Plan The Best Christmas Party Yet!

Have you explored Camm and Hooper's supplier list yet? Did you know we work with the best of London's suppliers for all your event needs? Have a read below of our top choices to bring your Christmas party to life and get in touch with one of our event planners today and bring all your ideas to life.

Twilight Trees
Nothing quite shouts Christmas like trees covered in twinkling lights. Move over traditional Christmas trees and upgrade to sparkling and vibrant LED trees, they are unforgettable and unique, bringing winter wonderland events to life!

Interactive Photobooths
Photobooths are a great way to capture memories with your colleagues that can never be forgotten. They are great photos to keep in the office and to be reminded of an amazing Christmas party. We work with Say Fromage and Mega Booth both innovators of the photobooth experiences. Mega Booth has GIF and Boomerang photobooths that can be sent straight to your phone and uploaded to social media, perfect for sharing fun memories. Say Fromage can create a photobooth and printouts personalised with your companies branding, great for office parties. A photobooth is a must in our social-media savvy world!

Entertainment
Impress your colleagues with live entertainment or a DJ for a truly memorable night. DJ Bear Grooves is a popular choice for a dancefloor free from tumbleweeds, get everybody up dancing with his unique mix of popular hits, old-school to current. Other popular and fun choices for your party are magicians, jazz dancers and circus acts, explore the performers our suppliers can offer, Snap Entertainment, Sternberg Clarke and our in-house production company, Production Plus.

Hotels
Late night? Feeling merry? don't rush to catch the last train home, We work with a bunch of London's top hotels so that your guests can fully enjoy the whole party without their long commute home. 

Explore all these great suppliers and more in our suppliers brochure.

Midnight Madness Press Release

Coming to London on 19 May: unique, immersive brain-busting event will challenge UK's smartest minds

Contact: Tom Le Fanu, Head of Comms.
Mobile: 07765257031
Email: tom@raiseyourhands.org.uk

On Saturday 19th May at 8pm more than 20 top secret venues in central London will become one huge, overnight playground for 15 teams of the UK's smartest business and academic minds as each strives to win the UK's first Midnight Madness event.

Described as a cross between the Crystal Maze and the Da Vinci Code, this unique event originates from New York, and involves teams from Goldman Sachs, GAM investments and others competing to solve a series of devilishly difficult puzzles. Each will be located in secret venues incorporating some iconic London landmarks.

From sunset to sunrise, competitors will experience immersive theatre and encounter role-playing actors as part of the puzzle-solving. Each puzzle solved unlocks the next locations, and the winning team will be the first back to base.

Teams might find themselves manipulating lasers to unlock a clue in a warehouse, cracking a safe hidden in an empty bank, or using light to signal a passing boat on the River Thames.

Midnight Madness is in aid of Raise Your Hands, which supports small, effective charities that improve the lives of children across the UK. Further information:

Note to editors:  Free team spaces open for journalists. Video footage and photographs will be available from 1pm Sun 20th. Interview opportunities with Elisha Wiesel, CIO Goldman Sachs & Ewan Kirk, Founder Cantab Capital Partners.

Background: In 2015, 21 corporate teams pitter their wits against one another for Midnight Madness New York, raising $3.1m for charity.

"MM New York was uniquely exciting and challenging, where teamwork, exploration and puzzle solving come together to make an unforgettable experience." Ewan Kirk, founder and CIO Cantab Capital.

About Raise Your Hands

Raise Your Hands has been making waves in the charity sector. They're challenging traditional models of charity whilst supporting the underdogs and unsung heroes of the charity sector.

Small charities do exceptional work but without the marketing budgets of bigger names, they still struggle for funding. RYH exists to redress that imbalance. In the first three years, Raise Your Hands raised £500k for their selected small charities.

They do this by putting on innovative events for their community. Midnight Madness is primarily a corporate fundraising event but RYH also put on cutting-edge events throughout the year for their community of Millennial givers.

Top 5 Tips for Planning a Conference!

We all know planning a conference is a long and difficult task. It requires intricate and detailed planning and many months of preparation. You want to make sure your conference runs smoothly; your guests are impressed and you achieve what you set out to do. The HeadBox team help plan hundreds of conferences a year for a wide range of clients and have picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. Many of them have been at the fantastic Camm & Hooper venues, so we've joined forces to compile our top 5 things to consider when planning a conference, to help the process run smoothly and make your conference a roaring success.

The Agenda

Having a clear agenda from the offset is an important planning stage. This is important for you as the event planner and for the rest of your team, so all the organisers know what time keynote speakers should be, when the attendees can have a break and the general structure of the day. It's also important for the attendees, giving them a schedule beforehand allows them to plan for the day, know what to expect and get excited for all the activities. It's critical for venue manager to have a copy of your agenda well in advance, so they know what to expect from the day and prepare the venue accordingly. 
 

Refreshments

If you're organising an all-day conference, guests will expect refreshments. A good conference is intellectually stimulating so your attendees will work up an appetite! You should always expect a range of dietary requirements and knowing this information in advance is essential so that you can create a varied menu with the team at the venue or with your caterer. Vegetarian and vegan options, gluten free, dairy free and nut free are all things you must consider when organising a conference. Camm and Hooper have a helpful team on hand to make sure you have everything covered. This extra touch and extra interest in detail is a surefire way to make sure your conference caters to all, and to impress your guests.
 

The Space

Finding the perfect space is the glue that keeps your conference together. When you find the venue that matches your vision, everything else can fall into place. Camm and Hooper have a variety of spaces that can be used for corporate conference hire. Grace Hall and the Banking Hall are simply stunning. Grand and traditional, the halls are ideal for large-scale conferences. Grace Hall at the enchanting Leadenhall venue has details of the dovetail period with modern styling. The Banking Hall is also steeped in heritage and is a wonderful Grade II listed building for hire in central London. If you wanted something a little more unconventional, the hidden gem that is the Victorian Bathhouse is opulent and glamorous and an unusual conference venue in the City. If you're after a small conference venue outside the City, Six Storeys is a beautiful townhouse which can host events up to 300 guests. A decadently decorated building which epitomises the spirit of Soho. The important thing to remember is that whatever space you choose, you must ensure that it is right for your audience, that it correlates with your own company and that the venue provides everything you need for your conference.
 

Budget

As an event planner, the budget is paramount. Setting and sticking to a budget is perhaps one of the hardest parts of event planning. Darren the venue manager from Camm & Hooper recognises the importance of being realistic about budget. He said, "tell us your budget; being as honest as possible with the venue team allows us to work within the realistic parameters. If we cannot help, we will let you know."

Event Marketing

If you don't have an event marketing team there are simple yet effective ways you can market your event. Prior to the event make sure you are getting interactive on social media. Tweets, Instagram Stories or even Facebook Live videos will get your attendees excited for the event. You could even create a forum where attendees, keynote speakers or sponsors could communicate before the day and ask any questions. After the event, it's important for your communication strategy to allow for attendee feedback. You could very quickly and easily create a Google Form which you send out to your attendees after the event. Event marketing doesn't have to be complicated, there are plenty of free and simple tools that are accessible for all.

Event marketing is also a great tactic for companies looking to build their brand, generate revenue and create or strengthen partnerships. As an event planner, make sure you leverage some of the easy and accessible marketing tools at your disposal. Social media provides a completely free way to get the word out there and the tactics and strategies can be scaled up from there, depending on budget.
 

These five easy tips will help you plan the perfect conference. If you follow these steps you're sure to make your conference accessible and under budget, and you will ultimately receive great feedback. Remember that the venues are important and planning in advance means you can get a simply stunning space, just like the Camm & Hooper venues.

Liv is the Digital Content Executive at Headbox. Reinventing the global events industry through technology. HeadBox produly represents Camm & Hooper.

Must Read Hints and Tips For Planning a Private Dining Event!

There is a lot of tiny details to plan for when hosting a private dining experience for your guests that are often forgotten about, don't worry, we are here to help, with our hints and tips from our planning experts that will make your dinner unforgettable.

What time to dine and how long should reception drinks last?
How long should your guests be kept schmoozing and enjoying reception drinks before they get to eat? We would recommend having a short reception with a glass of fizz or cocktail and then go straight into the dinner or a longer reception with some delicate canapés to keep guests from getting hungry before they are seated.

What are the dietary requirements? Are children attending?
Dietary requirements are very common. Check if any of your guests are coeliac, vegan, vegetarian, allergic to seafood or nuts. Choose your menu, then a few other dishes for those with special requirements. Our menu has a thought of everyone section that has dishes suitable for all requirements to make sure every guest is catered for and doesn't miss out. Don't forget if children are attending you will need a suitable main and dessert for them.

What drinks for the reception?
From Prosecco to champagne to sparkling wine to cocktails it can be difficult to decide on a reception drink that is a crowd pleaser. The best way to decide is to do a tasting and choose something that is easily drinkable. If your event has a special theme it is a nice idea to do a cocktail that represents that theme. For example, if you were having a 1970's party it might be nice to serve a retro Rob Roy on arrival.

Which wines to serve with your meal? red or white?
In your tasting of food and drinks choose a white and red wine, you will always need both. Choose something that is popular with a majority of people, not a really sweet flavoured wine or overly dry something that will please the crowd. It is also good to choose your wines based on what goes well with the main course dish of your menu. We can give great recommendations of wines from our wine list that pair perfectly with our catering.

What seating plan do you want?
There is the layout of the tables, rounds, squares, one long table to think about and who will sit next to who. It is usually better to have people sit with familiar people at social events, it allows them to relax and enjoy easy conversation. At corporate dinners, it is nice to get like-minded people to sit next to each other so they can network in a new or the same industry.

The Top Summer Event Planning Tips You Need To Read

The summer is a wonderful time of year to throw a bash, with longer evenings and the warmer temperature your guests will be in high spirits to let their hair down, enjoy cocktails and celebrate.

Create atmosphere with lighting
Clever lighting makes a party more enjoyable, think about your home and how you use lighting and candles to create different moods, playing with lighting is key to a successful event. Whether you choose to inject drama into your event using bold colours or create a magical ambience with fairy lights and candles, lighting effect's the mood and environment of your party. Our Bermondsey venue Tanner Warehouse has a terrace lit with coloured bulbs, making it a perfect addition to summer parties, especially when the sun falls, it is a lovely place for guests to take a break from the warehouse and get lost in the warm summer evenings.
 

Food suggestions and cooling cocktails
Casual style menus are popular for summer events, try a BBQ, a spit-fire roast or fish and chips to feed your guests, informal canapés such as mini burgers, sausages on sticks and summer fruit cups are also perfect light bites for when it's warm. For the booze, Infused gin and jugs of Sip Smith Summer's Cup on a hot summers day or simply filling a container with ice and cold beers and ciders are ultimate crowd pleasers. Our brand new Spring Summer Menu has an additional BBQ package perfect for summer events, with grilled sausages, burgers, chicken or prawns, delicious potato and pasta salad sides, all the baps and wraps, sauces and smashed avocado, it is the ultimate summer event feast.
 

Spice up your event with a theme
Themed summer parties are engaging and memorable. They can be bright, colourful and extravagant or simply a colour theme that reflects a brands logo, themes create an exciting atmosphere for your guests to get lost in the event. Our City venue Banking Hall hosted the London Summer Events Show in February, the place was decked out in a summer theme using the best of London's suppliers. The environment was colourful and memorable, reflected in everything from the entertainment, colours, catering and drinks. 
 

Wet weather and heating
It may be Summertime but in the UK we can never be sure that rain won't hit. Especially if your event is outside, getting a heated marquee or arranging some sort of shelter is important to keep your guests warm and dry when Summer rain hits. Make sure you book a venue or arrange shelter and heaters incase of the typical British weather hitting unexpectedly.
 

Top 5 Ways to Spoil Your Mum This Mother's Day

Every year we feel that Mother's Day springs upon us out of nowhere. Year after year there is always a guilty rush to your local M&S for another bunch of flowers and the biggest chocolate selection box you can find. Want to really show your Mum how much you appreciate her this year? We have put together our top 5 ways to spoil your mum this Mother's Day. Whatever your budget and whatever her taste, show her how much you love her with these simple ideas.

If you are away for Mother's Day create a little I-owe-you coupon for one of the below and treat your mother to it later on in the month.

1) Let there be Brunch
 

What better way to celebrate your mum than taking her for a boozy brunch? Treat her to burgers, buns and booze at our lively Tanner & Co. A great idea to get all the siblings together for an afternoon of sharing funny stories about Mum, indulging in delicious Tanner grub and not knowing when to stop with the bottomless booze. See our brunch menu here.

2) Get the little ones involved
 

Got little ones in the family? Help them cook a delicious breakfast for Mum, serve it to her in bed with a good cuppa tea. Children get so excited about treating their Mum or Granny and it's a great way to start a lovely day of pampering. How about flipping up some of our best pancake recipes. Fun for the kids and a delicious treat for your Mum.
 
3) Tea-riffic day
 

Take your Mum for afternoon tea at Six Storeys on Soho, available for Mother's Day only! Let her experience an afternoon tea like no other. With a menu full of English favourites with a unique twist. Indulge in Scotch eggs, mac 'n' cheese balls, Bakewell tarts and more whilst also enjoying a coupé of prosecco. One not enough? upgrade to Bottomless fizz, wine and punches.

4) Mix it up
 

Leave the I-heart-Mum mug to one of your less imaginative siblings, give her something she really wants to drink with, one of our in-house infused spirits. Available to purchase from Six Storeys on Soho and Tanner & Co, take home a small bottle of one of our spirit infusions for your Mum to try at home. Get her to mix it up with tonic or bitter lemon for a fancy tipple or pour it pure for to give her a kick... let the Monday morning hangover commence.

5) Feast your eyes on this
 

Happiness is quite literally a home-cooked roast by your Mum, but it's time to give her a Sunday off. Treat her and bring the whole family down to Tanner and Co for a Sunday Roast with a glass of fizz, book in advance for a table of four and Mum dines feee.. Indulge in prime cuts of British meats, Yorkshire puddings, goose fat roasties that might even top Mums, seasonal veg and jugs of proper homemade gravy!

For all booking enquiries for Tanner & Co and Six Storeys on Soho please contact
hello@camm-hooper.co.uk or call our reservations team on 020 3763 7429

Are You Sweet or Savoury? Pancake Day Recipes You Will Love!

Pancake Day is just round the corner. The one day a year nobody can say anything if you have pancakes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. However, here at Camm and Hooper, pancakes aren't just for a day, we recommend you get this page bookmarked and start flipping all year round. We've got irresistable crêpe recipes from our head Chef Alan Lucas.

Will you be sweet or savoury? Tag @cammandhooper to show us your creations!

Butternut squash, goat's cheese and rosemary pancakes

Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 rosemary sprig finely chopped
1 egg
300ml milk
25g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
250g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes
100g vegetarian goat's cheese, crumbled into small pieces
Handful pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, rosemary and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg with the milk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk mixture and melted butter to make a thick, smooth batter. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Over a medium heat, add a knob of butter and 1 tsp oil to a large pan, then add the butternut squash and cook for 10 mins until tender, turning the heat up for the final few mins to brown a little. Remove batter from the fridge, add the goat's cheese and squash, then carefully fold everything together.

3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan, then, in batches, add a ladleful of batter per pancake. Allow to cook for 3 mins until bubbles cover the surface, then flip over and cook the other side until golden.

Pancakes with roasted rhubarb and vanilla crème fraîche

Ingredients

For the pancakes
55g/2oz plain flour
Pinch salt
1 free-range egg
140ml/5fl oz milk
Oil for frying

For the Rhubarb
450g pink rhubarb cut into 4cm pieces
85g caster sugar
3 tbsp honey
Finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
2 vanilla pods
4 pieces of stem ginger, cut into thin shards

For the vanilla crème fraîche
1 tsp icing sugar
200ml crème fraîche

Method

For the pancakes

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in another bowl the. slowly pouring the liquid into the dry ingredients, whisk together until the batter is smooth. Set aside and leave 20 minutes.

2. To make the pancakes, heat a 20cm/8in crêpe or omelette pan until very hot, drizzle in a small amount of oil and tip the pan to swirl the oil around. Ladle in about two tablespoons of batter mix and immediately tilt the pan from side to side to get a thin, even layer of batter to cover the base of the pan. Cook for around 30 seconds until the underside is golden then flip or turn with a pallet knife.

For the rhubarb and crème fraîche

1. Heat over to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Put the rhubarb pieces into a bowl and add the sugar, honey, a squeeze of orange juice and 3 tbsp water. Mix well, then lay the pieces flat in a roasting tray. Split the vanilla pods in half, then scrape out the seeds and reserve for the vanilla crème fraîche. Add the vanilla pods to the rhubarb, then bake in the oven for 30 mins.

2. Meanwhile, stir the vanilla seeds and icing sugar into the crème fraîche. When the rhubarb is cooked, drain the juices into a pan, then boil to thicken slightly. Mix the rhubarb with the stem ginger and juices, then spoon over pancakes. Top with a spoonful of vanilla crème fraîche and a sprinkling of orange zest.

3. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in another bowl then, slowly pouring the liquid into the dry ingredients, whisk together until the batter is smooth. Set aside and leave for 20 minutes.

4. To make the pancakes, heat a 20cm/8in crêpe or omelette pan until very hot, drizzle in a small amount of oil and tip the pan to swirl the oil around. Ladle in about two tablespoons of batter mix and immediately tilt the pan from side to side to get a thin, even layer of batter to cover the base of the pan. Cook for around 30 seconds until the underside is golden then flip or turn with a pallet knife.

Don't have time to make your own this Shrove Tuesday? Pop into Six Storeys on Soho lobby bar all day for fresh crepes to go.

5 Things Your Wedding Guests Actually Care About

We all know that your big day is all about you and your partner's new life together... but let's admit, impressing our guests is all part of the fuss when planning to tie the knot. Want to know what really wows your guests and has them talking about the wedding for weeks? We've put together a list of how to exceed the expectations of what really matters to your guests.

1) The order of the day

Avoid the confusion and stress of what's happening next by letting your guests know how the day is going to unfold. There are a couple of special ways you can display this, our favourite are both beautifully designed A5 card sheets to hand to guests when they arrive or by using a chalkboard to write down the timings and happenings. Guests relax more when they know how the day will run, so make sure you add the order of the day to that never-ending checklist.

2) Fun speeches

Everyone loves the speech part of the wedding reception. Whether they are heartfelt and tear-jerking or comedian worthy good, any more than 30 minutes will start to bore your guests. Get those doing the speeches to keep them short and sweet. Make the speeches that one step better by getting the guests to play a drinking game, try the words, love, family, friends and watch your guests get boozier as the speeches go on.

3) Music through the ages

When booking your DJ and choosing the playlist include all types of music, start with older classics and then turn to songs from the charts and party hits later on in the evening. This gives all the older guests like your beloved grandparents the chance to have a jiggy to some Whitney or MJ and enjoy the night as much as everyone else. A variety of music also means that everybody will have a few songs they really love to dance to, getting all those bottoms up of those seats.

 4) Menu options

The majority of your guests will be happy with any food you choose for them. However, some of your guests will be fussy eaters, have allergies or special dietary requirements and this is why menu options should be available in the pre-order. Our catering team have an events menu that can be adapted to suit any dietary and a Thought of Everyone selection of dishes for whatever serving style you choose. We recommend putting on the RSVP cards a meat or veggie check box, and a space to write any special requirements or allergies so we can sort out everyone from the gluten-free to the vegans.

5) The seating plan

Yes, your guests really do care about who they are next to. We all remember that friends episode where Ross changes table cards and ends up on the children's table don't we? Don't play cupid and seat people together so they can 'get to know each other', don't seat your Auntie who is arch nemesis with your cousin at the same table, don't put one adult as a supervisor on the children's table. Place people fairly so everyone fully enjoys the day, otherwise, it could cause unnecessary drama. To keep the day running smoothly, place people next to their nearest and dearest in the room. Our venues are flexible - if you're struggling to seat everyone just give us a shout and we'll help jiggle the seating plan for you.

Christmas Gifts With No Need To Wrap

With Christmas quickly approaching, forget the badly wrapped candles and books that never get read, have a look at our top selection of hassle-free gifts. This guide has something for everyone on your list, naughty or nice!

"Wow Socks", said no one ever

Our Chief Booze Engineer, Patrick Hobbs, encourages you to get that special person something they really want for Christmas this year. "Purchase a Ginspiration Masterclass for a truly unique gift and save yourself the shopping hassle. Gin. Much better than socks." No matter whether it's a treat for your Mum, Dad, Grandma, Grandad, Sister, Uncle or your partner it's sure to impress. Explore our blending masterclasses here. Contact our reservations team now to get you and that special someone booked in.

You booze or you lose

Want something truly unique? Our take away spirits are crafted by our very own Chief Booze Engineer. The strawberry and basil Vodka is always a crowd pleaser or gift them with our quince and blue cheese gin, they will be shocked at how much they love it! With loads of different infusion flavours to choose from they make the perfect surprise for the whole family. For a little fun open them on Christmas Day and play a 'guess the flavour' game.

Festive memories at Tanner & Co

Save yourself the hassle of a perfectly wrapped gift and treat that special someone to a slap up a meal instead. Experience an evening full of memories you can remember for years to come "Tanner & Co is the perfect place to embrace Christmas over bottles of fizz and our delicious menu, nothing says I love you like wine and delicious food." - Andrew, General Manager at Tanner & Co.

To explore our menus and book the gift of good food and good company click here.

Darling, it wouldn't be a party without you...

Skip the gifts this year and invest in an unforgettable New Year's Eve at our Soho Townhouse, Six Storeys on Soho. Celebrate good times with good friends in a private room or area full of wines, beers and bottomless cocktails without the hassle of queuing and hidden entry fees. Check out our packages here.

Don't like New Year's Eve? We have a gift for you too

Save yourself for New Year's Day and treat someone to an unforgettable Bottomless Brunch at Six Storeys on Soho. Enjoy delicious brunch food alongside your chosen weapon - flowing fizz, Bloody Mary's, espresso martinis and more. It's sure to get that special person very merry!

With these great wrapping-paper free treats to choose from you will be saving yourself a lot of shopping hassle and giving that special somebody something they really want - you can thank us later! Contact us to discuss any of the above, hello@camm-hooper.co.uk, 020 3869 7009.