WAPPING VENUE

Tobacco Dock, in Wapping has a total capacity for up to 10,000 standing, making it a suitable hire for large parties, and the party nights put on by the venue.

For other events 300-1,200 guests can sit on rounds, there are 30 meeting spaces and combinations for 8-1,500 and exhibitions of up to 70,000 square feet, or 6,500 square metres.

web: thedocklondon.com

PEACE OF NORWICH

The 900 year-old Cathedral in Norwich now offers two modern spaces for event organisers in peaceful surroundings.

The Weston Room has high oak ceilings, lots of glass and natural light and can hold up to 150 theatre-style. AV equipment and free Wi-Fi are provided, and a licenced bar is available The hourly hire rate is £127.50.The half-day and evening rate is £496 for sessions running 8.30am – 12.30pm, 1.00pm – 5.00pm or 6.30pm – 11.00pm, and the day-rate for 8.30am – 5.00pm is £827.

The Refectory restaurant (see September issue for food review) which also has free Wi-Fi and abundant natural light, can accommodate up to 150 for a reception, 100 for banqueting or 30 in boardroom style. It is available for early morning sessions from 7.00am – 9.00am on an hourly rate of £95, or evening sessions from 6.30pm – 11.00pm for £350.

web: cathedral.org.uk

PARTY IN THE PINK

One interesting and unusual East-London venue just 100 yards from the 2012 Olympic Stadium, and with views over to it from a rooftop terrace, is Forman’s Fish Island, the quirkily pink coloured factory and head office of salmon smokers Forman and Son, near Hackney Wick and shaped like a darne (steak) of salmon.

Substantial spaces for parties and other corporate events are offered, including a large second-floor area with multi-coloured party lighting and holding 900-1,000 for a standing reception, depending on how cosy you want them. Around 400 theatre or cabaret style can also be accommodated in the 635 square metre space The roof terrace, with the inspiring views for sports fans holds 300 for a reception, 100 for a theatre-style layout and 80 cabaret style, and can be used for energising al fresco beverage breaks and lunches. There are four additional spaces for events for 14 to 150, including the restaurant for 20 – 30 seated and 40 standing

web: formans.co.uk

AIRPORT STAY IN LISBON

Those wanting an overnight stay very close to Lisbon Airport, or to hold an event there, can check out the impressive new Tryp Lisboa Aeroporto Hotel, where we enjoyed a one-night stay earlier this year.

This is a bright and modern place, an easy 200 metre walk from Terminal One and around 3-4 kilometres from Lisbon city centre, and offers 167 contemporary and comfortable bedrooms with full bathrooms, most of which include a very welcome bathtub to stretch out and relax in. There is a 32 inch LCD TV, individually controlled heating/air conditioning, a safe, desk area, minibar and free WiFi internet. Facilities for guests wanting to make their own tea and coffee (we did) are supplied on request. There is also a complimentary transfer service for guests departing from the temporary Terminal Two (we did) a short drive away. Continue reading

THE BLUE ANGEL

A film song entitled “From My Head to My Toes I’m All About Love” sung by a Maria Magdalena von Losch sitting on a barrel in a lowlife German nightclub doesn’t sound like the stuff of legend, until you know that the lady was Marlene Dietrich and the song was “Falling in Love Again” in the English language version of The Blue Angel, lost for many years.

The 1930 black and white talkie film was the first of a handful of memorable films featuring the then 28 year-old Dietrich, under the hard guiding hand of talented director Joseph von Sternberg. This one however actually starred Emil Jannings as the tragically romantic mid-life school professor Immanuel Rath who tracks his young male charges to the seedy Blau Engel club after confiscating, and being pleasantly disturbed by saucy photos of coquettish and teasing cabaret act Lola-Lola, (Dietrich) only to fall madly in lust with her on-stage flauntings in a jaunty white top hat, inadequate skirts, stockings and suspenders. Continue reading

Event Organisers Update October 2015 ISSUE 133

LETHAL COOL A cocktail containing liquid nitrogen cost an 18 year-old her stomach in 2012, and the wine bar in Lancaster that served it a fine of £100,000 last week…

BAN FOR SCOTTISH CHAUFFEUR FIRM A director of Edinburgh chauffeur firm Chauffeurline(UK) Ltd has been banned from operating passenger vehicles or acting as …

FREE KNOWLEDGE A free business seminar and networking session for event organisers is offered by academic venue consortium Venuemasters…

MEET THE FOODIE Also in Birmingham for event organisers is the open day at venuebirmingham, held on Friday October 9 in the Great Hall at the University of …

BEACH PARTY A range of eleven Christmas Party nights in November and December have been announced by The Dalmeny Resort Hotel, situated overlooking a beach …

WAPPING VENUE Tobacco Dock, in Wapping has a total capacity for up to 10,000 standing, making it a suitable hire for large parties, and the party nights put on by the …

PEACE OF NORWICH The 900 year-old Cathedral in Norwich now offers two modern spaces for event organisers in peaceful surroundings…

PARTY IN THE PINK One interesting and unusual East-London venue just 100 yards from the 2012 Olympic Stadium, and with views over to it from a rooftop terrace, is …

AIRPORT STAY IN LISBON Those wanting an overnight stay very close to Lisbon Airport, or to hold an event there, can check out the impressive new Tryp Lisboa …

MORE IN SARASOTA A recent trip to Sarasota, Florida earlier this year turned up a number of impressive attractions for organisers seeking interesting non-residential …

THE BLUE ANGEL A film song entitled “From My Head to My Toes I’m All About Love” sung by a Maria Magdalena von Losch sitting on a barrel in a lowlife German nightclub …

Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2015 ISSUE 46

PRESENTING PR AS TRUTH ON TV An Ofcom investigation into “documentaries” broadcast by the BBC has found that nearly 200 of them were supplied at no cost, with …

CC OR BCC? Some marketeers are finding out the hard way the difference between a carbon copy (cc) and a blind carbon copy (bcc) when bulk emailing, and it’s a common …

SEX AND VIOLENCE LOSES SALES The old adage that “sex sells” has been questioned after a study at Ohio State University has shown that graphic sexual …

DUNCAN SMITH’S DEPARTMENT DECEIVES A misleading leaflet published by Iain Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) used fake stories of benefit …

COSTA LOTTA MORE The payment of the national living wage of £7.20 an hour to all staff over 25 years old at the Whitbread-owned Costa coffee shops will mean price …

YOU COPY? The organising committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have withdrawn their recently-designed logos, with considerable loss and embarrassment, after Belgian …

BENT REVIEWS Those still believing that review websites such as Tripadvisor offer only honest customer opinions of restaurants should know that such establishments are …

DOPEY The panto of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has been re-named Snow White and her Seven Friends for its presentation at the De Montford Hall in Leicester…

PRESENTING PR AS TRUTH ON TV

An Ofcom investigation into “documentaries” broadcast by the BBC has found that nearly 200 of them were supplied at no cost, with many secretly funded by special interests and with no sponsorship credits to let viewers know of the possibly biased content. (Press Gazette)

In one example the Independent newspaper reported in 2011 that the Malaysian government had paid ironically-named PR company FactBased Communications (FBC) nearly £12 million over two years to make and place content promoting Malaya positively in “factual” and current affairs programmes. BBC World News, that screened eight half-hour programmes supplied by FBC claimed that they had no idea that they were broadcasting paid-for PR, even though it was given to them free. The poor deluded BBC now accepts that FBC was “not an appropriate producer” for BBC World News. Continue reading

CC OR BCC?

Some marketeers are finding out the hard way the difference between a carbon copy (cc) and a blind carbon copy (bcc) when bulk emailing, and it’s a common but potentially dangerous error for those who accidentally get it wrong.

As an HIV clinic in London very recently found out when they sent out their newsletter using the cc rather than the bcc option on their email system. Pasting email addresses into the bcc field usually prevents individual recipients from knowing who else has received the email, so the clinic sent every recipient the email addresses of every other recipient, that is more than 780 patients of the HIV facility. This was a serious error with likely repercussions as sensitive medical information of this kind is sought after by cyber criminals bent on using it for identity theft, or even blackmail. And insurers are increasingly likely to dispute claims arising from the failure of an organisation to protect sensitive patient data. Continue reading