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Following changes to working practices after the COVID-19 pandemic, leading London venue, BMA House is exploring why hybrid events are better for the environment?

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has delivered the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013.  The results according to UN Secretary General António Guterres are “a code red for humanity.”  According to the BBC, “the authors say that since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years.”

COP26 is an opportunity for the world to gather and make tangible changes in terms of carbon emissions and environmental change.  Some are describing it as a last stand for humanity.  It will be a face-to-face event that has the power to change the word for the better.  However, due to the impact of COVID-19, global travel restrictions, closed borders and more – it will undoubtedly be a hybrid event.  Given the nature of COP26’s content, , what better time to question why hybrid events are better for the environment.

Firstly, it is worth noting that hybrid is not a new concept, it has however become a reality due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  COP26 will arguably be the world’s first major hybrid event bringing together both in-person and virtual audiences.  Prior to COVID almost all delegates would have travelled to the event in person.  Now, necessity is forcing change, it is forcing new concepts in the world of event management.  It is making us think differently about attending events in person and how we calculate the value of travel.

Travel to and from events is the most obvious consideration when it comes to the sustainability of in-person events versus hybrid events.  Cutting down on planes, trains and automobiles does unarguably make hybrid events better for the environment (and it would have saved John Candy a lot of hassle way back in 1987!).  It also allows wider audiences to attend – those who previously did not have either the funds or the time to attend an in-person event.  It is clearly the single biggest benefit to the environment for hybrid events.  So many miles of travel will be reduced, so many trips no longer need to be taken, so much fuel (not matter how responsibly sourced) will not be used.  An extension of this is also the potential growth of international delegates, who can attend virtually, without associated travel miles and cost.

However, there are many other considerations beyond travel that need to be taken into account.  Firstly though, we must assume that a hybrid event includes some element of face-to-face meeting for some of the delegates (otherwise it would be purely digital).

Energy usage is a big question to consider.  The venue still needs power, but so do all the home offices and remote spaces for all the virtual delegates.  Perhaps the venue needs less power though due to smaller in person attendees, and the remote attendees were going to be powering and heating their homes anyway?  In terms of energy, on the surface it is perhaps a net balance.  However, the energy cost of streaming requires servers around the world to be on, cooled and maintained.  Plus each remote delegate needs to power their own devices.  Maybe this consumption balances out with less venue AV requirements and the fact in person attendees would still be switching on laptops and tablets anyway.  Time and research will prove this question.

Food consumption is also probably a net balance – people still need to eat whether at home or the event.  They need to source and cook the food either at the venue or themselves.  Food miles should perhaps be considered but so should the fact that the home based, live streaming, delegate is eating leftovers or sharing lunch with family.

The most difficult and most important question to ask though is whether to have the event in the first place and what value it will deliver.  This has always been an important question to ask, but COVID-19 has highlighted the fact we really cannot hold events for the sake of holding them.  This will have a huge impact on the environment as organisers question themselves, hone the content and ultimately create fewer but better events.

Hybrid events are the future, and they will be better for the environment than historic events.  However, all angles must be considered if we are to ensure they are a success and better for the environment.  The face-to-face element of events deliver serendipitous meetings and conversations that might not otherwise happen online, and we cannot ignore the importance of physical meetings.  Many topics that are often dealt with in a round table format for example offer significant logistical challenges, where small group dynamics work well online or in person but can be tricky where some are “in the room” and others not.

We must recognise that hybrid offers the opportunity for wider interaction and attendance, the chance to dip in and out of session, which in turn adds diversity and inclusion, increasing value in other ways.  However, some things simply aren’t quite as good as the in-person experience – particularly that post event glass of English sparkling wine – which never tastes as good behind a laptop.

For further information on holding your hybrid event at our impressive London venue, please email: [email protected] or call: 020 7874 7020 or visit: www.bmahouse.org.uk

The perfect London wedding venue will make the day about the couple, putting them front and centre, respecting their wishes and finding ways to meet their needs and their wedding dreams.  If a wedding venue can provide that sense of ownership, with all the right personal touches then they truly are somewhere special.

Sustainability in wedding venues is not a new thing but it has become far more prevalent and more of a focus as couples seek to be more environmentally friendly.  Where should couples start though, what are the key questions to ask and look out for?

Firstly, as mentioned it should be about the personal touch.  We, for example, provide one point of contact, one wedding planner from start to finish included in our offering, whether this is one of our all-inclusive packages, or bespoke proposal built with you in mind. We’ve made things nice and simple for you, book your chat at a time that suits you with our wedding planner here.

We are also exclusive – despite having four very different spaces licensed for weddings, we only ever host one at a time – meaning there is no risk of that awkward moment when you bump into another bride in the toilet!

It’s this personal and individual approach that then allows you to create a wedding that is sustainable because it means the venue is driven by your needs rather than a standard template with “insert couples name here” at the top.

Some areas of sustainability are obvious – such as our caring policy on biodegradable confetti or the fact that there are no single use plastics in the venue.  However, one of the biggest areas for environmental impact is the food and drink.  Food miles are considered for all our menus, as is the seasonality of the food and sustainable value of our suppliers – in fact we now only stock English sparkling wines for that very reason.  And you don’t have to be concerned, not only have the English wines consistently beaten continental competitors in blind taste tests, but we also always offer complimentary menu tastings so you can check them out yourself.  It is, however, our water which travels the shortest distance as it is bottled on site.

Just a few additional personal touches here at BMA House are the charming London open spaces, balconies for bouquet tossing and a host of local boutique hotels offering special rates to our guests.

Your wedding should be about you and your venue must recognise and support that – we certainly do, and we would be delighted to chat more and learn what special touches we can add to your special day.

Simply click here to book your chat with our caring wedding planner, or email us on: [email protected], or call: 020 874 7020.

This year has been a year like no other. Who would have thought 10 months ago that we would still be affected by COVID19? Amongst all the sadness and suffering, one key message has shone through; to be kind and look out for one another. With the events industry being one of the hardest hit by the virus, supporting each other has been key to keeping the industry alive. So in the face of adversity, we have come together with two other fantastic Euston venues; Wellcome Collection and Royal College of Physicians to collaborate and refer business between one another.

The Euston area is often referred to as the medical mile, as it has strong links with local hospitals, universities, and general practitioners. With fantastic connections to the UK and Europe, Euston is an ideal area to host any event.This year the medical profession has been in the media more than ever before showing their strength, commitment, and utter professionalism.

Often we find that a lot of our clients are looking for medical-related venues in the Euston area. However, the ever-changing guidelines around opening and reopening can often make it tricky to offer our clients available dates. With additional time on our side, the three of us set up an initial small network to talk about our COVID experiences. At that point, we saw an opportunity. An opportunity to refer business to one another and to demonstrate unity through a common goal. We wanted to come together to support each other’s events and provide multi-site spaces for meetings as necessary. All of us can offer a vast range of delegate packages, hourly rates, digital and hybrid solutions, to ensure that all our client needs can be met.

Now of course we know you know of BMA House, just by making it to this page. Here is a little more about the other two spaces.

Wellcome Collection 

Wellcome Collection is the free museum and library exploring health and human experience. Located in central London just steps away from Euston and King’s Cross/St Pancras station. Their venue hire offers thought-provoking event spaces in both the Conference centre and the unique exhibition galleries.  Whatever the client’s needs, they can offer flexible and inspiring backdrops for all types of events, from seminars and training sessions, to film screenings and AGMs their capacities range from two people to 300 people.

To get in touch with Wellcome Collection – email [email protected] or visit wellcomecollection.org/venue-hire

The Royal of Physicians

The Royal College of Physicians was founded in 1518 by Royal Charter from King Henry VIII.  It is the oldest medical college in England. The venue offers highly versatile facilities, with 12 meeting spaces, including tiered auditoriums, conference, meeting, exhibition and dining spaces, with contrasting old and new styles to suit all tastes, giving clients a range of possibilities to create an unforgettable event.

After an extremely challenging year with lots of industry changes, all 3 venues have successfully received the MIA AIM Secure Accreditation and Visit Britain Good to Go Accreditation making them COVID safe venues for the future.

We are delighted to be working together and we all look forward to a more successful and collaborative 2021.

Contact us all

To get in touch BMA House – email [email protected] call 020 7874 7020 or visit the website: bmahouse.org.uk and link it to https://bmahouse.org.uk/

To get in touch with Wellcome Collection – email [email protected] or visit wellcomecollection.org/venue-hire

To get in touch with the Royal College of Physicians – email  [email protected] call 020 7034 4900 or visit the website rcplondon.ac.uk/venue-hire

This year, National Vegetarian Week ran from 11^th to 17^th May 2020 and aimed to highlight to the public the benefits and pleasures of a meat-free diet and that vegetarian food can be vibrant and exciting to eat.

The challenge is endorsed by the National Vegetarian Society who say, “It’s an unusual time at the moment, but it’s also a chance to have a go at something new and enjoy cooking at home”. They offered a free ‘recipe card’ which had a new and easy vegetarian meal to try each day, supported by the likes of Stephen Fry, Chris Peckham, the Hairy Bikers, Joanna Lumley and Matt Pritchard.

Meals included a sweet potato burger with vegan cheese and smoky relish (courtesy of BOSH!), a pita ‘kebab’ with plant-based kebab ‘meat’ fried with vegetables and served with crème fraiche (courtesy of Oumph!) and a classic country pie with roast potatoes and gravy (courtesy of Linda McCartney).

Some of our Venues Team decided to take part in the vegetarian week challenge and try their hand at some meat-free cuisine.

Alex says “I really wanted to get involved with National Vegetarian Week as I have been making much more of a conscious effort to reduce the amount of meat in my diet for environmental reasons and this was a great way to do that. I spent lots of time looking at what recipes I could try and found some new favourites I will definitely be making over and over. I think if you spend the time to make veggie dishes exciting, they can be more delicious and more interesting than meat dishes! After doing this it has also shown me that I can definitely work more vegetarian meals into my diet and still be excited about them.”

Some of Alex’s dishes included falafel and tzatziki pittas and cauliflower curry.

So why is eating less meat important?

It’s no secret that the planet is heating up and so by replacing meat and protein with vegetarian alternatives (such as nuts, seeds, beans and lentils) we can reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

More agricultural land is used to raise cattle than all other domesticated animals and crops combined. A vegetarian diet requires two-and-a-half times less the amount of land needed to grow food, compared to a meat-based diet. Livestock in the UK eat more than half of the 20million tonnes of cereal grown – that’s over 50% of wheat and 60% of barley.

A vegetarian diet also uses less water than that of a carnivorous diet. It takes far less water to produce plant protein than meat protein, for example, an 8oz chicken breast takes over 542 litres of water to produce. Enough to fill your bathtub 6.5 times!

Kat also took part in vegetarian week and says, “I decided to take on veggie week and convinced by two housemates to take part too, as we share all the cooking and food in the house at the moment.”

“I loved the challenge of making new recipes and changing my chicken curry to a halloumi curry. I love a Sunday roast and found a delicious vegetarian wellington recipe which I made on Sunday and served with some yummy green veggies and mini roast potatoes cubes. For breakfast we had smoothies or eggs on toast, and I have new-found love of veggie sausages! I actually prefer them now to meat sausages. I think they only thing I missed was some kind of substance at lunch such as tuna in my salad or chicken in my soups.”

“I rarely order a take-away that doesn’t have meat in it. Last week we actually supported two local places. ‘Tapping the Admiral’ in Kentish Town do a fantastic veggie or vegan pie with all the trimmings for £9. We also found our local ‘Mildred’s’ was offering a take-away too, so I had a delicious ‘Duck’ burger on Saturday night! I have really learnt that a take-away can offer just as good alternative to meat.”

“Moving forward I am going to stop just adding chicken to my dishes and think about other sources of protein etc. and I want to make an effort to cut down meat even more then I was. I am Looking forward to continuing my reduced meat diet.”

Kat’s housemate also commented on the challenge saying, “It was all good really…! Found out it was easier than expected to do veggie meals, I always thought it was more effort/you had to spend longer doing them, but you don’t! I missed fish though.”

Some of Kat’s dishes included a vegetable ‘leftover’ quiche, pie with mash and greens, and a wellington roast!

If you aren’t ready to go cold (meatless) turkey just yet, then why not start slowly with ‘Meat Free Monday’ or cooking with chicken instead of more carbon producing meats such as beef and pork?

Victoria is has gone all the way when it comes to living a meat-free lifestyle and is now living life as a vegan. She shares some tips on how to introduce more plant-based foods into your diet!

“I have been vegan for a year and half now, and before that I was vegetarian for about six years, with the occasional fish dish (pescatarian) here and there. My personal reasons for choosing a plant-based diet was to help the environment and reduce my carbon footprint, and because I simply love animals too much to eat them or any of their bi-products. I think a lot of people struggle at the thought of suddenly becoming vegan or vegetarian, but it doesn’t need to be an instant ‘all or nothing’ approach. You can slowly start introducing things into your diet that replace animal products so it’s a gradual and enjoyable process. For example, try plant-based milk as a replacement for your coffee, porridge or cereal. ‘Oatly’ is my favourite as its very creamy and great in coffee, but soya is good in tea and almond is good for porridge. Play around with different milks and find which one(s) are your favourite.”

“There are also some great meat alternatives out there – ‘Quorn’ do plant-based mince and chicken pieces (not vegan but good for veggies!) which are so easy to cook as a replacement for making bolognaise, fajitas or pies! There are some great vegetarian sausages out there such as Linda McCartney and supermarkets are doing a great job of offering their own brand meat-alternatives. There’s also a fairly new substance called seitan which is made from wheat gluten. It mimics the texture and look of real meat so is a great alternative if you want to fool yourself into thinking you’re eating the real thing! I haven’t tried cooking with it yet but I will often order it when eating out. If you have a look in the meat-free section next time you’re at the supermarket I’m sure there will be something that grabs your attention, and that’s a great first step.”

“I also love lentils, chickpeas and beans as staples for making many dishes such as bolognaise, curries and stews.”

“Lastly, its important to remember that everyone is on their own journey when it comes to being pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian and if you are trying one of these, its ok to make mistakes. Every little helps, and any effort you make is a good effort.”

So why not make your next meal meat-free? Let us know how it goes and don’t forget to look out for these symbols:

Veganism is proving extremely popular in today’s modern millennial world, with several people moving away from a meat and dairy-based diet to an entirely plant-based one.  On a daily basis, we are learning the importance of a vegan diet, recent studies show the health and environmental benefits of going plant-based. Meatless Mondays are now becoming a thing and with sustainability at the heart of everything we do, Vegan Month seemed an appropriate time for us all to change our lives and dabble in the plant-based world.

We all agreed that we would just try it for one week only and it was up to the team to decide how many of their meals a day they would follow a vegan diet. As our resident ‘Green Guru’ Victoria is already vegan, she, of course, opted for a life of saving the planet. Alex and Hannah opted to make every meal vegan and Kat, Sasha and Nicola opted for vegan lunches.

We swapped eggs and bacon for baked beans and mushrooms, milky coffees for oat milk lattes and we all slashed our daily chocolate intake. As a venue that understands the importance of a plant-based diet, we were very lucky to have an array of options for lunches. We all enjoyed tarragon and mushroom sausage wellington, sweet potato shepherd’s pie, butternut squash soup and black bean quesadillas with vegan cheese. Vegan week proved a little more challenging for Alex and Hannah who were forced to get more creative with their meals at home to have a tasty dinner.

As a cheese and chocolate-loving team, we thought the challenge would be quite a shock to the system, but it was actually enjoyable for everyone. Kat said: “We are extremely lucky to work in a venue that creates tasty, innovative and delicious vegan food and this has definitely helped us enjoy and be inspired to start eating more vegan dishes.” Not only was there something delicious to choose from every day but we also got a chance to have food cooked for us by CH&Co’s very own vegan chef, who prepared us tofu and seaweed cake with roasted aubergine, tahini and rice noodles.

After a week of changing our diets, we felt we had done our bit to start helping the planet but was the tasty food enough to turn everyone completely plant-based…

We all agreed it enabled us to eat healthier and think more about what we are putting into our bodies. Sasha agreed that we all will do our bit for the environment and look at how many times we are eating meat and dairy, but we won’t be fully vegan anytime soon. Every small step to help the planet is a step in the right direction. Meatless Monday’s is next on the cards for the team but thankfully in the meantime, we have our Well-Grounded package, our resident vegan and a number of sustainable initiatives :)!

As we work on the venue side of the events industry, we’re most familiar with bringing our clients events to life, rather than our own.

Pre lockdown, our Venue Manager Kat was looking forward to delivering an external event as part of her Fast Forward 15 programme. Fast forward a few months (pardon the pun) and lockdown changed everything. Here Kat discusses the process of turning a face to face event into a virtual one.

“I was really lucky to get a place on the Fast Forward 15 programme with 14 other mentees in 2019/20. As part of this, we put on an event to give back. It’s an event with zero budget that aims to make money for a charity, whilst also generating funding towards keeping the Fast Forward 15 programme going, a great free opportunity for the events industry.

We were all set and excited to be hosting the event at Two Temple Place on the 30^th April with catering secured, donations for drinks, and some fantastic AV from Sparq. Then COVID hit the UK.

Communication for me is key, if I’ve learnt anything already through this whole scenario, it is the importance of keeping in touch with my fellow mentees on zoom calls. We had about 2-3 weeks to decide if we either postponed until after October 2020, or turned it into a virtual event – something none of us had really done before.

I’ll be honest, my original thought was to move it to later in 2020. Gradually I saw the benefits of an online event – we would be able to get some vital funds to our charity – Girls Rock London, whilst also learning what it’s like for our clients to have the only option of events to be virtual.

Some of my wonderful mentees were furloughed from work so they could throw 110% of their energy into researching great online tech. With the help of our original AV supplier Sparq, they worked hard on a platform that would allow us to host as many people as possible.

My role in the event was charity liaison. Working with Girls Rock London, they shared some performances on the night so everyone could see where their money will go. We also have a great recording from Lips Choir which, trust me, is worth seeing. Turning this part virtual meant having pre-recorded sessions from the performers who were going to be at our actual event as well – something that I am sure is also completely new to them.

With the charity agreement, we moved forward with an online event. It’s really exciting to see how we can adapt from a face to face event into this virtual event – especially for a person who is so used to helping clients achieve their dream event in-person.

I have to say I was nervous about how it would all run on the night but with an amazing group of women, I was confident we’d pull off the first-ever virtual Fast Forward 15 fundraiser!

What I was looking forward to taking away from it is both raising money for charity, but also learning some new skills, which in turn I can hopefully use to help our clients make events more virtual in the future.

Apart from my advice on communication, if you are nervous to make your event virtual do speak to key suppliers out there and engage with others. Your event could really make a difference to others which I am hoping ours will as well.

You can come and see what the event looks like for just £5

It’s world environment day and it couldn’t have come at a better time…

The global pandemic has encouraged us all to re-evaluate our lives and how our current ways of living are having an irreversible effect on the planet. This must be stopped.

The Earth is having a minute to breathe. Data from satellites shows that nitrogen dioxide air pollution levels have plummeted across Europe since the pandemic and levels of pollution have decreased by up to 50% in major cities. The air is clearing of pollution from fewer cars on the roads and planes in the sky, wildlife is returning to newly clear waters and forests and crude oil has gone into minus value as its just not needed anymore! We have even seen wild animals boldly strut into built up, urban areas where they never would have dared venture before.

We all love a bargain! And why not? Any opportunity to be able to save those precious pounds for ourselves or our organisations can go a long way. In the spirit of ‘bargain hunting’, I wanted to share some tips that’ll gives anyone planning an event a few ways to keep costs down (and their own moods high!).

Choosing a package per person over room hire and catering separately

For any event planner, this can be very much a “catch 22” situation where you have a set budget, but you want to get the most value possible. It’s understandable, who wants to buy a pair of shoes from a shop if you can get them for less online?

Choosing a package can make a real difference in cost because you’re paying per person which will include everything you may need. If you decide to go for a room hire cost, this is then followed by costs for tea, coffee, water, lunch, cakes, AV, etc. and it really starts to add up and can become confusing.

I’ve worked at several London events venues and the day delegate package is meant to offer value for money.

For example, our hot fork buffet day delegate package includes a hydration station and juice which is already saving you at least £5 per head.

Check what AV is included with your event planner

It sounds so simple but it’s worth asking the question. “You don’t ask, you don’t get!” as they say. All venues are different in how or why they charge for certain aspects of AV.

For some venues, it might just be the standard projector and screen included, which might be all you need. Other venues, where AV is more prominent or venues which have larger capacities that require more extensive AV, you will more than likely get more included (subject to ownership by the venue).

This very much relates to the point above, as this might all be included in your package cost. If so, this is fantastic and doesn’t cause more confusion with lots of additional costs.

At BMA House, we try to include as much AV as possible with room hire or a package per person cost, and we reflect this in the hire cost of the space and this, in turn, makes a planner’s experience much easier.

Our largest space, the Great Hall, has extensive AV included in the hire or per person cost. That gets you lighting, sound, the main screen and projector, microphones, comfort monitors as well as a dedicated technician. All costs are covered and you can feel safe in the team’s knowledgeable hands!

Can additional spaces be included at a reduced cost?

At BMA House, we offer a second room at a discount as we understand the need for a separate space to give your delegates space and time to break from the main event.

When choosing a package, many venues will try and include this in the per person price, making it great value for money and again, helps keep costings simple and everything clear for both parties.

Charity discounts

If you are a registered charity, some events venues (but surprisingly not all) will be able to offer a reduction on costs. Do ask your event planner about this as they will be able to advise you on any discount applied to the hire, catering or package cost.

At BMA House, we offer £5 per person off the package cost or 15% off the venue hire cost per room. As a not-for-profit organisation ourselves we know how important these savings can be!

Working with your event planner and being open and honest. What is your budget? Can your event planner tailor a package to suit your needs?

Our events planners work at BMA House because they’re passionate about the events industry and want to create the best event possible for our clients.

With this in mind, we do believe being open and honest from both sides helps to build a rapport and a good working relationship so we can best meet your expectations.

We ask our clients their budget so we can either advise the most suitable option, or we will happily try to tailor a package to meet your budget and make it work for you.

Are your dates flexible?

If you have flexibility with your date, please do let your planner know as some dates are probably less in-demand than others.

These can often be Mondays or Fridays or in quieter months, so if you can be flexible with your event date then it’s likely the rates can be flexible, and you can get better value for your money!

Well, what a year this is turning out to be!

As we begin May, we thought we would be looking ahead to a fantastic summer, parties in the Courtyard throughout June and July, and lots of outdoor drinks receptions and BBQs.

In reality, I am sat at home writing this from my bedroom, desperate to return to my normal life; my daily commute, my early start, and battling the horde of people outside Euston.  Who would have ever thought we would be thinking ahead to Christmas already with summer sunshine only just in our sights?

With things so uncertain, now is the time to look ahead and to focus on the future. We are optimistic in terms of focusing on the latter part of the year and are flexible and happy to hold your dates for longer. Looking ahead to Christmas, staff will want a reason to let go, enjoy themselves and say goodbye to a challenging year at the Christmas party.

Of course, we know that there may be social distancing restrictions in place, and we have fully reviewed our capacities to reflect this. We hope to see things slowly return to normal and with lots of availability and time to research, now is the perfect time to book and plan your Christmas party to give your staff something to look forward to.

Alongside the launch of our ‘Party in a pear tree’ Christmas packages we have put together some top tips for planning a Christmas party in 2020.

Venue

It can seem overwhelming looking for the right venue, especially when typing ‘Christmas Party Venue London’ into Google and coming back with thousands of results.

Have a think about what type of night you want to offer your guests, are you looking to put on a rave in a modern funky warehouse setting, or do you want to thank your guests with an elegant evening in a stunning listed building?

At BMA House we have several different rooms, each with a different feel so get in touch with one of our Planners who can match our spaces to your requirements and numbers.

Budget

Whilst we don’t like to start by talking about the nitty-gritty straight away, it is always good to have a budget in mind from the offset of when you start planning your Christmas party. That way, you know exactly what you have to spend on each component.

Your budget needs to cover several different elements of the evening, so splashing out on that giant light-up Santa straight away might not leave you with much else to spend.

If you haven’t got an endless budget but want to thank your staff, different venues offer different packages that can ensure you have an unforgettable evening.

Let your venue know how much you are willing to spend (we won’t use this against you or increase our rates) it is just helpful for us to be able to put together an offering within your budget.

Catering

Now you have chosen the perfect venue to host your Christma party and you know what you have to spend, the next most important choice to make is the catering.

Let’s face it, when anyone attends any form of party, they remember the food, drink, and entertainment. If you can take away just one tip from today it is not to scrimp on your food.

At BMA House, as the headquarters of the British Medical Association, we specify that all events that order alcohol have food on offer as well. Believe me, your guests will thank you for it the next day!

Whether you’re offering a bowl food or canape reception or a seated dinner, try to select options that would appeal to the majority of guests.

It is hard when looking through delicious menus to not just opt for your favourite dish but to think about what others might enjoy. Try to have a mix of fish, meat, and vegetarian options and think about those dietaries that will come up.

Here at BMA House, we have several plant-based, wellbeing, and gluten-free dishes that are delicious and take the hassle out of catering for a mass of requirements.

Our dinner party package this year comes with a dessert station as standard. This is a great way to get guests up from their tables and interacting with other colleagues over a truly creative and delicious masterpiece.

It is also important to think about what drinks you want to offer. Do you want an interactive gin bar with herbal infusions and free-flowing bubbles, or do you want to offer guests good old beer, wine, and soft drinks throughout the evening?

Again, it can be hard to not think about your own taste buds when selecting your wines, you might love a full-bodied Malbec from Bordeaux but will all your guests?

Most venues will allow you to have a menu tasting for a small charge or for free, dependant on your pre-booked package.

This is a great time to sample the menu and the wines, don’t forget to ask for tips from the catering team and event planners on pairing this all together!

Entertainment

As I mentioned earlier the sign of a great party is when people remember great catering and even better entertainment.

If your budget allows for it, having entertainment at your party can really bring that extra layer of fun.

There is a number of really great suppliers out there. When it comes to planning your Christmas party, ask your venue for some advice on this, they will be sure to put you in touch with some great contacts.

A lot of people tend to think that entertainment at Christmas is all about the music, whilst a good DJ or jazz trio can really add to the atmosphere, there are also plenty of other options too. Magicians, caricaturists, giant games, and photo booths are a great way for your guests to get involved and have fun.

If you haven’t got the money to be spending on lots of extras, then a good old Spotify playlist with some crowd-pleasing favourites definitely works as well.

Theming

Christmas is the perfect time of year for us all to enjoy a little bit of magic and fantasy.

If your thinking of theming your Christmas party, then definitely get in touch with a supplier or production company that focuses on theming.

They can transform any space with the click of their fingers. Keeping it simple works just as well and a lot of the time, venues will theme for you as part of their packages.

This year BMA House will be combining our passion for sustainability and our ‘Party in a pear tree’ package to help decorate and theme the venue for you to enjoy.

There we are, the top tips for planning a Christmas party in 2o2o.

If you want to host your party at BMA House, then our party packages start from £85+vat for a standing reception and £105+vat for a seated dinner. We know that things might seem uncertain right now and you might not want to book anything in but do give us a call.  We are happy to talk through all things COVID19 and hold some dates until we have a little more certainty. Here’s to a very Merry Christmas!

BMA House is a Grade II Listed building in the heart of London. Just a short walk away from Euston and Kings Cross station, it boasts 22 event spaces in addition to two outdoor spaces. With rooms ranging in capacity from 9 in boardroom style, to 200 for dinner and to up to 294 theatre style, BMA is sure to be able to host your next exciting event in one of our versatile rooms.

Sustainability

We are of one of five venues in London to have been awarded a GOLD accreditation with Green Tourism for our leading environmental ethos and excellent practices throughout the organisation. We continue to find new initiatives in collaboration with our CSHG (Corporate and Sustainability Health Group) which involves staff members across the organisation who are ‘Eco-Warrior’ enthusiasts, including one of our own team members who is a ‘Green Ambassador’ for the venue.

We have moved to compostable cups and takeaway containers but introduced a 20p charge for disposables to help discourage the use of these as well as encouraging a ‘bring your own’ reward scheme. Plastic water bottles have been replaced by glass bottles and resealable aluminium cans, made from 68% total recycled content.

Additionally, we’ve partnered with River Partnership to identify and promote a ‘Clean Air Walking Route’ from Kings Cross providing delegates with a less polluted journey to BMA House, taking guests off busy Euston Road onto backstreets where air pollution is 57% lower.

Ourselves and the catering team have been working with an expert nutritionist to create wellbeing menus from responsibly sourced food. We’re focused on ensuring our ingredients come from local and responsible sources wherever possible. Delegates are encouraged to eat foods which sustain energy levels and promote healthy eating. Having introduced our new plant-based Well-Grounded Package, we are really trying to promote the benefits of plant-based eating on individual performance and the positive impact on the environment! If you would like to find out more about what initiatives we have in place at our London events venue, you can head over to our sustainability page or get in touch with the team – there’s plenty more to tell!

Team

There are 10 of us that make up the venue team at BMA House.

• Kat, our Venue Manager, oversees the whole venue and team.
• Mike is the Venue Sales Manager and looks after the sales and events planners, Rebecca who is our Venue Marketing Manager looks after all things social and tradeshows
• Sasha and Hannah are our Senior Sales and Events Planners. They focus on retaining repeat business and getting in new clients from tradeshows, as well as planning events.
• Victoria, Nicola, and Alex are our Venue Sales and Events Planners who take new enquires, plan and run their events.
• Ellie is our Venue Administrator and looks after all of our internal staff members and their bookings.
• Kate has recently joined our team who is our Venue Co-ordinator assisting with admin in the team and working alongside our Senior planners with proactive sales.

We are a bubbly and considerate team who are here to help where possible. We pride ourselves on being able to offer the best service from the initial enquiry all the way through to the event day and are on hand to answer any questions you may have. We work closely with all our other service teams at BMA House (reception, AV, porters, security, and hospitality) to ensure your event runs smoothly.

BMA House offers lots of different event packages suitable for all kinds of occasions. This includes the classic day delegate rate (DDR) and room hire + catering options. We have expanded menu choices from sandwiches and hot fork buffets to wellbeing and plant-based packages as well as fantastic Summer Party Packages and festive Christmas Party Packages. They have been carefully tailored to help your conferences and parties reach their full potential.

Our buffet packages allow you to choose your own menus choices with vegetarian and plant-based dishes to gluten or dairy-free. Our chefs create delicious, bespoke menus that support specific dietary requirements and lifestyle choices.

Our summer packages follow the trends including live Chef interaction, and the option to have our ‘Summer Sizzler’ or upgrade to ‘Summer in the Street’, with plenty of ways to personalise your party with recommended add-ons.

This Christmas, we have ‘a Party in a Pear Tree’ package for standing receptions or seated dinners with all you need for the perfect party, and a chance for you to add your own ‘WOW’ factors with our festive upgrade suggestions.

So no matter what kind of event you are hosting, or what it is you are looking for from your event, we will have something to suit you!