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Eventia's Man About Town - April

Welcome to the fifth edition of our column featuring Mark Gill from First Protocol as he reviews the supplier events he's attended in recent months. (as featured in the April newsletter).

After an extended pause I’m now back with my column and looking forward to sharing with you my thoughts on the great and good of our industry.  I’ve had a very busy past few months but that’s not stopped my getting out and about both in the UK and across Europe.  So, where to start with my highlights……………

I couldn’t possibly let this column go by without sharing my thoughts from the Eventia Awards at the end of last year.   Once again we were back to Park Lane but gone was the sweeping entrance of the Great Room and in its place the functional setting of the Hilton.  I was impressed with the speed at which they battled through the awards this year; the long drawn out process is now a thing of the past.  An appearance from X Factor reject Paige added an interesting twist to the entertainment and with the ballroom bursting at the seams it appears that the Eventia Awards are still a hot ticket for the industry to savour.  With the introduction of Haymarket’s competing awards next year it will be interesting to see how Eventia respond to the challenge. 

I also managed to find time in my schedule to drop into the Mandarin Oriental for a long overdue dinner at Bar Boloud.  I was whisked through the main restaurant, a stylish setting and into the private dining room.  The food was excellent and the service as you would expect from one of London’s top hotels.  My hosts for the evening were the Hong Kong & Macau tourist boards.  The menu chosen didn’t exactly reflect the destinations but, it was a perfect opportunity to showcase a new London restaurant.  Bar Boloud is a welcome addition for the Mandarin and, with the arrival of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, it surely cements the MO London as the top choice for hotel dining in the city.  

The early part of the year saw time for a visit to the Four Seasons London.  I have lost track of how long the place has been closed for and also the number of clients that have been asking when the place will be open.  Was I impressed?  Yes I was!  I visited before they had officially opened so we were treated to a few dust sheets, snagging issues and discarded furnishings – interesting to see the sharp end of a hotel opening!  Anyway, they pulled out all the stops and as well as taking a look at the fantastic bedroom product and the equally impressive bar and restaurant space we also saw the top floor gymnasium, surely with one of the best views in London and sampled some of their delicious fayre.  Since our visit the hotel is now fully open and operational and joins the Savoy as one of London’s premier products. 

I couldn’t let St. Patricks Day pass by without raising a couple of glasses of Guinness.  I accepted an invite to join Gordon Ramsay Holdings and Ritz Carlton at the Warrington in West London and even found myself taking a stint behind the bar!  It’s been a few years since I last appeared at the pumps and judging by my attempts to ‘pull a half’ I think it’ll be a few years before I’m invited back!  I think I am far more suited to popping corks than pulling pumps!       

I recently joined the team at Rhubarb for an evening on board the Silver Sturgeon and what a cracking night that turned out to be.  Fabulous food and drinks and such amazing company.  One of my personal highlights was the Booth Nation photo booth which they had on board. Give me a bright light and a wind machine and I seem to turn into some kind of supermodel (well, maybe in my dreams!)  The reality of the printed pictures tells a different story I’m afraid to say.  Anyway, if you’re looking for a floating party venue, especially with these fabulous summer evenings then you could do a lot worse than consider the Silver Fleet and Rhubarb. 

I’ve also spent a bit of time recently on the road in some of our UK hotels and venues.  It’s been a few years since I was last in the north of England but I must give credit to the Mint Hotel Leeds (formerly City Inn) for comfortable bedrooms, White Company bathroom amenities, iMac’s in every bedroom and complimentary WIFI throughout.  Think upmarket Novotel.  Clean and functional but with some great additional touches! 

Taking a trip across to the North West of England I ended up at the Radisson Edwardian in Manchester and I have to say, for me, it’s a superior choice to the Hilton.  I found myself upgraded to an Alfresco Suite, perhaps appropriately named ‘Blondie’ and very impressed I was.  With Bang & Olufsen televisions, walk in showers, a private veranda and complimentary internet (again in the UK!  Come on the rest of Europe) it was a very comfortable night’s sleep.  And I can’t pass up the opportunity to give praise for their fantastic restaurant and bar. 

Well, that’s all for now.  Enjoy the sunshine and see you out and about soon. 

MG@FP