Browns Hotel Site Visit

 

A few weeks ago team members Mo, Helene, Max, and myself had the pleasure of spending our evening at Brown’s Hotel London with Lidiya De, the Corporate Sales Manager. We’ve had many failed scheduling attempts to make this happen, but finally making it down there was worth our wait! Brown’s Hotel is a luxury 5 star hotel in the heart of London’s Mayfair. It opened in 1837 as London’s first hotel, making this property truly a landmark.

  

The first stops on our tour were to see the lovely accommodations that this hotel has to offer. As the hotel boasts, “Brown’s Hotel personifies the refined sophistication of modern British luxury. Each room and suite is individually decorated and many feature antiques and contemporary artworks, creating an elegant and fashionable air.” The rooms were incredibly spacious and designed by Olga Polizzi in white and in a way that suggests guests are in the comfort of their own home as opposed to a stuffy hotel. The bathrooms were also a highlight for quite a spa like indulgence.

 

 After the rooms we looked through a few of the conference and private dining rooms that are available to hire. These all came in a variety of lovely sizes with classic décor. Many of these rooms also came attached with a bit of history. Our favorite was the small Graham Bell Room which is perfect for small business meetings and cocktail receptions. It is aptly named for Alexander Graham Bell's demonstration of his invention in the room which marked the first successful telephone call in Great Britain in 1876.

Last on our stop was to The English Tea Room where we enjoyed a few (or many) glasses of bubbly Prosecco along with a few canapés created in the iconic HIX kitchen. We enjoyed plenty of nibbles along with wonderful conversation with Lidiya who is extremely flexible in terms of all that she and Brown’s Hotel can offer for future events! Among our favorite tasty treats were the deluxe club sandwich and scotch quails egg with chocolate mouse and lemon sponge cake for dessert!!

 

 

 

by Elaine Whitehead

Casa Negra

On Thursday 7^th November, EMC3 travelled to the East end to visit a Mexican neighbourhood restaurant, hidden away in the heart of Shoreditch. ‘Mexican neighbourhood restaurant’ however gives little credit to the true atmosphere and flavour hidden behind Casa Negra’s doors...

 

 
 

As you enter, you are warmly greeted into a quaint reception. Your senses are immediately heightened with the smell of great food and the sound of music just beyond the main doors. The main space is very well planned with quirky but cosy casual seating and an eye-catching Mexican beach bar located at the far end. An extensive cocktail menu will keep you on your toes all night, with tequila being the main ingredient. No need to worry if your favourite cocktail is not on the list, as I found out, the barmen are willing to concoct anything you ask with the ingredients at hand. A larger room with more dining tables is located just to the left of the bar, leading round to the kitchen and the kitchen table, Casa Negra’s semi-private dining room.

 

The kitchen table is located right in front of the open kitchen, and is sectioned off from the restaurant; creating a unique feeling of dining in one of Mexico’s ever popular and growing pop-up home restaurants. The table can seat up to 18 people and is a fantastic room for small dinner parties, company lunch meetings or large family get-togethers.

 

Little would it be known to the unsuspecting diner what lies beneath Casa Negra’s floorboards. The Playroom, best described as ‘a tequila-fuelled Mexican dancing den’, has a fantastic atmosphere, creatively decorated with piñatas and toys, all hanging from the ceiling. Dotted around the outside of the room are the playroom booths, which are all decorated exceptionally; they offer a great area for dining/drinks, and are positioned so that they do not stand out when empty, but give enough privacy when being used – a great touch to a fun room.

The Playroom is open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 7pm until late with a DJ from 10pm to 2am (times varying slightly depending on the night). The Playroom is also available for private hire, so if you haven’t thought about where to celebrate the season’s end, or thinking about the next party, let us know! After all, it would be a struggle not to enjoy yourself at this fantastic place.

 

Overall, Casa Negra is a vibrant, fun and flamboyant place. We truly enjoyed our time at Casa Negra, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great night out!

 

 

 

 

written by Max Worsley

LinkedIn Talent Connect 2013

Since our last post we’ve been to Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Lagos, Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, Amsterdam, Paris and back again! So it’s not to say emc3 haven’t been busy, but we sure do like it that way!

When most of London was asleep, emc3 was up, creating a mind-blowing  set production for our clients’ Linkedin.  Taking over the Hilton Metropole in Edgware Road for the Talent Connect Conference 2013 from Tuesday October 16-Thursday 18^th 2013, we managed the Linkedin Training Day, Certification Examination Day, VIP Dinners, Main Conference and After party for over 1000+ of EMEA’s leading recruitment decision makers…

Nothing can compare to the feeling of being there and attending the conference, but we always think photos speak louder than words! Check our photos below:

Talent Connect Registration Desk

This is where our 1000 + attendees registered- swift process of collecting badge and a welcome bag including details on the 3 day agenda and gifts. 

 

As guests registered for their certification examinations on the Wednesday, little did they know what was happening above them… 

 

we worked on turning this room…

 

 

 

into this..

 

 

..an Ice-Cave and clean-white feng shui garden. Purpose-built for refreshment breaks and attendees to get some time out of the main conference to network. Check out our really cool time lapse video of this set build and break down http://vimeo.com/emc3/tcctimelapsevideo

Main Conference

 

 

 

After Party

 

This was kept as a surprise to all delegates throughout the conference, the only clues they received where ‘there will be many celebrities there’ much to everyone’s excitement! When coaches turned

the corner laughter could be heard at the back as they finally realised the location of their evening, Madame Tussauds, the home of celebrity wax works!

Joined by celebrity lookalikes Will Smith, Austin Powers, Keith Lemon, Harry Potter, David Beckham and characters on stilts including the Queen and King, Members of Kiss, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse it was a fantastic evening amongst the celebrity figurines.

 

 

 

The Worlds Stage was the hub for the after party, with a huge amount on offer to keep the guests entertained all evening. Various stalls were setup around the room serving delicious food from all over the world, from South America to Spain to India and the USA. As well as this, there were interactive games and activities such as a super photo booth where guests could have group photos taken

 

with props, in a strong air machine, with bright lights and interactive posers. There was also a virtual penalty shoot-out run by a David Beckham lookalike.

 

 

As the evening ventured further, the drinks continued to flow and the dance floor got busier and pumping resulting in an extended conga-line. There was a performance by the Will Smith lookalike which undoubtedly got the crowd moving, and our Ibizian DJ continued to pump out tunes until the early hours.

We’ve truly enjoyed our time planning and organising what has been a spectacular conference, and looking forward to the next one.

 

 

 

 

written by Max Worsley &Anita Engebretsen