Author: BMA

In these strange and uncertain times where we have excess time and too much headspace, we can really focus on those things that often take a backseat when we are too busy.

One majorly important part of events; including conferences, private parties, bar mitzvahs, and weddings, are suppliers. Often, we don’t really take the time to think about how to create events with a difference, so, let’s use this extra time we have, to think about future events, and how you can make your event memorable.

Choosing suppliers can take a lot of time, it takes a lot of research, depending on the type of event you are planning.

A wedding or private party will generally have more suppliers than a conference, but not always. The most important suppliers for a conference are catering and production.

Caterers

If your venue has its own caterer like we do here at BMA House, it is one less job not having to select suppliers, but still, make sure you do your research.

Check out their website and Instagram, look at any reviews they might have, look over sample menus and think about what your guests would want and what fits with your brand message.

It is often found that the element of a conference people will find the most impactful is the food and drink! Your guests want to feel looked after, they are having to be engaged all day, so a caffeine break and a tasty lunch are majorly important.

Production and AV

Production and AV suppliers are almost equally as important as food and drink. They’re vital for conveying your content for the day in the most effective and impactful way.

Whether it is a small screen for a meeting of six or a 5-metre interactive, LED wall for a 300 person conference, or even a vibrating dance floor with surround-sound speakers at a bar mitzvah (yes this exists), the AV you choose and the quality of your supplier can make or break your event.

Again, many venues will often already have an AV supplier or some in-house equipment.

Do of course ask your venue about what they have built-in and if there is anything else they can provide you with. Then consider what else you might need and indeed whether the equipment they have works for you.

If not, look into an external supplier who can provide what you need, most venues won’t mind you bringing your own production, just make sure to keep your venue and production team on the same page!

Furniture & Decor

Moving away from the necessities of an event, the finer details are often what will make your event stand out. Furniture choice isn’t just important in your home but also for your event.

Some venues will have their own furniture, generally conference chairs and tables. If you have that little bit extra budget to spend then consider upgrading your furniture.

For a conference, make sure you have the comfiest chairs you can get, after all, your guests are sitting on them all day so comfort is key. However, consider also how you want the spaces to look.

Think about your brand message; create a colour palette that is bold and memorable. Consider also the style of your venue, make sure your furniture fits with it, for example, in a warehouse-style venue you might want to look at industrial style furniture using materials like re-purposed scaffolding.

Tying into décor, there are of course other things you will want to consider, such as flowers.

Now if you are planning a conference, this is something that will likely get set aside, however for a private dinner, a wedding or even a corporate Christmas party, flowers can liven up any venue.

Like with furniture, create a colour palette that is either in line with your brand for a corporate event, or in line with your personal style for a private event or wedding.

One important thing that often gets forgotten, like food, flowers are seasonal, so make sure to check in with your florist as they will be able to advise you on what flowers you can use at what time of year.

Advice from your suppliers is invaluable, so do get their opinion as they are the experts!

Entertainment

The last thing I want to cover, but by no means least, is entertainment in all its shapes and forms.

Entertainment can tie into all different forms of events in different ways and is super important in making an impression on your guests, and of course, keeping them happy and having fun!

The perfect entertainment for a conference is a team-building activity.

Not only are you getting your guests networking, but it is giving them something fun to participate in away from your main presentations.

If you are planning a summer or Christmas party, you may want to consider a few different options, such as; music, magicians, games or even performance acts. Performance acts are a great way of creating a spectacle for your guests, and with these, you really can let your imagination run wild.

Entertainment suppliers will generally have a large roster of acts with their own pre-organised routines. Don’t be afraid to ask for something more bespoke.

Tell them what you are looking for and what you want to create and let them help you bring your vision into existence. After all, they will want your event to be successful and the most memorable it can be, just as you do.

Like with anything, that little bit of extra time and effort spent researching suppliers and talking to them, can make all the difference.

A big tip to help save you some time is to ask your venue for their preferred suppliers’ list. Most venues will have a great list of suppliers they have worked with before and can provide you with a great experience, so make sure to look into this, particularly if you have less time to spend researching.

We hope you are all keeping safe and well during the strange times we find ourselves in. Please don’t be too disheartened if your wedding has had to be postponed; it’ll just mean its all the more special when the time comes!

Whether you are recently engaged or had that sparkly ring on your (or your fiancé’s!) finger for a while, now is the perfect time to start getting your wedding plans underway. You can really use this time to do your research and plan the day of your dreams.

This year, we released THREE amazing new packages to replace the one package we were previously offering. Each package offers something slightly different and we can tailor each of them to you. We don’t believe a ‘one size fits all’ approach works anymore, as each couple’s unique and wants something different from their day, with many couples opting for a less traditional wedding.

The full break-down of our wedding packages

At BMA House, we have a unique medicinal garden which is one of two beautiful and tranquil outdoor spaces. We took inspiration from our garden when naming our packages, and went with a herbal theme, calling them Thyme, Rosemary and Lavender.

So what do these packages include and which one is right for you?

For the DIY couple who want to build their own unique package…

THE THYME PACKAGE
£140.50 including VAT per person

This package was designed as a skeleton package, with a low minimum cost, including the very basics you need for your day. The idea is that you can then build upon this package to make it really personal, and unique to you. We have a list of great add-ons that you can choose from to really make the package work for you, including chairs, dancefloors, fairy lights and entertainment!

You can then choose to add to your package by upgrading separate elements. We have plenty of options to give your wedding a fun, modern and chic feeling, for example;

• DJ: £1,000.00
• Dancefloor: from £950.00
• Ice cream cart: £550.00 (based on 100 people and four ice cream flavours)
• Two hour Botanical Gin Bar or Prosecco Station: from £1,800.00
• Chiavari chairs or crossback chairs: from £4.00
• Canapés (based on four per person): £13.60 per person
• Calligraphed stationary (place names, table numbers etc.): from £1.50
• Table centres: from £30.00 (bespoke quotation on request)
• Fairy lights: from £30.00
• Magic Mirror Photobooth @ £800.00
• Garden hire for the ‘first look’ and photographs: £500.00
• String quartet: £900.00
• Linen and cutlery upgrade: quotation available on request
• Soft seating area: quotation available on request
• Caricaturist: £450.00
• Magician: £795.00

For the more classic couple who are looking for a ready-made package…

THE ROSEMARY PACKAGE
£180.00 including vat per person

This package was designed to have a more classic feel, featuring the basics of the Thyme Package but including some of the most popular upgrades within the price to take the work out of it for you. For example, this package has canapés and prosecco instead of nibbles and sparkling wine for a more substantial and exciting offering for your reception, a three-course seated dinner instead of a two course dinner with a dessert station, upgraded chivari or cross back chairs for that chic modern look, and evening bites too to fill your guests tummies as they’re dancing the night away. This is a really lovely ready-made package which of course you can add to should you want to include more and make it more bespoke to you, but it’s also a complete package with all the special ingredients for a really magical day.

For the couple looking to add that little extra sparkle and go all the way…

THE LAVENDER PACKAGE
From £265.00 including vat per person

The Lavender package was designed to include some of the popular extras purchased for a really special wedding, but all included in the package cost. This takes some of the work out of planning for you, and ensures a real luxury feeling to your day by keeping the cost down for you as you won’t need to spend time and excess money outsourcing these things yourselves. For example, you have exclusive hire of the whole venue which you can use for photographs or private areas (or as you please), you will receive champagne for your drinks reception and toast, upgraded Chiavari and crossback chairs, upgraded linen or your choice so you can make sure it matches your colour scheme, premium wine instead of house wine, an LED dancefloor, a string quartet or the ceremony and drinks reception, and street food stalls for the evening to give your guests a premium offering as their evening snack.

Whatever it is you are looking for from your day, and however you see your special day running from start to finish, we have something that will work perfectly for you.  Our team of wedding planners will work with you to ensure your wedding day is exactly how you dreamed it!

Learn more about weddings at BMA House or visit out contact page.

Well, we have certainly had an interesting start to 2020, haven’t we?!

My sympathy goes out to all the couples who have had to reschedule their weddings due to COVID-19. I know things are tough right now, but it’s important to stay positive; you’re still going to live happily ever after and have your dream wedding!

Whatever stage you’re at in your wedding planning journey, I hope some of the below tips will help you create the perfect day for you.

Set a budget

An important first step is to decide what you want the budget to be for your wedding. This will be a driving factor in many of the decisions you make later down the line so should be one of the first things you think about.

Do some basic research into the costs for things like wedding venue hire, catering, dresses and suits, and flowers.

This will give you a rough guide for how much things cost, and you can then make a decision about what you think is a reasonable budget to set yourselves.

If any family members have offered to contribute, speak to them to find out what they’ll be comfortable spending.

Sometimes families like to contribute a sum of money and others would prefer to put their money towards specific things, such as your wedding dress, the bar, or the photographer.

According to Hitched, the average spend on a wedding in 2019 was £31,974.00 which has increased from £27,161.00 in 2017.

Sometimes discussing budgets with someone you know that has recently gotten married can help, but don’t forget that each and every couples’ circumstances are different, no two weddings are the same, and therefore everyone’s budget is different so try not to compare and focus on what is important (and manageable!) to you.

There are plenty of ways to cut costs and still have the wedding of your dreams. Pinterest is usually a great tool to help with DIY ideas! But that’s a blog for another time…

Location, guests and venues

Once you have decided on a budget, you can start to look at where you would like your wedding to take place.

The location of your wedding venue often plays a big part in the wedding – couples often choose somewhere that means something to them, or that is easy for guests to get to (especially if guests are coming from overseas).

When you have decided on a location, you can start thinking about venues.

Get a grip on the approximate number of guests you’ll invite and an amount you’re comfortable spending before you start looking, as this will make it much easier to narrow down the venues you like that can accommodate your wedding and fit within your budget.

Some things to think about when choosing a venue;

• What style do you want your wedding venue to be? Inner-city or countryside? Modern or historic? Classic or quirky? Whatever you choose, make sure it’s a true reflection on you as a couple
• Do you want your wedding venue to hold both your ceremony and reception? A lot of venues are registered for ceremonies, but some are not. Make sure the venues you shortlist can accommodate legal ceremonies if that’s what you would like to do. Additionally, if you would like to dry hire a venue and bring in your own caterers (e.g. Kosher) then make sure the venue allows this too

• How does the venue contact come across? Your first point of contact when speaking to the venue is likely to be the one to plan your wedding with you and run it on the day. Make sure this person seems nice, knowledgeable, considerate of your choices and respects your vision as their support is vital when planning the day of your dreams. However, don’t forget that they will know what works well in their venue (and what doesn’t!) and will advise on what they think is best – it’s a good idea to listen to their recommendations
• Do you require outside space? A lot of wedding venues (like us!) have outside spaces which makes a really lovely addition to a summer wedding. If this is something that’s important to you, make sure you explore the options available and any restrictions there may be
• Do you get ‘that feeling’? When you have found the right venue for you, you’ll know. If it feels right, if you get butterflies, if you can picture yourself walking down the aisle there, it’s the one for you. Just make sure you have done the previously mentioned points before finding the ‘one’! Nothing worse than finding the venue of your dreams then realising it’s out of budget or doesn’t accommodate your guest numbers

When you have found the venue for you or narrowed it down to a shortlist, go and visit more than once!

Two or three times if you need to. There’s no rush here, take your time to make sure everything is as you want it to be.

Your venue choice will affect all the other choices you make so it has to be right!

Wedding timeline

When you begin planning your wedding, it’s good to create a timeline of what you would like to have organised by certain dates.

This will help you stay on track and give you something to work towards.

You can buy books and magazines which provide these things in detail, and we have put together a handy guide to help:

Catering

One of the main things guests remember from an event is the food! It’s important to have something that excites the senses, compliments the day and keeps guests satisfied.

Traditionally, weddings have what we call a ‘wedding breakfast’. This is the sit-down dinner had after the ceremony, drinks reception and photographs.

It’s called the ‘wedding breakfast’ as it’s the first meal you have after getting married – its nothing to do with the next morning!

Lots of wedding venues still use this terminology so don’t get confused, it’s just another term for dinner.

It traditionally consists of a starter, main course and dessert, followed by tea, coffee and petit fours.

However, couples are increasingly choosing alternative options for their weddings and opting for a less traditional wedding breakfast!

Some of the alternative options we offer that have proven popular with our wedding couples are street food, bowl food and afternoon tea! Choices that certainly get guests talking!

As well as food, drinks are a really important part of the day and your guests’ experience.

Instead of just the usual wine, beer and soft drinks, why not offer your guests something a little extra?

Consider an interactive build-your-own gin or cocktail station, or a personalise-your-prosecco station.

Guests can pick their favourite drink and choose their own botanicals, mixers and syrups, and decorations to make it fun, interactive and personal.

It also makes for great photos too!

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you will enjoy! After all, it’s your special day.

Registrars and Celebrants

Once you have chosen your venue you will need to get in touch with the local council’s registrars to book in your ceremony on your chosen date.

The registrars are the ones who will conduct your legal ceremony and bring the documentation for you to sign.

This is necessary for making your marriage ‘official’.

However, something to consider when planning your wedding is how you would like your ceremony to run.

Your wedding venue should have a licence so you can carry out the ceremony in the venue and spend your whole day in that one place, but you are not restricted to this as a rule.

When a registrar is conducting your ceremony, it’s restricted by legislation and no religious or spiritual content may be included.

Registrars often conduct a number of ceremonies the same day, so they are also restricted to time.

They will arrange to meet you both separately for a pre-ceremony interview and any readings must be approved before the ceremony takes place.

If you wanted to make your ceremony more personal and bespoke to you, then there’s an option to use a celebrant.

Celebrants will work with you on your ceremony to reflect your ideas, values and personalities. You will be able to choose what is said, how the ceremony is conducted, how long it lasts and write your own vows.

Celebrants are used for that personal touch but the ceremony they conduct will not be legally binding so you will need to conduct a legal ceremony with your registrars as well.

This could be done on the same day at the venue or in the registry office before your guests arrive, or on another day completely.

It’s your wedding and you can choose how you spend your day!

Other points to consider

• Prepare for some guests not to come.

It’s important to consider that about ten to twenty per cent of the people you invite won’t attend your wedding. This can be due to the location, date, expenditure, etc. so don’t take it personally and prepare yourself for this in advance

• Have a uniform children policy

There tend to be four choices you can make when it comes to children and your wedding: you can welcome all children with open arms; you could have an adults-only wedding so no children are allowed at all; you can include immediate family only; or you can hire a childcare service to look after the children during the wedding. However, it’s wise to avoid allowing some families to bring children whilst excluding others to prevent hurting feelings (unless of course, you have children in your bridal party)

• Wedding politics

A very common cause of contention is the politics involved in weddings. This usually comes from the ‘they invited us so we should invite them’ situation, or family having strong (often differing) opinions and wanting things to be a certain way. However, you need to remember that it’s your day and everyone else is there because they love you and want to celebrate with you

Wedding spend statistic: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/

I am pretty sure my tips can transpire to any industry but I am so proud to see all the industry come together and share knowledge and tips, I thought I would share my tips on how to keep focused and calm during this period.

The idea of the unknown right now is hard, when will we be back in venues? When will we be able to see our colleagues again face to face? How to reassure our clients that their events are in safe hands when we are ready again. As a venue showing a level of flexibility to booking terms is key.

But how do we keep calm and keep the focus in such usual times? Here are my tips:

• Daily calls as a team – I recommend a morning one and an afternoon one
• Set up some interactive times – quiz night with your colleagues? We are going to all watch the same movie one night – keep team morale up. A virtual book club is planned monthly too

• Have a structure to your working day. Write a daily list and include in this plans to look after yourself including exercise time
• Embrace YouTube workouts – we have seen Joe Wicks daily PE class but his channel has many other videos I use on YouTube – The Body Coach. Davina McCall has also made Own Your Goals free for 30 days
• Use Headspace or Calm app to just take 10 minutes a day to breathe
• Stand! Don’t get stuck at your home desk, stand up at least every hour and get away from the screen, you are likely to spend more time at your screen at home so it’s important to take regular breaks
• Join industry websites for many free webinars – I recommend EventWell, HBAA, MIA, The Delegate Wranglers. You will fill up some slots with some key training which can be really valuable. Sign up to Conference News and M&IT, C&IT and Event industry news emails too
• Projects – you know those big jobs you don’t have time to do? Ideas – upgrade your systems, clear out your PC of old unused folders, clear out your image folders, make new proposal documents, plan future events
• Training Tip Friday – we all take turns in our team to do some mini bitesize training on a topic which we may have learnt about that week or specialise
• Events – keep booking events, venues need your support too and we are ready to plan events right through the year, we have menus we can send you, floor plans, etc…
• Make use of Zoom, Skype, etc.. it’s important you don’t just talk but that you see each other! Just make sure you use your camera correctly and keep secure
• Create a network – link in with your industry peers, check in on them, get advice and share tips. You can create mini chat groups on LinkedIn for example
• Keep a routine – set your alarm still and get ready as if you are going to work still
• Use your one hour outdoor exercise time – I’ve never got into running but I am using Strava and Couch to 5k to encourage my daily run

• Take up a new hobby – Duolingo lets you learn a language on your phone – my holiday is rescheduled so I have plenty of time to learn some basic Japanese! Colouring, jigsaws, knitting are all easy and cheap things to take up
• Clients – what a great time to connect with your clients, just check in on them, ask them how they are and build a relationship
• Let in the fresh air – it might be cold out but it’s important to get some fresh air in your house/flat. Get those windows open!
• Volunteer – you can do this for the NHS scheme or event just volunteer in a buddy scheme such as Stress Matters – Buddies Matter scheme

And above all, we are all very much looking forward to finally being back together again! Please note the below picture was taken last year on a team outing. We are all staying at home and following the rules…

Summer is upon us and with everyone being stuck indoors now is the perfect time to be planning your summer celebration! As we continue to monitor Government advice we are all hoping that we will finally get a summer, even if it is a later one!

Celebrate your valued employees and clients with a night to remember, it’s time to tackle the mid-year slump and re-energise your employees for the year ahead – it is definitely needed after this tough start to 2020!

Here are our top tips to help you plan a fantastic summer party!

Location 

When choosing your summer party venue, think about its location and what style you are going for.

Do you want somewhere ultra-modern, with rooftop city views or a party in a beautiful courtyard, surrounded by blooming flowers?

Consider somewhere that offers outdoor space to make the most of the glorious sunshine and longer evenings, however, ensure your venue has an equally charming indoor space to continue the party indoors once the sun has set – it is England after all!

Catering

If your guests are going to remember one thing from a party it will be the food. We consider any summer party menu to be the main attraction so it’s wise to focus a lot of attention on this!

Sit down dinners are a no-go for summer so why not allow your venue to rustle up something exciting.

A big trend we are seeing this year is street food stations; guests have the chance to interact with chefs as they cook a range of delightful cuisines from around the world – all served from stations with theatrical theming to really wow your guests!

Don’t forget the drinks!

Consider a cocktail, craft beer, gin bar or something sparkling as a welcome surprise to get the party started.

Most venues offer packages for additional drinks throughout the evening – you might want to organise an office poll to determine the favourite wines, spirits & beers amongst your guests to request at your party.

Entertainment

We all love a DJ & Dancefloor, but entertainment can also come in the form of magicians, giant garden games, magic mirrors and Jazz duos.

You can really add an element of personalisation to your party to keep the surprises coming, so ask your venue for recommendations, chances are they know some great suppliers to fit within your budget!

Enjoy the celebration

Even though you have been tasked with planning your companies summer party this year, you need to take a step back from being the ‘Planner’ on the night and enjoy the celebration as much as your guests.

Make sure you communicate with your Event Planner, book site visits to familiarise yourself with the venue and listen to any tips and recommendations your venue has.

To put your mind at rest handover your guest list and details of any suppliers you have booked, so that your venue can take control of this on the night – they are here to help you!

All that will be left, is for you to enjoy the delicious food & drinks with your colleagues whilst taking in the beautiful surroundings of the venue you have booked!

Here at BMA House headquarters, we have been working our magic with our chefs, catering and marketing teams to create a new menu and DDR package to shake up the industry.

Just last month the team at BMA House unveiled our brand new ‘Well Grounded’ DDR package comprising an entirely plant-based menu in line with our green credentials.

The ‘Well-Grounded’ package offers three refreshment breaks, with delicious and healthy snacks, a hot fork buffet lunch and fresh mint tea in the afternoon.  Delegates can select from tasty lunch options such as; Pulled jackfruit & sweet potato chilli with cocoa nibs, soya bourguignon with red wine, wild mushrooms and vegan bacon or tomato gnocchi with Sicilian aubergine stew.

Alongside delicious and nutritious options, your delegates will be saving the environment using our ‘Smart KAPP’ interactive flipcharts and reducing the amount of paper and waste.

Not only have we created this pioneering package, but our chefs also launched an entirely plant-based menu alongside the ‘Well-Grounded’ DDR.

Therefore if clients want delegates to do their bit, perform well and help the planet, but don’t want an entire package, then they can choose indulgent dishes from our breakfast, refreshment, and lighter lunch menus.

Eating a plant-based diet has proven links to health benefits and lowering our environmental impact and we have our ‘Green Guru’ Victoria Lewis to thank for this package.

We spoke to Victoria about the inspiration for the package:

“As the resident ‘Green Guru’ and all-round lover of sustainability, I know that we are a very forward-thinking venue in terms of our green credentials, but we wanted to do more than making changes around the venue, we wanted to get our clients to embrace sustainability too.”

“I worked alongside our Venue Manager Kat, General Catering Manager Johnathan and Executive Chef Gordon to come up with a delicious and nutritious, 100% plant-based offering. We took inspiration from our Botanical Garden and included fresh mint tea breaks, to remove non-biodegradable tea bags and to aid digestion.  We are super pleased with the finished product and proud to say we are only one of two venues to offer a fully Vegan menu. We are successfully selling our ‘Well-Grounded’ packages for 2019 and 2020 and we cannot wait to see more.”

At just £75.00+vat per person, the ‘Well-Grounded DDR’ package is the perfect offering to do your bit for the environment, in a stunning venue that promises to deliver exceptional service. If you want to opt for our ‘Well-Grounded’ package for your next event, then get in touch today!

– Main meeting room hire (09:00-17:00)
– Catering room hire (09:00-16:00)
– Fairtrade filter coffee, speciality tea and mini blueberry muffins on arrival
– Mid-morning Fairtrade filter coffee and speciality tea, granola bars and whole fruit
– Hot fork buffet lunch
– Flavoured hydration station
– Mid-afternoon fresh mint tea and cake bites
– Still and sparkling bottled water throughout
– Interactive flipchart
– Soya milk is provided as standard, dairy provided on request

On the 27^th June 2019, BMA House hosted one of the UK’S top 20 accountancy firm’s annual West End Summer Party. The firm comes together every year to celebrate their achievements so far and to show their appreciation to their key clients and contacts.

The firm’s Events team worked alongside one of the planners, Hannah Robinson to ensure the evening was a roaring success. A bespoke summer package was created for the firm, who opted for bowl food and canapés rather than our traditional BBQ package.

Guests were welcomed into the impressive Courtyard to enjoy a Wild Strawberry Verbena Collins on arrival and some music in the sunshine. As the evening got underway, guests got to enjoy some tasty bowl food options; including Butter chicken and rice, courgette & lemon risotto and Mexican grilled prawn salad. To ensure that guests were sufficiently full and satisfied, our team also served up delicious garden pea and ricotta arancini, Greek lamb meatballs, asparagus tarts and mini fish and chips.

A roving magician provided the entertainment for the evening and all guests seemed to be having a fantastic time. Since the event was a huge success and we received some lovely feedback from the team, we thought it would a great idea to catch up with one of the organisers, about her experience hosting their first party at BMA House. Here is what she had to say…

How did you hear about BMA House? Literally through Google and it was one of the best venues I came across.

What was the deciding factor for choosing to host your summer party at BMA House?  BMA House has the wow factor. As soon as you walk into The Courtyard it leaves a big first impression. We wanted a venue that had outdoor space, with somewhere that could cater for the unpredictable UK weather and offer indoor space (if needed). Ultimately that was the deciding factor for us.

What was your favourite part of the event? The food! The canapés and the bowl food were a massive hit!

You had a great menu on the evening, how did you manage to narrow down your options and what was the most popular on the evening? We opted for a food tasting. We already knew what we liked the sound of as the menu offers a variety of food and covers everything you need. We ended up sticking with the options we picked from our first look at the menu. The fish and chips won hands down for me!

How would you rate your overall experience at BMA House throughout the entire event process? 10/10 – Hannah and the events team were so easy to work with and made the process a lot less stressful. It was so nice to know the logistics at the venue were in hand.

Finally, what would you say to any other clients who potentially might want to host their summer party at BMA House? Go and see BMA House! We have been hosting our summer party for a number of years and our client’s feedback was all the same – it was the best summer party yet!

A huge thanks to the team for taking the time to give us such lovely feedback! We look forward to hopefully hosting your event next year…

We still have some key dates in August and September for summer parties, so if you like the sound of BMA House for yours then get in touch today.

Recently some of our fabulous team at BMA House decided to set themselves the challenge of all challenges, hiking a mighty 26 miles in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. We don’t do things by halves here at the BMA and after our Venue Manager, Kat had mentioned to the team about getting involved, we quickly had two teams sign up, who took on two very different but equally challenging routes.

Each member of the team had their own personal reasons for taking part, whether that was their own diagnosis, a family members diagnosis or even the loss of a loved one to cancer, they all knew the battles that people with cancer face and just how important Macmillan’s support can be.  These super 7 did everything they could to raise money for such a great cause. As we said, we don’t do things by halves at the BMA and the team set themselves a mighty fundraising target of £2,000 for Macmillan.

Kat, Sasha, Lisa and Ellie were the first of the group to get their walking boots on and tackled the South Coast cliffs walking from Brighton to Eastbourne. These 4 battled hills, rain, sunshine and one of the UK’S windiest days to complete their 26.8-mile challenge.

Hannah, Rebecca and Sarah were the next 3 to take on the challenge and still pushed through with it, despite hearing just how brutal it was for the other 4. These 3 braved the ever-changing English weather and a slightly flatter more scenic route, walking along the Thames Path from Windsor Racecourse to Henley-on-Thames.

Both teams absolutely smashed their walks and their fundraising target, raising a total of £3,998.88 for Macmillan which is 112% target! Despite, aches, pains, blisters, and very sore feet, the team were incredibly proud of their achievements and completing the challenge.

So if we haven’t already inspired you to get involved, then read their stories here and you might just think differently. If they have inspired you and you are thinking about taking it on next year, you might want to read what they had to say first. Enjoy…

Kat: Our walk was well pretty much awful, who knew the seven sisters on the south coast actually meant 7 giant cliffs/hills to climb? I certainly didn’t! I’ve never experienced windy conditions like that along with rain, hail and sun!

The organisation of the walk is so good, great snack stops and a lovely lunch. Thankfully it stopped raining by this point.

Will I do it again? Maybe but probably not that route anyway.

Sasha: “We battled rain, hail, sunshine, hills that were the size of mountains and wind like I have never experienced before for 26.8miles! Very proud my myself, Kat, Ellie, and Lisa for completing it with a smile on our faces.”

Hannah: “We did the Thames Path one which had such lovely scenery and was luckily much flatter than the other one ?.

Rebecca: “The route we (Sarah, Hannah and myself) took was so pretty, we walked along the Thames Path from Windsor Racecourse all the way to Henley-on-Thames. Very scenic which kept motivation levels up, plus it was flat so no steep hills to climb! The food and snacks Macmillan provided along the route were amazing. I’d definitely do this again one year and really felt my fitness levels come back ?.

In partnership with the fabulous team at HeadBox, 6th June saw us host 150 key clients and venue bookers as part of our BMA House Summer Social showcase.

With the Great British weather on our side, guests were welcomed into the garden for a glass of bubbles and had the opportunity to enjoy an interactive gin and sparkling flowers bar. Both bars did not disappoint, with guests torn between creating bespoke botanical gins or garnishing their prosecco with edible flowers and flavoured liquors.  Our Catering General Manager, Johnathon Reynolds stole the show with his BMA Garden themed beverages, using herbaceous, medicinal plants, such as lemon balm and mint to bring the gin to life. We continued with the medicinal theme serving gin with Quinine, a common treatment for Malaria.

The bar was a real talking point, one guest even asked which drink’s supplier we had used to create this for us. Johnathon was thrilled to hear this saying; “I have often been passionate about gin, I started a gin club in a previous role. It is an exciting time for gin as it just continues to be popular. It was great to be able to take inspiration from BMA House itself to create an immersive experience for guests.”

Sustainability and wellbeing played a key part in the evening. Our Venue Manager, Kat Winfield introduced our new plant-based, “Well – Grounded” DDR as part of her speech. Further speeches were given from Andrew Needham, Founder, and CEO of HeadBox and Nick Taylor from Unmind.   Both their speeches focused on the importance of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Guests were given collapsible coffee cups as giveaways, made from the waste produced at BMA House.

As the sun started to set over the Courtyard, guests enjoyed a jazz trio courtesy of Liquid Strings, while tucking into a menu of Jerk marinated chicken, South American top rump, wellbeing salads, and a traditional English dessert table.

After the BBQ guests were offered a venue show-round. The show-round was a great opportunity for leading corporates to see our end-to-end service, innovative catering and a wide variety of impressive spaces.  Guests used the hashtag #BMASummerSocial and the evening itself was featured in industry press. Click here to read all about it.

A big thanks to our caterers CH&CO, Liquid Strings, HeadBox and Unmind for working with us to make the evening a roaring success. It was a great opportunity to bring new faces to the venue and we look forward to hopefully hosting their events in the future.