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Prince Philip House hosts ‘Tour of the Senses’ showcase

Posted on: March 28th, 2014 by chandco

Last night Prince Philip House, which is part of the Harbour & Jones Events venue collection, welcomed over 170 industry professionals including Barclays, National Grid, Incisive Media, Kuoni, HSBC, Black Diamond and Melon Events to its ‘Tour of the Senses’ which invited guests to explore the weird and wonderful effects of the senses and their impact on our eating experience.

Situated on The Mall, guests arrived via the grand Carlton House Terrace entrance, they were greeted with ‘champagne and pearls’, a mix of bubbles and blackcurrant and passionfruit caviar pearls, and encouraged to use the new Prince Philip House app, which is set to be the first venue app to ever use augmented reality, before entering the Rolls Royce room.

Bathed in shades of pink and blue, the venue was transformed into an ultra cool evening space with three pop-up bars and luxurious corner sofas giving it an exclusive club-like feeling. Flaring bar staff crafted delicious cocktails of watermelon martinis and homemade lemongrass ginger beer, while waiters brought around bites from the new fine dining menu, including samples from the new eight course taster menu which was designed by Michelin-trained Head Chef, Stuart Cooper.

Opening up the whole of the first floor into one flowing space, guests set out on their sensory exploration. Kicking off with the ‘Hearing’ stall, guests were encouraged to eat soft textured dark chocolate mousse and don wireless headphones while listen to crunching noises, as well as eating chocolate while listening to high and low pitches.

Guest speaker, Peter Barham, who is an advisor to Heston Blumenthal, and also wrote the acclaimed book ‘Science of Cooking’ explained: “Our senses are a very vital part of our eating experience. Eating something soft while listening to crunching noises confuses our brain because it is expecting to feel a different texture. Not only that, but listening to a low pitch while eating chocolate engages our brain and forces our mouth to taste the bitterness of chocolate, switch to a high pitch and the very same chocolate tastes sweet.”

As smoke dramatically poured out of the ‘Smell’ room, also known as the David Sainsbury, guests were greeted with the magnificently pungent scent of basil which they inhaled while eating tomato consommé, creating the unusual sensation of eating the basil.

Continuing the tour, drinkers were given a blind wine tasting session by Jascots, challenging guests to distinguish between white and red without peaking.

Becci Thomson, Prince Philip House Sales Manager said: “It’s been so much fun organising our ‘Tour of the Senses’ and it’s fantastic to see guests gaining as much enjoyment from it as I had hoped. My aim was to not just get guests to come and try our food but to really engage with our chefs, our produce and the whole experience of eating. Every aspect that we’ve shown tonight is also available to event bookers, from the impressive basil smoke bomb to the blind wine tasting, all designed to get a reaction and create a major talking point.”

Showcasing some of the food stalls that are available as event add-ons at the venue, Brindi, the supplier arm of well known restaurant Brindisa, provided ibérico ham that was cut to order, while a cerviche stall served everything from drunk scallops to Japanese salmon and seabass. Adding even more theatre to the event, a liquid nitrogen ice cream stall took centre stage transforming liquid vanilla and chocolate cream into ice cream in front of guests’ very eyes.

Guests downloaded the new Prince Philip House app, which was created by Appsolutely Mobile (www.appsolutelymobile.com), prior to the event in order to post messages and images via the event wall, which were then projected live on to plasma screens around the venue.

Prince Philip House is now offering all event bookers the opportunity to have their own fully branded app to include general information about their event, guest list and use of the interactive event wall.

Suppliers for the evening included production from Velvet Living, EMS, Jascots Wine, Art of Flower, Appsolutely Mobile, Stewart Linton Design and Frasershot.

41 Portland Place, home to the Academy of Medical Sciences, hosts pioneering Music and medicine event

Posted on: March 21st, 2014 by chandco

Last night (20th March) 41 Portland Place, part of the Harbour & Jones Events venue collection and home to the Academy of Medical Sciences, opened its doors to over 200 members of the public for the Academy’s pioneering ‘Music and medicine’ event.

Taking place as part of National Science and Engineering Week 2014, the evening showcased the unexpected links between music and health. The event explored different ways that music can be used to increase our understanding and treatment of disease by bringing together some of the sector’s most highly regarded researchers and musicians including UK beatboxing champion Ball-Zee, and the distinguished Orchestra of St John’s.

Nick Hillier, Director of Communications at the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “It was a fantastic evening that really captured people’s imaginations. Our guests were fascinated to hear about how music can impact on health and wellbeing, and further our understanding of how the body works.

“41 Portland Place has an amazing heritage as a home for medical discussion, over 90 Nobel Laureates have spoken at events in the building and it’s great to be able to continue that.

“As a venue 41 Portland Place offers a beautiful mix of period and modern architecture, so combining a classical orchestra with a national champion beatboxer seemed the perfect fit for the building.”

Taking over the entire venue for one evening, the Grade II* listed building, which is based near Oxford Street, became a buzz of musical workshops, performances and talks. The programme included an opportunity to hear research from the Royal College of Music into the effects of music in hospitals, how leisure activities – such as listening to music – affect stress levels, and learn about the physiology of beatboxing. The audience was also treated to a very special performance by the Orchestra of St John’s, which holds pioneering musical therapy sessions with autistic children.

The venue’s ultra modern gallery was combined with its state-of-the-art Wolfson Suite to host an exhibition from renowned photographer David Smith and a drop-in film screening.

 

Venues in London | Venue hire | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

Video: RSA House hosts Korean & Chinese New Year Party

Posted on: March 4th, 2014 by chandco

On Thursday 20th February, RSA House welcomed 100 industry professionals including representatives from Espírito Santo Financial Group, ECL Global, Hillgate Solutions, Deva Events and Pure Consulting to its Chinese & Korean inspired New Year party ‘Year of the Horse’.

Interested in going Korean at your next event? Find out about the latest food trend.

 

Venues in London | Venue hire | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

 

Leo Rodley joins the team at Harbour & Jones Events

Posted on: March 4th, 2014 by chandco

Leo Rodley, previously Executive Chef at 76 Portland Place, has joined Harbour & Jones Events as Company Chef.

Having grown considerably in the last year, Harbour & Jones Events has created a new role within the company for Leo, he will work across the venue collection to support Prince Philip House, 41 Portland Place, RSA House, St Paul’s Cathedral and Cutty Sark, as well as working on evening events.

“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and working on some exciting new food concepts for the summer as well as developing chefs within the business,” said Leo.

“It’s fantastic to be able to work across such prestigious venues and with such a high calibre of chefs.”

With a passion for molecular gastronomy, Leo has been brought on board to offer his expertise in fine dining as well as his creative flair and innovative approach to food. Working at 76 Portland Place for over six years, he helped grow the business to a record breaking £1.1million in food and beverage sales last year, and developed a reputation within the hospitality industry for being one of the best conferencing and events venues in London. Leo is well known within the industry having started writing a regular blog called ‘Real Food’ on Event Magazine and is an avid user of social media, delighting his followers with regular updates from his kitchen.

Venues in London | Venue hire | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

Event reports: St Paul’s Cathedral hosts London Awards

Posted on: February 24th, 2014 by chandco
We spy St Paul’s Cathedral in the February/March edition of Event magazine!

With the cathedral floor photographed in all its golden glory, the article featured the London Awards 2014 which took place on Thursday 23rd January with food and service provided by Harbour & Jones Events. A fantastic evening organised by not-for-profit body London First recognising some of London’s finest including Danny Boyle, The International Quarter Stratford and King’s Cross St Pancras.

Enquire about venue hire at St Paul’s Cathedral.

 

Venues in London | Venue collection | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

RSA HOUSE HOSTS ‘YEAR OF THE HORSE’ CHINESE & KOREAN NEW YEAR PARTY

Posted on: February 21st, 2014 by chandco

Last night, Thursday 20th February, RSA House welcomed 100 industry professionals including representatives from Espírito Santo Financial Group, ECL Global, Hillgate Solutions, Deva Events and Pure Consulting to its Chinese & Korean inspired New Year party ‘Year of the Horse’.

Traditional Chinese music played in the background as guests were shown to the Benjamin Franklin room for the New Year party celebrations. The entrance of the room was flanked by plinths decorated with fans and the Chinese character for horse was projected on the floor leading to the room. Inside the Benjamin Franklin room Chinese lanterns suspended from the ceiling, the space was up-lit in hues of red and amber (to represent gold), lucky colours in Chinese culture and an oriental pattern was projected onto the floor creating a warm and inviting party space.

Waitresses in cheongsam dresses and tops (patterned traditional Chinese dress) served guests a selection of Chinese and Korean cuisine including canapés of curried kimchi pancakes, scallop, pickled mushrooms and kimchi. Three food stations were provided including a sushi bar,  street food stall dishing up spicy sticky rice cake, prawn tempura  and seaweed rolls and a  steamed bun a meat stall serving a range of pickles, crispy shredded duck with plum sauce and Teriyaki salmon. Guests enjoyed the Red Lotus cocktail (vodka, lychee & cranberry), peach and lychee bubble tea and Asashi beer.

A cheeky lion dance was performed accompanied by live drum, symbols and gong. Guests also had the opportunity hear their fortunes told and a calligrapher translated guest’s names into Chinese, writing them on a book mark they could take as a keepsake from the evening.

The RSA House event team showed guests around the Great Room, which was set for a theatre presentation and four tables were styled in the four seasons, allowing guests to see how the space could be used to host a variety of events.

Suppliers of ‘Year of the Horse’ included styling by Event Concept, catering by Harbour & Jones Events, entertainment from Sternberg Clarke and floral design by Mary Jane Vaughan.

 

Venues in London | Venue collection | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

London Awards 2014 – Winners announced

Posted on: January 31st, 2014 by chandco

Last week we helped St Paul’s Cathedral and London First celebrate the people, places and companies that have helped make London such a success over the past year through London First’s London Awards 2014.

Entering through the stunning Cathedral, guests were greeted by the impressive and peaceful Cathedral floor and given their own personal tours, which included areas of the Cathedral that are off limits during the day, before being led down the beautifully lit stairwell to the white arches of Nelson’s chamber.

Hosted by Baroness Jo Valentine, Chief Executive of London First, the five awards were announced using a slightly different format with each award being announced in between courses. The menu featured classic British dishes with a twist, including starter of wild mushroom soufflé with Twineham Grange cream, baby leeks and pink pepper biscuits, herb crusted lamb shoulder and rump, with vanilla parsnips, potato fondant and truffle jus for main course, and a much acclaimed and decadant pudding of white chocolate and Bailey’s torte with pistachio brittle.

“The London Awards are a great way to recognise and celebrate the people and organisations that make London a great place to live, work and play,” said Baroness Jo Valentine.

“The vision and creativity we see from both the winners and those that made the shortlist helps keep the eyes of the world focused on the capital.

“They are a constant reminder of London’s dynamism and why it continues to attract the brightest and the best.”

View the video from the evening below.

 

The complete list of winners:

Champion for London – sponsored by Thames Tideway Tunnel

 

Improvement to Londoners’ Quality of Life – sponsored by UK Power Networks

 

Investment in London’s Future – sponsored by Grosvenor

 

Contribution to London’s Cultural Excellence – sponsored by Radisson Blu Edwardian, London, as voted by readers of Time Out

 

London First Chairman’s Award:

 

 

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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

WIN dinner for two at Aqua Shard

Posted on: January 30th, 2014 by chandco

Sign up to our newsletter during February and win dinner for two in one of London’s hottest new restaurants – Aqua Shard, located on level 31 of The Shard.

From sunrise to sunset, guests can experience the ever-changing views of the London skyline in this contemporary and cosmopolitan destination restaurant, which includes an innovative British menu and extensive cocktail menu.

Click here to enter now.

 

Venues in London | Venue collection | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

St Paul’s Cathedral helps put London First

Posted on: January 20th, 2014 by chandco

Harbour & Jones Events will be working alongside St Paul’s Cathedral to host the 2014 London First London Awards next week.

The event, run by not-for-profit organisation London First, is in its second year and will take place on 23 January. It recognises people, organisations and initiatives that have helped to define the capital’s international position over the past year.

Harbour & Jones Events and St Paul’s will be creating a classic British three-course fine dining menu in the cathedral’s crypt, which will be transformed for the evening by Ash Productions.

Rosie Day, St Paul’s Cathedral corporate events manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of such a fantastic London-specific awards night. The winners from last year speak for themselves; Crossrail, London 2012 Games Makers and Olympic Delivery Authority, all of which have had a huge impact on London Life.

“As a landmark London venue we understand exactly how important it is to recognise and promote London businesses and their contribution to the city, which is exactly what the London Awards do.”

On the night four awards will be introduced by Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First, including investment in London’s future, improvement to Londoners’ quality of life, champion for London and contribution to London’s cultural excellence.

Partnering with Time Out magazine, the contribution to London’s cultural excellence has been open to reader vote since December and consists of a shortlist of big names.

Among the names are London 2012’s artistic director Danny Boyle; Tamara Rojo, artistic director of the English National Ballet; and Jason Atherton, executive chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred Maze restaurant.

The Shard, Roundhouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Selfridges, Granary Square, EDF Energy London Eye, Leicester Square, National Theatre and V&A are the venues shortlisted for the accolade.

View the article on Event magazine.

To book a show round at St Paul’s Cathedral call 020 3206 7763 or email [email protected].

 

Venues in London | Venue collection | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
Conference rooms | Party venues | Marquees London | Event catering
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Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750

Recruiting now: Sales & events coordinator

Posted on: January 14th, 2014 by chandco

We’re recruiting for a sales and events coordinator at one of London’s most prestigious venues, 41 Portland Place.

Working within the Harbour & Jones Events collection you’ll have the opportunity to work at one of the most stylish and sought after venues in central London that was recently voted the 6th best in Event magazine’s Top 20 UK Venues.

Ideally located between tubes and close to the beautifully landscaped Regent’s Park, the venue has been attracting the eye of big brands including those in high-fashion and consumer goods. It was used to host the spring/summer collection preview for La Perla, a leading designer in luxurious lingerie, and the venue was also transformed into the House of Peroni during July and November by premium lager brand Peroni.

We’re on the lookout for a new team member that is success-driven, confident and organised, with exceptional attention to detail and a keen interest in the events industry. Previous sales experience or customer service skills are essential.

Meet the 41 Portland Place team and read more about Harbour & Jones Events.

For more details contact Ali Blows on [email protected] or 020 3176 2177.

 

 

Venues in London | Venue collection | Landmark London venues | Wedding venues
Conference rooms | Party venues | Marquees London | Event catering
Catering services | Private dining

Harbour & Jones Events
Venue hire & event catering London

1st Floor, The Lightbox, 127–133 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EW

www.harbourandjonesevents.com | 020 3206 7750


Work with us

We are always looking for talented people from chief cooks to expert bottle washers to work with us.

If that’s you, email your CV to: [email protected]