Banqueting House: A Brief History
Designed by revolutionary architect Inigo Jones, Banqueting House has been the backdrop of spectacular feasts and celebrations for almost 400 years. Today the beauty and scale of this stunning venue still inspires its guests with the Main Hall’s soaring neo-classical columns and magnificent painted ceiling making it one of the most breath-taking spaces in London. Below the Main Hall you will find The Undercroft which was originally designed as a drinking den for James I and is now the perfect setting for intimate dinners and drinks receptions as well as away days and meetings.
White Light at Banqueting House
White Light is proud to be an approved supplier to Banqueting House for 10 years and a cross-palace approved supplier for Historic Royal Palaces since 2015. It has a very close working relationship with Banqueting House and is always thrilled to have the opportunity to enhance the stunning spaces with cutting-edge technology.
Recently, Banqueting House became available to hire during the daytime on selected Thursdays throughout the year. Access to this impressive space during the day has given clients the opportunity to hire the space for lunches, conferences, private functions, product launches, daytime fashion shows and all-day weddings; with White Light having supplied the technical support on many of these.
Here are some examples of White Light’s work at Banqueting House which demonstrates the versatility of this magnificent venue:
Cambridge University Fundraising Event
The University of Cambridge held a celebration event to engage key stakeholders with its latest campaign. 250 guests enjoyed a drink reception and dinner whilst being immersed within an AV experience. The University had a very specific brief: to make the event as immersive as possible. They wanted to transform the Main Hall at Banqueting House, ensuring an interactive experience for all attendees. White Light presented the concept of replacing the actual windows inside the space with projected versions which drew on custom-made content, allowing guests to be transported to famous Cambridge landmarks. Using the very latest projection technology along with a bespoke soundscape, White Light created a wraparound presentation which ensured that the entire room was brought to life and those in attendance were fully encapsulated in this immersive experience. The White Light team allowed the technology to work holistically with the building’s historic architecture without it being obtrusive. The event received international recognition and was awarded the AV Technology Europe Best Small to Mid-Scale AV Project Award along with the Event Technology Awards’ Best Use of AV Technology.
‘Best of British’ Street Party
Celebrating the Queen as the longest-reigning monarch, more than 150 event professionals gathered for a ‘Six Decades One Evening’ street party. White Light provided the lighting, audio and video support for the event. As the party moved through the decades, the lighting, soundscape and video worked holistically to create an immersive experience for those in attendance. White Light also created the illusion of windows which ‘looked outside’ onto each different era through its use of projection mapping, highlighting the iconic moments of each decade.
Pearls of Wisdom Workshop
Earlier this year, Banqueting House welcomed 80 guests to their venue showcase in collaboration with Pearl & Pear, an online event resource designed to inspire and inform those in the industry. As a founding partner of Pearl & Pear, Banqueting House showcased their event spaces as well as hosted a range of informative workshops. The aim was to deliver invaluable event-related skills and business tips that event professionals can apply to their working life. White Light delivered a Pearls of Wisdom Workshop entitled ‘Creating an Impact with AV’. This touched on the use of AV technology within traditional spaces such as the comparison of LED walls against standard projection, the use of bespoke soundscapes and how AR and VR technology can be integrated into an event. The day was a great example of how the versatile spaces of Banqueting House can now be utilised for daytime events such as conferences, lunches and product launches, which often require a number of different set-ups throughout the duration of the event.
For further information about Banqueting House and how White Light can support your future event there please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 3166 6000.