Prague, Czech Republic Fam Trip - July 2011

Les Gens Que J'aime....

Praha Spires

Mr Policeman

Pilsen Beer Factory

Pilsen Cathedral

Pilsner Urquell Beer Man

Prague loves Jazz - Nat King Cole

Smetana Municipal Music Hall

Bloody Marionnettes

King Charles IV & one of his wives ....

We thank God!

River Vltava runs through

Astronomical Clock

Pilsen Beer Master aka Clint Eastwood

On my 1st Familiarisation Trip ( When you are invited to a City by their Government or Bureau interested in winning your business) I was invited to Prague or should I say Praha in the Czech Republic. Being a Fam Trip Virgin I was slightly coy as I had not even been to the Czech Republic & I wasn't familiar with the currency or language they spoke. Eureka I thought, that alone is a great reason to go!

I was invited by the radiant Jitka from the Prague Convention Bureau on the 14th-17th July, to come and see for myself what the city had to offer for all friends & clients alike. So I went! To be honest is it was a harduous fast paced program ( no such thing as a free lunch); but WOW it most productive. This City of a 1000 Spies, oh I mean Spires, is a most enchanting, culturally alluring and musically enhanced centre of excellence. I was impressed by their all round cordiality & style of the people. Seemingly in another world it is only a pleasant 1 1/2 hrs flight from London.

A great place for a romantic gate-away or a corporate conference/meeting. Almost in the centre of the Czech Republic it boasts a most varied array of culinary delights & culture for sightseers & adventurers alike. Like for instance most sees are the Prague Castle, Old Town, Jazz music cruise on the River Vltava, Charles bridge & the Municipal Music Hall dedicated to Czech composer Smetana & where Italian Musical Genius Ennio Morricone was conducting during 2 evenings of our stay. The Hotels are world class, Jazz was magical & the nightlife interesting!

The local food was surprisingly delicious. Czech wine is highly recommended & of course the Pilsner beer is better than liquid gold!!!!

Thank you Lenka, Jitka, Martina & the Prague Convention Bureau for the trip. Also Děkuji for introducing me to such a lively and diverse group of fellow campers. Babydoll Elisa, Gargantuan Gary, Romeo Bralte, Groucho Kim, Ever prepared Glyn, Que Sera Sera Monique, La Douche Marrianne, Fine Wines Lionel & Secret Agent Anthony - what larks we had!!!!

Look forward to doing some biz & seeing you again mes amis........Na zdraví!

Jazz at Reduta

It's A Knockout Teambuilding Day for Bird's Eye

On the rainy morning of the 7th July, four of the EMC3 team headed down to The Birdseye/ Iglo Group Headquarters at Bedfont Lakes to put on a fun team building day for the company. Outside in the garden, a giant inflatable “It’s A Knockout” was erected in the rain, whilst the café was transformed with a rodeo bull set up in the middle. The company was split into groups and each team were given tasks in line with the company PACE guidlines (Performance, Ambition, Collaboration, Energy.) The group were given the task throughout the day to identify 60 famous captains (no iPhones allowed!), to gather as many points as possible on the “It’s A Knockout” event, rack up points from the highest score on the darts, and the longest time on the rodeo bull.

The rain poured down all morning, not the greatest weather for an outside team building day, but as soon as it hit 2pm, as if by divine intervention the sun broke through and glorious sunshine remained for the rest of the day! After a workout video inspired warm up, the games kicked off with a giant inflatable assault course. Each team member was challenged to jump through a soaking wet course and dive out of the other end, before milking their team’s ‘Daisy The Cow.’ The team that collected the most “milk” from their cow was crowned the winner of the round. The giant games continued, with a penguin run, where teams took it in turns to pull on a giant penguin costume and run along the course. The giant games continued all afternoon and the teams got more and more competitive as the day went on. For those less willing to get soaked, foamed and dragged along on a water sledge, a mini fairground was set up, with a coconut shy, dart boards, and loads of other games.
An ice cream van refreshed people all day, serving ice cream, slush puppies and ice lollies (one that turned your mouth bright blue!) After everyone had changed out of their wet clothes, the winners were announced, with the Gold team coming first! As they paraded around in their medals the barbeque was fired up, and of course no summer celebration would be complete without a few glasses of Pimm’s & Lemonade. Hot dogs and delicious burgers were passed around as The Mutiny, a band lead by one of the Birdseye staff started to play.

All in all, a great day for Birdseye/ Iglo Group. It has to be said, Clarence the polar bear was very happy 

Written by Saskya Liney, Lifestyle Enhancer

Late Night London's Sterling Venue in the City

Late Night London invited EMC3 to their exclusive summer party evening,“Summer lovin!!”, on Wednesday 6th July. The event was held in Late Night London’s newest venue; The Sterling which is impressively located on the ground floor of the world famous 30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building (colloquially referred to as the Gherkin Bullet). It is just one of Late Night London’s 47 venues located throughout London’s City and West End. The Sterling is a great location for both indoors and outside parties with the space for 550 indoors and 280 outside. With a fresh modern feel The Sterling is a great place for private parties or a simple drink after work.

Stephanie, Mimi and Mo represented EMC3 at the event on Wednesday night and although it was very chilly, they enjoyed the outside area of the venue with a Glass or 3 of Pimm’s along with some delicious canapés especially the Asparagus wrapped in Parma ham. The event included a live Jazz band who created a fantastic atmosphere and luckily the rain held off. Thanks to Emma for the event and the Goodie Bag!

For free venue booking placement with special event rates contact us.

Written by Mimi Driscoll "Lifestyle Enhancer"

Stephanie Utting's Back to University Last Supper at Sketch Restaurant

EMC3 are sad to say goodbye to Events assistant Stephanie Utting, who is returning to Bournemouth University to finish her BA (Hons) Event Management degree after a year on a student programme working hard for EMC3. Many of the courses at Bournemouth University offer a year out on placement, giving students the chance to get a more hands on experience in the industry they are studying.

So to celebrate all Steph’s hard work this past year,the team were taken to Sketch Restaurant www.sketch.uk.com by the Directors, one of EMC3’s favourite event restaurants that brings together food, art, style and music perfectly. For all of you who have not yet visited Sketch, you must. Even if it is just to check out the awesome egg –like toilets!! The whole venue has an imaginative neo-futuristic feel, with an absolutely stunning interior design. We are talking unusual, almost bizarre, but it really works. Each room is different from the last; the gallery boasts a mesmerising 360 degree screen running round the room that you could watch all evening, with images from emerging artists and designers; very modern and technological. In contrast there is The Parlour, a room that makes you feel like you’ve been dropped into Louis XVI’s 18th century lounge, antique furniture with a quirky twist. It was here that the first cocktails started flowing. After umming and ahhing over the cocktail menu for a good 15 minutes we chose the brightest, fruitiest cocktails possible needless to say they were delicious!

The food at Sketch is as delectable & beautiful as the building, and tastes even better than it looks. It is predominately French, with a modern and international twist. Canadian lobster aspic with mini lobster éclair was a strong candidate for the favourite starter. It was almost impossible just to choose one dish and not just say I’ll take it all! All the main courses were cooked to perfection and so well presented that they looked like they could possibly be part of a new art exhibition at the Tate Modern, almost too good to eat. Almost! The veal was a winning choice, as was the lamb; in fact all the dishes gave our taste buds the treat of a life time! As for the desserts, lumpy custard has no place here and is replaced by the likes of rose water marshmallows and iced pineapple parfait.

After a little encouragement Steph gave a small speech, and thanked each of the Directors for all their help, support, and individual characteristics that have made her time at EMC3 so enjoyable. With no encouragement needed, Baba burst into song and for she’s a jolly good fellow echoed through the gallery. Baba then presented Steph with a stunning Tiffany bracelet on behalf of Alistair,Baba, Daniel & EMC3 (Steph’s boyfriend James looked horrified that every single one of his presents may have just been trumped by a little blue bag! Sorry James).

All of us at EMC3 would like to wish Steph best of luck with her final year. She will be missed greatly by all of us and there will always be a spare desk here for you Steph!!!


Written by Saskya Liney
Lifestyle Enhancer

VIP Champagne Room at St Pancras Station

St Pancras Grand: Searcy’s Champagne Tasting

http://www.searcys.co.uk/st-pancras-grand

Bubble! It is undeniable how much Champagne has become the centre of our social lives. It’s no longer saved for weddings and special birthdays; Champagne can be brought out anytime, anywhere. So when given the invitation to try a champagne tasting at St Pancras Grand’s private room at the Oyster and Champagne Bar located on the Upper Concourse, we could not refuse. The Champagne bar is a stunning addition, separate to the restaurant, with leather booths, comfy sofas, and even a private room for more intimate events.

Did you know?

• Only a choice of three types of grapes are used to make Champagne?
• There are over 50 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne?
• The UK consumes over 37 million bottles of Champagne a year?
No, neither did we! But thanks to the hospitality of Searcy’s and Eduardo’s wisdom, we left with insightful history and trivia of champagne, alongside the taste of plenty of Pommery Champagne. We sampled a Champagne for every season, then an extra special Pommery’s Champagne which was delicious  I think it’s safe to say that we will all be taking a leaf out of Eduardo’s book and no longer just saving Champagne for special occasions.

Written by Saskya Liney, Events Assistant, EMC3