George Street

2015-06-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

As audio visual sales continue to represent a larger and growing amount of our overall revenue, I thought it was worth a review of trends with Eclipse-Presentation’s Phil Clark, our on-site Audio Visual Manager at One Great George Street.

We have proven increasingly successful in gaining AV projects, in particular for larger events where clients want stage sets, lighting, high quality sound and technical support and this has been one of the main reasons contributing to revenue growth. We have recently won a piece of business from Spain. By using Spanish speaking staff both at the venue and our on-site AV contractor, we carried out a site visit with them and did all communication in Spanish resulting in them choosing us rather than bringing all the AV kit and technicians from Spain.

Last year we up-graded the projector in our main lecture theatre to HD. At the time we had few requests for HD and the vast majority of presentations being brought in then were in conventional format. This has changed somewhat and use of HD has grown substantially so delegates are now benefiting from our investment by seeing visuals with superior clarity. This summer we are upgrading to HD in our smaller theatre, the Godfrey Mitchell (featured below)

We are also seeing fewer laptops as IPads and tablets become the devices of choice with their portability and versatility. Use of Prezzi instead of PowerPoint is becoming more common with its slicker animations and higher production values although interestingly, some people have complained of motion sickness!

The quality and versatility of digital sound is proving popular, especially for specific events where sound relay is improved rather than playback through analogue. For example we have some musicians playing at a forthcoming event for which this will work perfectly.

Being a Grade II listed building, when asked to decorate or theme rooms and areas, the building lends itself especially well to lighting.

We use a range of LED lights including battery powered units which can be set up really quickly and these have proved increasingly popular in making our already glamorous rooms even more spectacular for evening events.

One Great Wedding Showcase!

2015-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Our Wedding Coordinator, Gabrielle Martin, shares her thoughts on our recent Wedding Showcase.

The Wedding Showcase that took place at One Great George Street last Thursday 16th April 2015 was a great success. We saw around 100 guests through our doors; a marked increase on last year's inaugural showcase, made up of booked couples, new inquiries and wedding industry professionals.

From this event five couples have held a date with us and we have already sent out three wedding contracts bringing the total number of wedding bookings for this year so far to 28 - a number representing the growing increase in demand we are seeing from this market.

The 1930’s themed event kicked off at 18.30 with a canapé reception in our foyer and Brunel Room with music being played in the background by Diamond Skyline Orchestra.

As I was walking around the venue I could see people really enjoying themselves; guests were commenting on the tasty canapés and guzzling down the yummy cocktails both of which were designed especially for this event while admiring our stunning event spaces. I have already had a couple who would like to book their wedding with us this December request to have the Kings Ginger Cocktail served at their wedding because they liked it so much! The 1930’s theme was not only portrayed by the food and drink served but also by our in-house signage, uniforms and the music, which all added to the overall atmosphere.

The venue looked stunning with the help of Toby from TBR Floral Designs whose 1930’s flower displays were a topic of conversation especially the ceremony flowers placed in the Smeaton Room where Westminster Register Office added to the excitement by conducting a mock wedding ceremony.

At OGGS we all know the Great Hall sells itself but on this occasion it looked especially breath-taking. My favourite moment during a wedding is watching guests stop in their tracks as they enter this magnificent room and stare at the pure beauty of its architecture. It was like watching it on replay as each new visitor entered the Great Hall last Thursday.

From delicious cakes to designer wedding dresses all of our suppliers who took part brought something special to this event which was captured by Steve Shipman our recommended Photographer - see the photographs here.

The event was finished off by an exciting prize draw giveaway and our famous confetti shot on the Rotunda.

As guests were leaving I could tell that the team here at One Great George Street pulled out all the stops to make this event one to remember, not just for us but for all that attended and we hope you enjoyed the night as much as we did.

Tonight on BBC1: Woman in Gold Film Interview

2015-04-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

BBC1 tonight at 18:30: Don't miss the Woman in Gold film interview with Director Simon Curtis. The interview was filmed today at One Great George Street in the stunning Great Hall, where the gallery scenes from the movie itself were filmed.

Featuring Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold covers the remarkable true story of one woman's journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice.

Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt's famous painting 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I'.

View the Woman in Gold trailer, don't miss the interview on BBC1 tonight at 18:30 and do let us know your thoughts and whether you'll be going to see the film on release by interacting with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Wedding venue solutions and Valentine’s Day Proposals

2015-02-10T02:36:00.000-08:00

My mum once told me that Valentine’s Day cards should be sent anonymously to someone you liked rather than sent to the person you are already with. Well maybe that was the case once upon a time but for most of my adult life it has been about sending to your loved one.

Well that is not the only trend that has changed over the years; Valentine’s Day or more accurately, St Valentine’s Day has become another ‘good’ reason for us to part with our hard earned money to fulfil the expectations of others and buy gifts, cards and flowers. I am still amazed when I see how much restaurants and hotel rates increase throughout the Valentine’s Day weekend.

As a conference and events venue with a successful wedding business, we of course have a vested interest in 14th February. My cynicism is quashed and I am heartened to see that this time of year remains to be one of the most popular times for proposals along with Christmas and New Year. As a result the level of wedding enquiries increase significantly during the days following Valentine’s Day. On cue this year, on our return after the Christmas seasonal break, we were happy to have received a number of enquiries and will hopefully get a good number after Valentine’s day proposals.

We shall be running another Wedding Showcase this year following on from the success of the one we ran last September on a Sunday. On the evening of 16th April the doors will be opening to wedding planners and prospective wedding clients who have enquiries close to the date. This time round, the show case will take place on a Thursday evening which will be more accessible for many of those who work in the wedding industry, given that they are usually working at the weekends and when they are not, usually want to have some time to themselves!

Our hand-picked suppliers will be in attendance showcasing their products and services, the venue will be fully dressed in its wedding best and you will have the opportunity to sample food and drink from our wedding menus.

If you are a recently engaged couple and still considering the perfect central London venue or wedding planner then register now to visit One Great George Street.

What event organisers need to know about venue Wi-Fi connectivity

2014-11-06T06:54:00.003-08:00

It is pretty evident that demands placed on Wi‐Fi technology are increasing dramatically and this is of significant importance within the Events industry. We as an industry are experiencing a great amount of commentary based on problems arising when networks have not been specifically designed or are powerful enough to serve large numbers of modern laptops, smartphones and other devices.

The jury still seems to be out as to whether we on the venue side recognise this and are making the necessary efforts to cope. I am confident to say that we at One Great George Street have this covered! We work with Etherlive who provide our extensive internet facilities.

We have worked with Etherlive since 2012 when they provided all communications out of our building to the rest of the world when we housed the Media Centre during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and as such are a front runner in the industry.

However it is not just the venues that need to be in the know, event organisers need to be informed about what their events will require as high density and complex live event environments generally require advanced planning on both parts.

Etherlive recently hosted a breakfast seminar about how the internet is being used and how far people’s skills are progressing as the technologies continue to spiral forward. The event took place here at One Great George Street and was geared towards event organisers as well as venues.

I was lucky enough to attend the event as did our in-house audio visual team from Eclipse Presentations. The most important issue that came out of the discussions were the growing gaps in people's knowledge and skills on both the client's side and the supplier’s. To help this here are some pointers on what you need to know in order to organise an event;

How vital is it to utilise Wi-Fi connectivity for your event

When using the Internet via Wi-Fi or hard-wired it is important that you ensure you have a reliable connection with enough bandwidth for your needs. As event organisers move forward with using technology at their conferences and do away with printed materials, unless the Wi-Fi at your chosen venue is dependable, you run the risks of a disaster on the day.

Include sufficient budget provision for Wi-Fi in your planning

This is usually an afterthought and not budgeted for or worse still not asked for sufficiently well enough in advance. Imagine organising everything, contracting and committing to expenditure to find that your venue is unable to supply what is needed or the only way is to bring in an outside supplier which costs an unexpected sum, throwing out your budget and cutting into your profit.

Keep informed

Consider advances in technology and what your delegates and clients will want and expect. For example we are working on a large conference later this year whereby everyone will have a tablet with on-line access to the event details and delegates will be able to locate one another and network by using their tablets within the building. These are just some of the fantastic advances in Wi-Fi technology but I cannot stress enough how reliant it is on a robust and sufficiently powerful Wi-Fi system at the venue.

Do you have a mobile app for your event

Will the event be using a mobile app and if so what size is it? Do users need to upload the app before the event or on-site and are there updates or downloads during the event

When should Wi-Fi use be planned?

Early planning is strongly recommended and encouraged by venues, many of whom offer discounts for early orders. This allows any potential issues to be discussed and worked through rather than encountering problems during the event.

We’ve come up with the following questions that you need to ask your venues….oh and just for interest we’ve included our answers!

Thank you to Etherlive and Eclipse Presentations for our continued partnership. It is really positive that they are as involved in the educational process as much as the venues and our clients.

Good beer as one of our most loyal clients retires....

2014-07-22T03:18:00.000-07:00

July 9th 2014 not only marked the 20th occasion that we staged the annual All-party Parliamentary Beer Group Dinner for 250 guests in our Great Hall, it also marked the retirement of Robert Humphreys as our longest-standing client. Our Events Manager Perry Simmonds, who has been at the venue for 16 years has worked on the event with Robert all this time. The dinner, which is attended by brewers from around the UK along with many MPs and Peers is different in that, given what it represents, guests are given beer rather than wine with dinner.

This photo below shows just how many glasses are required to do justice to the selection process!

The beers, which are paired with the food are carefully chosen from a selection submitted by a variety of brewers by a tasting group of experts. Over the last few years, this tasting has happened at the venue and Robert kindly invited us to be involved which while being not only of great interest to us, given our daily involvement with food and drink, has also been great fun. Upwards of 30 beers are tasted to match with the starter, main and dessert. The choice often becomes difficult with very close contenders and so some years, two beers have been served with particular courses.

The pairing process inspired us to suggest having beers rather than wines for a previous retiring President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, our parent body. Paul Jowett, a beer-loving Yorkshireman loved the idea so long as it could include his favourite beer, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord somewhere. Robert was very helpful offering us advice and suggestions and the whole idea was a hit.

Prior to the dinner, guests are offered a range of around 20 bottled beers and ales including cask ales on arrival with a selection of canapés.

The event usually runs without a hitch barring a few last minute table changes which Robert has to deal with but we have had a few occasions in the past where there were parliamentary votes or ‘Divisions’ during dinner and swathes of MPs had to leave the dinner to head across to the House of Commons to vote. In such circumstances there’s really not much you can do other than to try to keep the food warm until they return which is usually within half an hour, although one year I remember there being 2 or 3 votes and they were all ‘3-liners’ meaning that MPs must go to vote.

It is unusual to have worked with a client for such a long time from both sides. Either the client or the venue contact moves on but I like to think in this instance it’s because One Great George Street is such a great venue both to hold an event and to work for.

OGGS Events Manager Perry Simmonds says a few words at Robert Humphreys' final Awards dinner, the 21st one in fact, as Honorary Secretary of the APPBG

Top Fashion Show Venue Hosts Matthew Williamson AW14

2014-05-15T01:30:00.001-07:00

London’s One Great George Street is most definitely on the London Fashion Week map once again proving it is the perfect backdrop for top designers to showcase their seasonal collections. This season the talented Matthew Williamson presented a bold, sexy show aimed at empowering women rather than dressing girls. It was less boho than his previous collections, rather more glamorous and unafraid with a touch of charismatic confidence - overall simply fabulous for strong independent London women.

The overall fashion show was organised by My Beautiful City who have become a regular client of ours after having hosted hosted a couple of other events in previous years, including the very recently departed L’Wren Scott who held her fashion show in here in 2013. Other than the efficient working relationship My Beautiful City have formed with our events team they also love to use the building as its beauty and architecture make such a striking impression on the show’s audience.

The Great Hall, where the show took place was disguised somewhat; however the magnificent glistening chandeliers and beautiful marble walls remained distinguishable. The main focus was a stunning black and white carpet that lined the runway. It worked remarkably well to create a distinctive central feature and optical illusion which emerged from the striking press shots of the models on the runway.

As with all shows during London Fashion Week a whole host of stunning celebrities attended the event; Cat Deeley (in that now infamous pink coat!), fashionista Olivia Palermo, Twiggy and Cara’s beautiful sister Poppy Delevingne.

The show ended to an extremely impressed and enthusiastic audience which produced an equally positive media reaction to Matthew’s collection.

We are proud to be a reoccurring feature of London Fashion Week and look forward to these exciting events. Thank you to My Beautiful City, Matthew Williamson and their teams for making it a great experience for all involved.

Why HD Projectors are vital to Conference Venues

2014-04-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

You may remember from reading our winter newsletter back in January that we upgraded our projector in the Telford Theatre. The new one is the very best money can buy, top of the range HD Panasonic Projector (PT-DX13k). The HD means high definition, which means…

....a higher resolution picture with more pixels which displays a sharper image.

Telford Theatre

We are always looking at ways of improving and enhancing our products and services for our clients; and the procurement of this equipment was largely responding to an increasing demand for HD presentations. We have had some fantastic feedback from clients using the room about the projector and in particular its brightness.

What this projector can do:
• Emit a sharper image which results in better picture quality
• Present slides in 4:3 or 16:9 ratio enabling a wide screen image
• With the aid of a switcher it will allow multi-input simultaneous display capabilities enabling seamless screen changes and multiple screen viewing

Need something visual to help on the last bullet point? Good news - our Audio visual guys at Eclipse Presentations have been playing so you can see what we mean:

The video illustrates this by putting a twitter feed on the screen. Twitter and the use of a bespoke hashtag for your event can be a fantastic tool to promote events, not only before and after but also during the event. This offers the opportunity for the audience in-house and externally to engage with your presentation in real time.

The clarity of the brightness of the new projector is still maintained even with low definition or standard presentations, which is very significant as many of our clients are still using these versions. However when using HD presentations the contrast between the two is striking. HD videos and photographs especially look extremely sharp, with a level of detail and distinctness not possible until now.

Philip Clark, our AV Manager is very excited about the new projector. Having worked in conference venues for 12 years, this is the first time a high definition projector has been installed in a theatre where he has worked. Phil says “I’m looking forward to seeing HD content our clients produce for their events to really show off the capabilities of the new equipment”.

The new HD projector is a permanent fixture in our largest theatre and is included in all Telford Theatre room and package hire prices. The additional switcher and laptop required to perform the multi-input simultaneous display capabilities is available for a very reasonable £300 (plus VAT).

If you would like to find out more about our new technology please contact us now.

James Bond, Jocelyn Brown and Japanese Bites

2014-03-07T03:36:00.001-08:00

One Great George Street has hosted some magnificent events over the years; the most recent of which was a spectacular exclusive Christmas party...

The brief; exclusive use for a Christmas party hosting a potential 550 people in central London and to do it in style and to come up with an entertaining, stylish theme that would be unique.

Lit-up exterior of One Great George Street

The client was very definite in that they did not want static food stations and that all the food was to be tray served but to add to the food experience they also wanted some interactive food stations. We wanted to add to this and ensure that every guest had the opportunity to enjoy all the food available within all the varied rooms and areas. Once the food options were agreed following a tasting where the client got to try every item we proposed to offer on the night we were able to start work on the theming ideas and build up our vision of the party. To assist us we recruited the services of one of our regular suppliers, Sternberg Clarke.

The event; guests arrived and were immediately greeted by a floodlit exterior (in the client’s corporate colour) and led into the building by Royal Footman over a red carpet. A choir singing Christmas carols under a glistening Christmas tree was the first spectacle they met in the illuminated main foyer. The Rotunda also was lit with an array of colours, as was the glass dome atop the building which changed colour every hour while other lights projected an array of shapes and designs down to the ground floor. The Foyer smelled of Christmas with mulled wine being served on arrival.

Red carpet welcome with Royal Footman

A choice of themes were available for entertainment throughout the building; the Council Room furnished as a Gentlemen’s club with leather chesterfields and armchairs, complete with a bar offering a range of whiskies and liqueurs as well as an actual whisky tasting. This room proved very popular all night as a chill out space to sit and chat.

The Brunel Room became Casino Royale with a James Bond theme where punters played roulette or black jack in the company of Jaws, Odd Job and a bond girl while sampling dry martinis; shaken, not stirred. Those who fancied themselves as singers hit the stage in The World of Japan or Smeaton Room, which was completely transformed with black felt lined walls and furnished with LED chairs and tables. Geisha girls encouraged guests onto the stage to sing (not that much encouragement was needed!) while a sushi chef enlisting the aid of the guests created canapés (Japanese bites!) on the spot. Sake was of course available to wash them down with.

Our Café Bar and Brasserie on Lower Ground two proved really popular as a Sports Bar with pub grub style canapés such as mini pasties with HP sauce and fish and chips in cones and bowl food with the typical bangers and mash. As well as a choice of drinks from our bar, guests were able to partake of a beer tasting while playing air hockey, snooker, darts and ‘taking the wheel’ on the Scalextrics. Music was provided by a 1950’s themed juke box.

Lit-up Foyer

As the night moved on, guests aided by a really useful pocket guide provided by the client started to get to know their way around and the party really came into its own. Word spread that a most fantastic room was upstairs which was in fact, the main space, our Great Hall. Guests helped themselves to paella and hand-made smoked salmon blinis from an ice-bar and waited expectedly for the entertainment to come on the large stage set. Lemar was the first surprise, accompanied by the 10 piece ‘all-stars’ band followed by 80’s Diva Jocelyn Brown who belted out her most famous hit ‘Somebody else’s guy’. This was a real treat for me and Head Chef here, Jo Dingwall, who managed to have a chat with her and get her autograph.

The party kept in full swing until the finish time with most guests staying until the entertainment finally came to an end at 0100.

It was a fantastic event for our team to work on and the feedback from the client was really positive. It was a big event to put together and a long day for everyone but the planning and execution on the day gave the whole team a real buzz.

Our big, fat, accessible wedding at One Great George Street

2013-11-28T06:32:00.001-08:00

We have asked the one of our recent brides, Nina Muehleman to write a guest blog for us. Nina and her husband Bob were married at One Great George Street this summer. Nina uses a wheelchair and we were so proud of our accessibility facilities when her and Bob chose us as her wedding venue. Nina is a PhD student writing about Disability Culture and loves to blog and tweet!

As a bride, there are so many things you are anxious about: Will the dress be ready on time, and will it fit? Who will cancel last minute? And don’t even get me started on the seating plan… When you are a disabled bride, there are additional issues you need to think about, and choosing a wedding venue can be a daunting and complicated process.

My now-husband Bob and I went to see about nine different venues, armed with a huge checklist and many questions. Although all the venues ensured to me over the phone that they are wheelchair accessible, some of them clearly were not suitable for a bride in a wheelchair and a wedding where several guests are also disabled. Other venues had good access, but did not quite fit in with the magical, romantic vision Bob and I had in mind.

On our last day of venue hunting, we came to see One Great George Street. At first, the steps at the entrance confused me, since I had been assured over the phone that the main entrance is accessible. I was then more than delighted when we saw how those stairs can recede to reveal a platform lift. From that first day of visiting One Great George Street, both Bob and I were completely enchanted with this venue: Edwardian architecture, the fireplaces, the sparkling chandeliers, the intricate decorations on ceilings and walls are perfectly completed by a practical layout (no narrow, dark corridors here), wonderful lighting options and of course great disabled access. Furthermore, we loved One Great George Street’s location: Many guests from my side of the family travelled in from Switzerland for the wedding, and the venue’s location in the heart of Westminster meant that they would pass many of London’s beautiful landmarks on their way to the wedding.

Like most disabled people, I am all too familiar how being a graded building is constantly used by venues as an excuse for insufficient access, for a ‘disabled entrance’ through the goods lift or for dusty disabled bathrooms that can only be accessed via the kitchen –scenarios I really do not want to imagine myself in while wearing a wedding dress. One Great George Street shows that great disabled access is possible, even for listed buildings, and also that great access goes beyond the bare minimum and means more than the basic infrastructure. Through every step of the planning of our wedding, our venue co-ordinator listened carefully and kept working with us until the right solution was found, whether that meant testing ramps with us in advance to make sure I would feel comfortable and safe during the day, making sure the bar would be a height suitable for wheelchair users, or making sure the meat will be served perfectly done and the cheese platter would be presented beautifully (I come from a family of gourmands with abysmal stomachs).

Due to Tracey’s diligent planning and her great ability to think of and remember even the smallest details, I felt calm and relaxed on our wedding day – we finished the seating plan in time, did have some short notice cancellations but the dress fitted, thank God! – And I did not feel that access was a worry, at all. Just to make sure, I sent my trusty bridesmaid Christina, who is also in a wheelchair, ahead in the morning of our wedding day to make sure there would be ample space to pass through everywhere in a wheelchair, and generally to check whether everything was going as planned. I would be lying to say that Christina arrived to a perfectly styled venue, with all the cakes, flowers and equipment at the ready – there were small hiccups she had to deal with, but none of them had anything to do with access or One Great George Street.

The day itself was absolutely wonderful and magical – nothing can really describe the feeling when you enter a beautiful, gorgeous room where everyone you love is present. Walking down the aisle with my dad, I was overwhelmed with the joy and happiness that vibrated through the air, and to see my best friend waiting for me to become his wife. The rest of the day passed by in a blur: After the ceremony, Bob and I snuck out together with our photographers Cara and Nye, the wife-and-husband team behind Lillian and Leonard photography, to take some pictures outside: The weather held up and the area’s gorgeous architecture was the perfect backdrop for a fun, romantic photo shoot.

Although I was too excited and giddy to eat and drink much, and Bob felt the same, all of our guests loved the canapés, drinks and the 4-course meal the wonderful chefs from One Great George Street prepared for us. We then had a great time during the speeches and eating cake. When it came to the first dance, another of One Great George Street’s advantages made itself felt: The great hall has a beautiful wooden floor that not only looks lovely but is also perfect to twirl and spin around on both in a wheelchair and in dancing shoes. We had a blast dancing the night away with our friends, and it made the perfect ending to a day that was more wonderful and magical than I would have ever expected.

Both my husband and I feel the deepest gratitude towards Tracey and everyone else who worked so tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure we would have our fairy-tale day. Every time we are in the Westminster area and we spot those striking round lamps in front of the entrance of One Great George Street, with the magical platform lift concealed between them (which looks as if it has been designed by James Bond’s technical genius Q, as one of our wedding guests remarked!), we get giddy with excitement and happiness all over again. For us, One Great George Street will always be a happier, more magical place than Disneyland and Hogwarts combined.

Caipirinhas, Guaraná, Pastel and Bobó de Camarão

2013-09-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

Most of us will know that Caipirinha is a nice cocktail although perhaps not its origins. What do these things have in common you wonder? Well, if you are Brazilian you will know that they all come from your home country.

On 11 June, the Brazilian Permanent Representation to the International Maritime Organisation, which is based just over Westminster Bridge on the south side of the River Thames held a lunchtime reception to celebrate the 148th anniversary of the Riachuelo Naval Battle and Brazilian Navy Day and which included Awards of the Order of Naval Merit Medals.

Presentation in the Great Hall

Having attended previously receptions here given by the Chilean Navy, the organisers saw our stately Great Hall as the ideal location and venue for this very important occasion.

Guests included naval attachés from many countries as well as representatives from the Royal Navy and other diplomatic representatives. Those in active service came in full ceremonial uniform which made the cloakroom an interesting sight with all the caps carefully laid out.

Brazilian Navy Caps

In all, there were 300 guests, first assembled in allocated spaces for the award of the medals. Guests were greeted at the door by Admiral Mendonca, the Brazilian Navy’s most senior representative in the UK while the medals were given by His Excellency the Brazilian Ambassador. Special messages from the President and the Head of the Navy were given in writing to guests in a commemorative handout.

After the formal proceedings ended, guests were offered Caipirinhas, red and white wines, soft drinks and Guaraná, a very popular soft drink available all over Brazil and also now here where it is available in some Waitrose stores.

The Brazilian Naval reception in the Great Hall

A selection of canapés including the Pastels, a very light pastry plus a selection of bowl food, one of which was Bobo de Camarao.

The organisers held a tasting with us to see how good we were at making these 2 food items and give or take a few minor adjustments they said we did very well and on the day they turned out perfectly. Similarly they tested our cocktail making skills and were impressed with our Caipirinha mix.

One Great George Street hosts Westminster charity event for young people

2013-07-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my latest blog; this week we have asked Jason Hesse, a guest of the Social Mobility Foundation event to write about his day at One Great George Street.

I was fortunate to attend an event celebrating the launch of a new programme from the Social Mobility Foundation at One Great George Street last week. As a freelance journalist, I get invited to attend quite a few events every week, but the programme involved, City Talent Initiative stood out as a particularly interesting cause.
City Talent Initiative is a new programme run by the Social Mobility Foundation in collaboration with Ernst & Young, J.P. Morgan, RBS and Strutt & Parker to support high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds to gain access to leading City firms.

The idea for the City Talent Initiative started with a challenge from Rt Hon David Lammy MP, who questioned how to overcome the barriers to entry for talented young people who do not have access to jobs in London’s City.

Mark and Baroness Kramer, Rt Hon David Lammy MP,
the CTI students and Janki an SMF student

With little “social capital” – such as access to opportunities through connected friends and family – many of the best and brightest miss out on working in one of the best places in the world to do business, the City of London.

In other words, the opportunity to work in some of the world’s most-dynamic companies lies beyond the reach of too many young people.

The City Talent Initiative hopes to change this, matching applicants with a City mentor and summer internship. Through skills sessions and real insight into the professional world, young people’s opportunities can be transformed.

“When it comes to securing a job in a top City firm, social capital matters,” says Baroness Kramer, one of the programme’s supporters. “By working directly with companies and schools, this scheme will help provide individuals with that initial link to an internship of job that many young people find hard to access.”

OGGS was fortunate to host the City Talent Initiative launch last month, which brought together 60 high-fliers and young people over breakfast networking session. Indeed, the early-morning attendees were welcomed with bacon and sausage sarnies, warm croissants and fresh fruit in the wood-paneled Council room.

Mark Field MP, Baroness Kramer and Sir Victor Blank

Rt Hon David Lammy MP himself attended the launch and gave a keynote address about the programme. He praised the cross-party political support that the City Talent Initiative has attracted (in addition to himself and Baroness Kramer, Mark Field MP is also a supporter).

As well as launching the programme, David Johnston from the Social Mobility Foundation, praised OGGS for being such a “great venue” which, being just a stone’s throw away from the Houses of Parliament, made it easier for high-profile speakers such as Mr Lammy to attend.

Following the launch at OGGS, the future of the City Talent Initiative looks bright. For young people interested in accountancy, banking and finance or business, the programme will help to open doors in the City; while for City firms, the programme will help them attract a wide-range of bright graduates and interns.

The City Talent Initiative will not only support students this year through internships, skills sessions, mentoring and university advice, but also with repeated internships every year through education and university trips and workshops.

You can find out more about the programme – and how to get involved – on the Social Mobility Foundation’s website.

Accessible front entrance.....007 Style in Westminster Venue

2013-06-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

I have great pleasure in introducing @bendygirl; ok her real name is Kaliya Franklin and she recently came to have lunch at Brassiere One. She chose our venue as she was visiting the House of Commons and wanted to find a Westminster lunchtime venue nearby that was accessible. Kaylia has a Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which affects her joints. Following her visit she wrote a blog post about her experience with us. She agreed to my request to feature it as a guest post on my blog. Over to you Kaliya.......

Guest post from @bendygirl

All too often getting anywhere is such a struggle for disabled people that the effort can feel too much and so we stop bothering. So, when you come across good access it can be extremely exciting (and yes, I do need to get out more!)

I was back in London this week for the Brandon Trust 100 Voices on Transport event at the House of Commons, hosted by MP Charlotte Leslie and attended by the Mayor of Bristol, Peers, a DWP Minister and representatives from transport companies. It was an exciting day for us all, but my favourite part was seeing people with learning disabilities supported by Brandon Trust giving eloquent, powerful, first person testimonies to politicians on their experiences of travel. All in all it was a successful event and happily I didn't spill tea or have to take my knickers off and we'll simply gloss over the glass of water I may have poured on myself.

Because travel is so difficult and exhausting I'd arrived in London the night before the event, so had time to meet the fabulous Fiona Laird for lunch. Fiona had organised where we went for lunch and said she got so fed up with places saying that either they didn't have access or that they did but it involved going into a different building, around the back etc to get to the venue that when Brasserie One said they had full access it was a simple decision - we were going there.

I'd had the usual experience of a cab company refusing a wheelchair fare, so it was great to travel with a black cab driver who was keen to make sure I knew all about the taxicard scheme and that it was being cut back and altered. When we arrived at One Great George Street, which is a Grade II listed building we were all a bit confused - there was a double flight of stone steps outside the building, so as is typical we all assumed the access must be around the side. While we were still scratching our heads the doorman sprang into action and started up the access which turned out to be the most incredible retracting accessible stone steps with a wheelchair lift embedded underneath them.

It's fair to say that complete over excitement about the James Bond of the access world was the dominating theme at the lunch table, but we had a lovely lunch, and there were even scrummy gluten free bread rolls available. The waiting staff were all fantastic - warm, considerate and funny, and the food as good as they'd promised us. There was also a properly accessible loo (although not a changing places one I'm afraid) which smelled nice and was decorated in the same style as the rest of the building.

Going to Brasserie One for lunch was an amazing treat - it is Westminster prices but not ridiculous for a special occasion or to be able to have the experience of amazing access and service, and there are starter size portions available for those of us with smaller appetites.

Unusually for a 'ladies lunch' we were quite keen to leave, not just because we had to get over to the Commons, but because the excitement of the stone steps was compelling and we wanted to film them for everyone to see. It wasn't until we were outside marvelling at the whole experience that Fiona and Charlie pointed out something really important, and something that disabled people like myself can get so used to not happening that we take it for-granted.

I got to go into a venue through the front entrance, the same entrance as everyone else, just in more style than most visitors. Once I was inside I was able to be independent as the access was so good, and it was really lovely to see the immense pride the staff clearly had in their fantastic access and willingness to use it.

Going through the front entrance, the main entrance of a beautiful old listed building felt like such a privilege, something I can't remember doing since becoming disabled. It made me feel wanted, that I belonged there, that I could, even if only for a lunch, access somewhere on the same terms as everyone else.

Fortunately before I got too carried away with this marvellous new accessible venue, how I might be able to move in there, and what the world might be like if everywhere made such a creative, resourceful, inclusive attempt at access, we were back to the House of Commons and the more typically experienced version of access. There wasn't a ramp to the podium when I went two weeks ago so I'd had to sit on a table to give my speech - but this time there was a special ramped podium being built. Access, but access the more typical way....and as its me, no-one was overly surprised at the dramatic moment the back wheel of my scooter slipped off the podium causing a bit of a heart in mouth moment for us all!

L'Wren Scott's Debut London Show at One Great George Street

2013-05-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Peter Bishop/timbismedia

The refined aura of haute couture is strutting its way into the halls of OGGS these days – whether it’s in the form of international clothing line debuts – or in the more humble guise of a trendy international writer watching OGGS evolve into a high fashion venue.

The latter has been keeping tabs on OGGS since last summer’s Olympic Games. Through my work and generally pleasant, if American demeanor, I got to know the staff and fairly well. However, as an outsider, it’s been interesting watching the ongoing evolution of OGGS. When I first encountered OGGS, it was swarming with sports writers and TV reporters covering the world’s biggest sporting event. Now, I find its hosting the famous faces of fashion.

OGGS is becoming a focal point during London Fashion Week in Westminster and throughout the year as individual designers look for a home to debut their lines. Whether it’s the February London Fashion Week or the September equivalent, OGGS serves as one of central London’s prime fashion show locations.

The specifications for a fashion show venue are very specific and potentially rare – even in a massive city like London. The space must be large enough to host hundreds of clothes-minded people.

Also, some exclusive space is needed to keep the designers and VIPs clear of the media and fans. You need enough extended floor area for a runway. You must have proper photographic lighting and the ability to dress a venue properly. And, obviously, kitchen facilities are essential to provide refreshments for the assembled, expensively-thonged throngs.

Between the Great Hall upstairs and the kitchen facilities in the basement, OGGS is a friendly home to the fashion elite. Already in February 2013, OGGS welcomed British designers Alice Temperley’s 1960s-inspired wear and Antonio Berardi’s ready to wear collection in dedicated London Fashion Week events.

The Collective agency selected OGGS for the Berardi show, while the My Beautiful City booked the Temperley event.

Fashion Foie Gras: L'Wren Scott in the Great Hall

However, the most star-studded OGGS show during February Fashion Week drew international buzz with L’Wren Scott’s London debut. An American designer and longtime companion of some British pop star (...Mick Jagger or some such...), Scott was the talk of London and the entire fashion community as she flaunted her wears alongside Jagger, fellow Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, Sally Humphreys and Bobbi Brown. OGGS again worked with My Beautiful City to sew up Scott’s show.

Now, to digress for just a moment, I tried to sell myself a bit earlier as a well-dressed fashion expert who glides into OGGS a few times of year dressed to the nines. That would certainly qualify me to report the beans out of any fashion story.

However, to be honest, no one in London, greater Europe or the entire face of the Planet Earth will mistake me for a fashion expert. Fortunately, just a little research tells me why OGGS was the perfect spot for Scott’s fashion show. She based her 2013 line on a blending of inspirations, including the work of world famous artists and an almost royal use of shimmering, golden fabrics. She featured gowns inspired by paintings of Gustav Klimt – which played perfectly strutting alongside OGGS’s carefully displayed framed paintings and massive overhead mural in The Great Hall. Scott’s golden flowing gowns glowed under the same reflections cast off the Great Hall’s generous gold leafing across its walls and ceilings. The classic marble halls and classical Westminster architecture make OGGS a seemingly perfect host to any designer working up a collection relying on classic lines and traditional elegance.

All three fashion shows came off at OGGS without a hitch, taking place on weekends and allowing for setup and sound checks to be completed without disturbing day to day building operations.

The popular and critical success of all three shows generated more than a passing mention in the global and London-based press. Images of the models strutting through the Great Hall graced the print and virtual pages of Vogue, Style, The Guardian and The New York Times. As important as such press is documenting the recent history of OGGS, what’s more essential is how influential these major fashion events and their related coverage are with an eye to the future. London obviously hosts two major international week long fashion events every winter and spring. There’s also a Men’s London Fashion Week in January because nothing says “handsome clothes” like gray skies, long nights and single digit temperatures. OGGS hasn’t hosted a Men’s Fashion Week event yet, but that’s sure to change.

Fortunately, designers work yearlong and often roll out their lines or smaller additions to their lines outside the boundaries of either London Fashion Weeks. OGGS stands at attention for those busy fashionistas, as well.

Peter Bishop/timbismedia

This year’s successful events at OGGS should keep the major designers and their elite ensembles returning to Westminster year-round. I’m sure the in-house staff will be flirting with every designer they can find. The question is whether folks around the building will snag a few free samples and begin dressing all “pret a porter.”

I’ll find out the answer to that the next time I visit.

As a writer, John Scott Lewinski travels the world, writing for more than 30 national magazines and online news sites – including Crave Online, The Hollywood Reporter, Wired Magazine, Esquire.com, Hemispheres, Via, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, CNET, Popular Science, and ABC News Online. While covering the 2012 Summer Olympics for multiple outlets, he enjoyed getting know the history and people brining OGGS to life. Whenever worn brings him back to London, he stops by Westminster to check up on the evolution of what was his London Media Center.

Westminster Wedding Papparazzi, Hello Magazine and moi!

2013-04-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

One of my blog readers and avid OGGS fans is the American writer that was based here last summer. Business brought him to London town all the way from Los Angeles via Milwaukee and he popped in to see us while he was here. His visit happened to be the day prior to our first wedding of the year and it was a high profile one indeed. Here is a guest blog post on what happened next, written by John Lewinski.

Taken from Hello!: Our very own Perry's moment of fame

The writing business brought me back into London for meetings during the final week of March. I was shocked by the nasty weather with single digits temperatures, bitter winds and a blizzard combining to deny stubbornly any possible existence of seasons beyond winter.

When my appointments brought me through St. James’s Park and around Westminster, I stopped in at OGGS for a quick lunch in the packed Brasserie. I never expected a simple plate of fish and chips would lead me to affirmation that spring was indeed right around the corner.

After wrapping up lunch, I took a brief stroll upstairs. It’s not every day I get a chance to look over the paintings along the stairwells or the architecture of the domes. It was a quick peak into the Great Hall (my one-time communal office during the 2012 Olympics) that warmed my heart more than the London weather ever could.

That glimpse revealed white-clothed tables decorated with fresh flowers as well as a stage set up with the band equipment and bar area. An electronics-packed DJ station needed only a cue to fill the big room with music. The hall was set up for nuptials – confirming that wedding season was once again descending on OGGS.

This particular display was for the Laura Jenkins and Gavin Johnson wedding on March 23, the first major bridal event of spring, 2013 at OGGS.

Setup for the event started the day before. While OGGS staffers went about their Friday, Events Manager Perry Simmonds and new OGGS Wedding Coordinator Loan Odd had access to the spaces reserved for the Jenkins party.

The Great Hall: Steve Shipman Photography

From 9:30 the next morning, Simmonds and Odd worked together to set up lamps and candles throughout the venue, before placing name plates on seats in the Smeaton Room (where the actual ceremony would take place). Then, it was on to the reception space in the Great Hall with place cards matched to the bridal party’s table plan.

By that time, other team members from the OGGS Catering and House teams arrived on schedule to double check and reconfirm information from the function. That means Simmonds and Odd must check in and consult with those departments while also taking care of their own responsibilities. You can imagine how the hustle and bustle ratchets up a few notches.

Deliveries for the wedding preparation arrive throughout the day. For this particular production, the most challenging installation was the baby grand piano needed for the ceremony’s special guest performer. You can’t have a piano without a piano tuner, so that was the next element to show on the scene.

After that, the arrivals were more traditional. There was the wedding cake. Once the band was on site, they needed to set up in the Great Hall for a sound check. The wedding’s Toastmaster arrived plenty early to review all of the formal proceedings.

OGGS on the Cake! Steve Shipman Photogtaphy

Dining preparation was in full swing. Guests would enjoy a Champagne and Canapé Reception before settling into a celebratory meal of asparagus wrapped in Parma ham with a warm poached egg, basil oil and balsamic glaze served with Hollandaise sauce; roast rump of lamb served with pommes boulangere; spinach, roast vine tomatoes and rosemary jus; and baked chocolate fondant with a chocolate cigar and vanilla ice cream.

The couple provided a playlist via iPad for a little background music during the drinks reception and dinner. The device and instructions needed to go to our onsite Audio Visual technician for their own soundcheck, scheduling, etc. The couple chose a “walk in” track (Greatest Day by Take That) to be played as they were announced into the festivities. So, the Toastmaster and A/V technician had to check the length of the instrumental on the walk in song as that was the cue for the announcement. Many weddings are considerable productions, and this kind of timing, choreography and coordination takes a little time.

To put it in Simmonds’ own words: “With weddings, you are really on your feet from start to finish – and you don’t realize how tired you are until the wedding is underway.”

The Welsh bride and Yorkshire groom chose a London theme for their big day. The aura of the British capital ran throughout the stationery, table names (including Covent Garden, where they met).

The cake (a three tier, three flavored sponge mix of lemon, vanilla & chocolate) included iconic London decorations – including the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and, with a nice flourish, our own OGGS building. Laura and her mother even arrived in a white London taxi, all in keeping with the theme.

The color scheme was predominantly white and green, so the OGGS pillars in the entrance foyer were lit in white during the drinks reception. All areas were complimented with white linen and a mix of white flowers with green foliage.

The main staircase was adorned with glass hurricane lamps and ivory candles, providing a magnificent background for the wedding photographs and an inviting path for guests to head upstairs into the Great Hall for the wedding breakfast.

The Smeaton Room would host the actual ceremony, and the fireplace mantel pieces both there and in the Brunel Room (drinks reception) had groups of ivory church candles and all of the tables were laden with smart little votives. The pillars in the Great Hall started off being up-lit in soft white light, highlighting the gold leaf in the room and were changed to warm amber after the first dance. The chandeliers were dimmed for mood, but there remained just enough light to allow a twinkle with the additional reflections from the candles below.

When it was finally time for the wedding party to arrive, heads certainly turned as the bride emerged from that white London taxi with her mother and bridesmaids not far behind. They used Storey's Gate – the location of the OGGS secondary, discreet entrance allowing everyone from brides to celebrities to arrive at the venue discreetly.

That discretion was essential when the bride Jenkins' sibling, international vocal star Katherine Jenkins, arrived to sing The Prayer (by Celine Dion) at her sister’s wedding. The Paparazzi was on the hunt and managed to snap a few shots of the Jenkins’ clan – and a few OGGS staffers like Simmonds and Odd before the fuss settled down into Westminster wedding bliss.

Hello! Magazine kept tabs on the proceedings from the tabloid shadows to write up a special feature on the wedding. I’ve heard some mumblings that the celebrity magazine was in the neighborhood because of the bride’s celebrated sibling, but I think it’s clear to me they really wanted a glimpse of Simmonds.

The Bride and her Bridesmaids: Steve Shipman Photography

By all accounts (including the raves of Hello!) , the Jenkins/Johnson nuptials were a complete success – with the venue staff as happy as the wedding party to see it all come together so well. When all of the guests, crews and delivery folks were gone, with the Great Hall settled back into brief peace and quiet, Simmonds, Odd and the entire OGGS team could enjoy their success for a moment – before ramping up for the next wedding in what will be another busy season.

As a writer, John Scott Lewinski travels the world, writing for more than 30 national magazines and online news sites – including Crave Online, The Hollywood Reporter, Wired Magazine, Esquire.com, Hemispheres, Via, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, CNET, Popular Science, and ABC News Online. While covering the 2012 Summer Olympics for multiple outlets, he enjoyed getting know the history and people brining OGGS to life. Whenever work brings him back to London, he stops by Westminster to check up on the evolution of what was his London Media Center.

World-class Wi-Fi comes to One Great George Street

2013-01-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my blog readers and sorry that it’s been a while since my last blog post. I have just returned from a 3.5 week extended festive break having spent the entire duration in southern Spain. The temperatures on the coast were hitting record levels of up to 23 degrees on a daily basis!

Superfast Wi-Fi has been keeping me busy in recent weeks. While everyone’s pondering whether there will be a ‘post-Olympics meetings business crash’ I’ve been up to my ears in fibre, cable, internet capacity and load-bearing capabilities. Gripping stuff!
As part of my remit, overseeing all things audio-visual I’ve been making arrangements for our new super-fast Wi-Fi.

All this, at our busiest time of year, while making sure our clients get the usual welcoming, personal and attentive service they deserve and are accustomed to at OGGS Venue .

It’s been keeping me madly busy and reeling off some heavy-duty blog post about our new superfast Wi-Fi is the last thing I need.

So in the interests of speed and simplicity (a bit like our new Wi-Fi) I’ve decided to offer you a series of answers to questions our Sales and Events team have raised.

So here goes:

Question: What's new?

Answer: On Monday, December 3rd, 2012, we went 'live' with a new Wi-Fi system.

Q: So what’s so great?

A: We have a totally new infrastructure using the most modern equipment with much improved capability and flexibility.

Q: So what does that mean?

A: As well as offering standard Wi-Fi access as before, albeit at greatly improved speeds we will now be able to offer other specific services such as dedicated bandwidths and static IP addresses at very competitive prices.

Q: So how has it all come about?

A: etherLive were contracted to provide the connectivity for the 8,000 accredited journalists from around the world while we hosted the London Media Centre during the Olympics.

That in itself speaks volumes.

During, before and after the London Media Centre period, we got to know the team from etherLive well and that gave us every confidence that they were best placed for this job. Having installed all the cabling for the London Media Centre and having had to find the cable to do it, we also knew that they knew the building behind the scenes very well.

Q: So is any of this new Wi-Fi helped by our London Media Centre Olympics legacy?

A: Oh yes. As the fibre optic cabling had already been installed in the building, the install overall was already well advanced and we then added to it to increase coverage to the whole of the site rather than just our conference and banqueting rooms. The Fibre also has a load bearing of up to 1GB.

Q: So does this mean everyone who uses OGGS Wi-Fi will have to pay for all this?

A: Absolutely not. Our shared Wi-Fi network remains free of charge to all – don’t worry! And our on-site Audio-visual team will be on hand to support with any Wi-Fi-related requirements.

Q: Which types of events will benefit most?

A: Absolutely everyone who comes to OGGS.

Whether it’s just one client visiting our Brasserie One lunchtime restaurant or cafe bar on their own, to a big group at a conference, everyone will reap the rewards of our speed and reliability.

It takes our video streaming capability to a whole new level, and naturally large conferences wanting to use Wi-Fi simultaneously (as well as training course providers) will be suitably impressed.

It also helps that we will now be able to divert bandwidth from one room or area to another to cope with any unexpected demand or to concentrate extra bandwidth into an area in advance that we know will require it.

That’s it. Any other questions, you know where to find me .

Mo Farah, OGGSVenue and 2012 Meetpie MIMAs

2012-10-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

In my mid-August blog post I made reference to 66 press conferences. By the end of the Paralympic Games we actually ended up with a grand total of 89 press conferences this summer! When Jemma therefore casually mentioned that she may like to try her hand at contributing a guest blog post, I did not have to think too long about it. We are now in our busiest business season. Therefore, may I introduce to you.....Jemma Hunter (Account Executive)...

Hi there, I'm Jemma! I'm a Scottish-born, slightly American sounding Londoner and sometimes known as the "office thespian" (or drama queen!). I suppose you could call me a typical girly-girl as I like all things pretty & pink, I have a huge shoe collection (much to my fiancé’s disgust) and I make accessories in my spare time. I'm also painfully camera shy...

That's me in a nutshell, and this is my blog post - I hope you like it!

We thought we’d said goodbye to all the Gold winners for 2012 at the end of the Olympic and Paralympic games but, as it turns out, there were a couple of shiny gold awards in store for OGGSVenue...(although we'd be hard pushed to wear ours round our necks a la Mo Farah).

After the inevitable crash back to reality when the London Media Centre closed, I was thrilled to join our Sales & Marketing team for the 2012 Meeting Industry Marketing Awards, for which we were shortlisted in two categories.

As an all-girl group, you can imagine the amount of primping that went on beforehand! In a flurry of excitement and hairspray, we somehow managed to leave work in time to enjoy a glass of pre-awards champagne. After tucking into delicious grub, courtesy of our friends at The Brewery, and another cheeky glass of bubbly, the awards were set to begin. Tension began to mount around the table as our somewhat distracted Marketing team put on their best “trying-really-hard-not-to-think-about-it” faces.

As our first category was announced (Best Direct Marketing Campaign), our hearts skipped a collective beat. We never thought we would win Gold for the second year in a row in the same category.

The second award (Best Digital Marketing Campaign) made the night all the more special as this new category was deemed 'the one to win'. Apparently digital marketing is the next 'big thing' or so Anna (the leading light in our Marketing team) keeps telling me.

The feeling when One Great George Street was announced as the winner of both gold awards was simply amazing. I was overcome with pride, both for my talented colleagues and for the fact that I work in this award-winning venue.OGGS truly is a venue to be proud of. It’s a real pleasure to come into such stunning surroundings every day and I love showing our spaces to new visitors and seeing their reactions! That feeling of pride never gets old.

Five very tired ladies, two golds (like Mo), one big celebration. An unforgettable night!

2012 London Media Centre Press, Stress and Gummy Bears

2012-08-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

Coordinating and overseeing 66 press conferences over the 2012 London Media Centre which we have been housing during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games has not quite stressed out and messed up my hair to the same extent as Boris above or either of the Catalonian performance artists from Osadia in the photo below taken just outside our Brasserie One restaurant.

Perry with his new very British fans!

It also has not left me craving gummy bears, but more about that later 'I am after all, long in the Westminster tooth so to say' and have dealt with very many Westminster press conferences during my time in and around local venues.

My most hectic time for press conferences is normally at election time. As we are so close to Parliament, have a division bell and are used to dealing with high profile, short notice press conferences on all things government, we tend to be very popular for these short bookings. BUT MPs would never put in a request for gummy bears.

In twitter lingo, the #2012LMC press conferences have been a bit different from government related press conferences. Our two purpose built theatres have been permanently prepared for press conferences with the required links to the whole world provided by NorthOne and Ether Live. Our on-site team of technicians worked closely throughout with the LMC Press Desk to ensure that presentations were formatted correctly and ready by the required time. Both the Telford and Godfrey Mitchell theatres have therefore been kept in a permanent state of readiness allowing them to be brought into use at a moment’s notice. Just as well as there were so many tight turnarounds particularly towards the end of the Games when it reached a crescendo with 10 press conferences on the last Thursday alone.

The high profile VIPs I can recall off the top of my head in recent weeks were made up of a mixture from the sports and culinary worlds including Lennox Lewis, Michael Phelps, Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal, Marcus Wareing from the Berkeley, Paula Radcliffe and many more. The list is too long to mention. Boris has been in and out of OGGSVenue that many times that I have lost count and barely noticed when I passed by Brasserie One and heard he was just munching away on Chef's lunch of fish lasagne. I think and hope he really likes it here and his style was certainly very entertaining during the press conferences. We’ll always be more than happy to look after his bike in the usual way.

Here is a selection of some of my favourite recent press conference photos taken at the LMC.

Jamie being interviewed by Ben McCormack from SquareMeal

Heston demonstrating his culinary artistic or mad scientist skills with nitrogen cylinders and test tubes?

The Telford Theatre filling up and ready for

Jamie's arrival via our discreet secret entrance for VIPs

The LMC reopens for the Paralympic Games and OGGS gets tidied and ready to reopen for normal Westminster conferences and events on Monday, 17th September 2012.

Wellcome Trust Welcomes OGGSVenue & Eclipse

2012-07-10T03:20:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images

June saw Wellcome Trust return to OGGSVenue for their 3 day Pacific Health Summit after a successful meeting with us in 2010. Held annually in Seattle until 2009, the meeting was taken off-shore for the first time in 2010 when it came to London and the decision was taken to run the event away from Seattle in alternate years, to the best Westminster venue in London town of course!

Eclipse-Presentations, our audio-visual provider was also chosen again. Eclipse have been our in-house audio visual business partner with a permanent staff presence since 2006 and was re-appointed in the tender of the audio-visual contract in 2011 for another 5 years which I blogged about back in February 2011. You can read that blog post here.

Clients with large scale AV productions deal direct with the Eclipse Production side of the business rather than the team based at the venue who concentrate on our everyday business. This system has worked well for many years and clients that are used to dealing with a production company, get the full service needed to meet their needs. This can include written proposals and presentations where required where more than one company tender is required.

The Wellcome Trust used a set in our Great Hall for discussions over dinner on the first night and then later for conference sessions in the days following. Plenary sessions which took place in the Telford Theatre were linked via our internal hard wired network to our Smeaton Room which was used as an overflow room. All the main sessions were filmed.

The video below is a promotional clip of their work some of which is filmed at our venue. The Great Hall always looks stunning for awards events.

Here is a little extract from the nice feedback we received from Susan Bassam of Wellcome Trust:

“We choose One Great George Street to hold our 2nd London Pacific Health Summit as the venue staff and AV team had been so helpful and professional during our first event in 2010. We were able to use many of the rooms with a different set up in each one, and filmed all of the sessions. The Eclipse AV team provided a great service and were flexible to all of our last minute requests, which helped to make the event a success.”

I am really looking forward to blogging about all things London Media Centre too but as you can imagine this very same subject is keeping me very busy right now so I’ll save that until next time. Just watch this space!

London Mayoral candidates in a Schoolyard scrap at OGGSVenue

2012-07-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Guest blog post by Eleanor Besley, Policy Advisor, Sustrans

I last hosted an event with OGGS when I worked for a charity named PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) and thought it to be a great venue in a great location. So when I was asked to organise a venue for our Sustrans panel debate for Boris Johnson, Ken Livingstone, Jenny Jones, Brian Paddick and Siobhan Benita to be grilled on how they intend to make London a cycling city as part of The Times's Cities fit for cycling campaign, OGGSVenue immediately jumped to the forefront of my mind.

Photo courtesy of Sustrans

Predictably Boris arrived for the Westminster event on his bike but thankfully not in ‘whippet thin legs clad in cycling lycra whilst skipping red traffic lights’ which is a remark he got heckled much for later on in the debate!

This is why we think OGGS is great for meetings and events including charitable organisations like ours:

1) Their location in relation Whitehall and Parliament was just perfect. Very handy and convenient when you have Ministers and MPs in attendance.

2) Security: As they are so close to the Houses of Parliament and located within the exclusion zone, they were well used to dealing with high profile visitors.

3) Their purpose built theatre, the Telford was ideal as we needed a top table for the panelists with microphones within striking distance (I am joking!) from the 240 delegates and the package included all the Audio Visual equipment we needed.

4) Sustainability is important to us as Sustrans has its own manifesto 2012 mayoral elections calling on whoever is Mayor to cut congestion and pollution by making it easier to cycle, walk and use public transport. OGGS’s commitment to sustainability is good generally and their recently signed food pledges commended by Rosie Boycott combined with their Silver Green Tourism Award complemented our own ideals in some respects.

5) As luck would have it, OGGS had an excellent not-for-profit rate available on our event date! We were given a 20% discount off our room hire, saving us just over £400.00 (that should be enough to get a few more "Boris Bikes" around town!)

Yesterday’s event ran like clockwork. Our dedicated Event Co-ordinator (Yvonne Williams) could not have done any more to aid the smooth running of the event. Thank you to all involved and we’ll definitely consider and recommend OGGS for similar events.

OGGSVenue team shine at Industry Oscars night

2012-07-04T05:11:00.001-07:00

Last night, decked out in my penguin suit and accompanied by our Sales and Marketing ladies, I attended the 2012 Catey Awards at the JW Marriott, Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s prestigious Park Lane. It was my first time back in the Great Room for six years. Back in 2006 I attended the British Construction Industry Awards, an annual event run in connection with our parent body, the Institution of Civil Engineers.

From left to right we have Jayna Patel, Perry Simmonds, Anna Glazebrook and Wendy Greenhalgh

I am still undecided about what impressed me most last night. Joanna Lumley as a very entertaining hostess, the high production stage set complete with enormous Union Jack themed star cloths as the backdrop or perhaps it was the memorable menu!

The menu devised by Tom Kerridge kicked off with a Smoked Bramley apple soup with bacon, eel and borage. I was rather puzzled (as you can see by the look on my face) when the next delivery made its way to the OGGSVenue table.

Anna Glazebrook and Perry Simmonds at the Catey Awards

Before its lid came off, everyone at our table was prodding it and we were contemplating the use of various tools at hand to break in and reveal the mystery contents. It turned out to be salt-baked potatoes with malt butter encased in a rustic looking potato bag made out of pastry. It was served with Beer-braised ox cheek with Colman’s mustard, all in keeping with the overall British theme.

Making our Grade II listed, historic venue the most accessible environment for all our visitors in terms of providing services and support from our team to those with accessible needs is very much part of our management culture and ethos. So we didn’t come back with a Catey’s statue to add to our already full awards cabinet but we did well to make the final shortlist of only three along the Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane and Chewton Glen in the Accessibility Category. You can read more in our latest press release distributed today here

Bucks Fizz, Epsom and a bit of Katherine Jenkins. Which direction are you heading this weekend?

2012-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am a bit of a Royalist and a fan of our Monarch of 60 years and especially so this year when I have managed to get 9 days off for the price of 3!

A group of us here at OGGSVenue are then gathering at my place on Saturday morning for a Bucks Fizz breakfast before we head to Epsom Race Course and the Grandstand. Here we will listen to Katherine Jenkins sing the National Anthem and like our Queen, we will begin our weekend.

My original intention was to blog and tell you about the celebrations local to us here in Westminster. I found that although the Royal Barge will be floating past Westminster Pier and the Monday night concert is taking place at Buckingham Palace (which is just a short walk through St James’s park across the road from us) there is not really anything specifically happening on our doorstep.

Nevertheless, here is a helpful link that cropped up during my google research journey that I thought I would share with you to follow the activities of the Royal family worldwide

Whatever you do and whatever direction you head for this weekend and whether you are a Royalist or not, have a wonderful time. After all, celebrating two events (2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee) of such enormous importance in one year in England is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us.

Is Goalball the most popular Paralympic Sport?

2012-04-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Goalball player professionals?

I don’t really know where to start telling you about this so how about the beginning? Our Sales & Marketing Director popped by my desk a while back in January and started asking me some peculiar questions such as:

"What type of wooden floor is there in the Great Hall?"
"What is the wall to wall measurement in square feet?"
"Is the Great Hall available on the 16th and 23rd of April?"

At this point I started to get suspicious and simply said…."IT DEPENDS!"
Then the second round of questions made me really shift around my seat a bit:

"Would it be ok to throw a 25cm diameter rubber ball with 8 holes and bells in it around our most magnificent room, decked out with gold leaf detail, marble walls, crystal chandeliers, oak floor and painted ceiling?"
"Would it be ok to put two goals (9m wide x 1.3m high) at either end of the Great Hall on both days?"

She then said ..."Only 65 cheering, over excited, probably amateur players per day” as if to say that makes it better because the Great Hall can take up to 400 people for a reception.

One thing led to another and next thing I know we were chosen by London & Partners to host their Going for Gold, Olympic staff engagement event. The aim of the Goalball league is to get London and Partners’ staff fired up before the Games, and what better way than through playing one of the most popular Paralympic sports.

What is Goalball?

I decided that it would be best if I found out a bit more so reached for my keyboard to contact ‘Dr Google’ and found out all I need to know on this YouTube video clip.

What happened yesterday?

12 teams with between four and six amateur (hope they don’t mind me saying so!) players in each team fell about blindfolded all day during the qualifying rounds.

The following teams have made it through to the semi-finals on the 23rd of April:
London Fireballs, Beauties and the Beast, Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire, Sepp Reindle Aficionados, Thames Barriers and Tinkle Bells.

The semi finals and final will be played on the 23rd before Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Partners congratulates the winners and they all head for the Westminster Arms across the road for a well-deserved pint or two. Jessica from our Marketing team will be live tweeting updates so be sure to follow us on Twitter and keep an eye on our Facebook page if you want to know the winners.