50 Year Celebration

EVENT
50 Year Celebration

LOCATION
London

ATTENDEES
35

Task

We were asked to source a venue for lunch in London, followed by a theatre show for 35 people. This was a 'Part 2' celebration, following their anniversary party which we ran for the client the previous year. The first celebration included a Champagne flight on the London Eye followed by a private luxury dinner cruise on the River Thames, with live entertainment by String Diva. The client wanted to offer guests something equally fun and with the same wow factor, but less formal for the 2nd celebration.

CiEvents Strategy

Several unique venues and top restaurants for lunch were recommended as well as top West End shows, including an option to have a private lunch followed by a performance of ‘The King and I' at the Royal Opera House, which would have been a unique experience for all the guests. Due to budget restrictions, the client opted for ‘We Will Rock You' at the Dominion Theatre and based on this choice, we recommended Hakkasan for the group's lunch, which is located less than 2 minutes walk from the theatre and is a Michelin star Asian restaurant, serving fusion Chinese dishes. Hakkasan is a celebrity hangout with a dark, masculine décor which oozes ‘cool' factor and we felt it was the perfect venue for this group.

The Result

On the morning of the event, disaster struck and we were informed that there was a burst water pipe and Hakkasan could not open for lunch. Luckily, we had just enough time before the group's arrival to move the booking to Hakkasan's sister restaurant, Yauatcha located in Soho. The chefs and waiting staff from Hakkasan came to work at Yauatcha for the morning so that we could be served the same set menu as we were due to have and we rearranged the transport bookings to suit the change of location. Despite the last minute change of venue, the event was a huge success and the client sent several emails of praise after the event, regarding how the situation was handled efficiently and calmly on the day.

The client said that they had received extremely positive feedback from the staff and customers who attended and many guests remain completely oblivious to any of the problems we incurred or last minute changes to the itinerary!

Client Feedback

All reports I've had back from the day out last week have been really positive.  Everyone seemed to have a lovely time despite the last minute changes.  All the restaurant staff did a great job and you especially were a godsend!  Your quick thinking on the day saved us from what could have been a total nightmare situation!!  For that I must thank you - you did an excellent job and we would have been lost without you! Thanks again for all the good work. Your thorough organisation and attention to detail are what made the days so memorable to my customers and staff!

Both of the events that you have organised have been the subject of extremely positive feedback from both my customers and my staff. I am certain that a large part of this is due to the work and care that Rachel has put into the events beforehand and upon the day. In our business life it is common for things not to always go to plan. It is a measure of businesses and people as to how they respond when things don't go to plan.

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