Tag Archive: Historic Royal Palaces

1. Venue Focus – Banqueting House

   6 April 2018 11:57 Comments Off on Venue Focus – Banqueting House

   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.

2. White Light Wins Event Production Supplier of the Year!

   6 December 2017 14:37 Comments Off on White Light Wins Event Production Supplier of the Year!

   The Drum UK Event Awards recognise and reward brand activation and experiential agencies as well as industry suppliers, event organisers and marketers. This year’s Awards took place at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on Tuesday 5th December. After another hugely successful year, White Light was nominated in two categories – with the company being the recipient of the Event Production Supplier of the Year Award.

   The Event Production Supplier of the Year Award aims to recognise companies that have used their knowledge and expertise to deliver unforgettable events. It also acknowledges organisations that have used technology creatively, pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved on events. This year alone, WL has delivered some ground-breaking projects, including the University of Cambridge Fundraiser at Banqueting House which saw the company draw on the latest media server and projection equipment to transform the interior of the historic venue. The company’s work on the event saw them win Best Use of AV Technology at the Event Technology Awards. WL has also delivered many other significant events such as lighting the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the official reopening of Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum and the Google Cloud Conferences at ExCeL.

   WL’s Director Richard Wilson comments: “As a company, we have grown exponentially in recent years. When we started in 1971, we were supplying lighting to West End shows. Whilst we still work in theatre, we have diversified significantly; especially in the world of events. We’re now the only cross-palace production supplier at Historic Royal Palaces and an approved supplier at Unique Venues of London, Tate, Saatchi and the Southbank Centre to name but a few. Not only that but we continue our role as Production Service Partner at Central Hall Westminster and have been appointed as the in-house technical supplier at Claridge’s and the Connaught Hotel Group”.

   Over the past twelve months, WL has worked on a wide scope of events. These include Conferences (European Space Agency at the Science Museum), Launches (the Women’s Equality Party), Experiential (FIFA Interactive World Cup Finals), Gala Dinners (Stonewall Charity Dinner), Fashion Shows (London Fashion Week), Award Ceremonies (London Evening Standard Progress 1000) as well as a range of smaller scale events such as dinner receptions, private parties and weddings.

   Richard adds: “The reason we’ve worked on such a diverse mix of events this year is due to our constant growing reputation in being able to offer clients the very best service possible. As a London-based company, we employ more than 220 members of staff, with a dedicated Production team. We also invest £3 million in the latest technology, ensuring we have an unparalleled range of resources”.

   Receiving the Award concludes what has been an extremely successful year for WL, with 2018 looking busier than ever before. Richard states: “As seen at this year’s Drum Awards, the events industry is constantly evolving and this is something we’re continuing to match. For us, it’s about going beyond expectations and constantly delivering results that were previously not achievable; something which clients old and new can both benefit from”.

3. White Light Supplies The Gurkha Welfare Trust at Kensington Palace

   23 November 2017 10:09 Comments Off on White Light Supplies The Gurkha Welfare Trust at Kensington Palace

   On Wednesday 15^th November, a Remembrance Dinner was held at Kensington Palace to celebrate the vital work of The Gurkha Welfare Trust. The dinner was hosted by His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and took place in the State Apartments. As a cross-palace approved supplier to the Historic Royal Palaces, White Light was called upon to provide the complete technical solutions.

   The event was overseen by WL’s Conference Account Manager Shrenik Singhavi. He comments: “We were contacted by The Gurkha Welfare Trust who informed us that they wanted to host a Dinner at Kensington Palace. Due to both the prestigious location and the guests attending on the evening, we wanted to ensure that we provided the best technical support possible”.

   Shrenik worked closely with Katie Williams, Events Fundraising Manager at The Gurkha Welfare Trust, and the pair made several site visits to Kensington Palace. He comments: “The Gurkha Welfare team wanted to make it a fully immersive experience that utilised a variety of spaces within Kensington Palace. They wanted guests to feel part of the celebrations from the moment they entered the grounds; something we needed to make a reality”.

   The event took place in the State Apartments and utilised five rooms: the Queen’s Room, Privy Room, Cupola Room, King’s Drawing Room and King’s Gallery. WL’s Project Manager Phil Gladman led the on-site team which included two lighting technicians, an audio technician and ten local crew. The company supplied bespoke production support in each of the spaces.

   

   Shrenik explains: “When guests arrived on the evening, they walked through the Privy Room where we supplied atmospheric lighting. The drinks reception took place in the Cupola and Kings Drawing Room prior to the dinner. The Queen’s Room was used to host HRH Prince Harry and selected guests. The main dinner itself took place in the Kings Gallery.

   He adds: “The dinner was the main highlight of the evening and, within the space, we provided the lighting, acoustic sound system, microphone, lectern along with a small staging area. HRH Prince Harry gave a speech to guests who included the charity’s ambassadors, patrons and supporters. With such an important individual speaking, we had to ensure that we provided a fully reliable system”.

   

   Alongside this, WL used a custom-made gobo in order to project The Gurkha Welfare Trust logo onto the side of Kensington Palace for when guests arrived. WL also lit the pathway leading into Kensington Palace to ensure the event was fully immersive.

   Guests in attendance on the evening included GWT Vice Patrons Joanna Lumley OBE, Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL.

   Katie comments: “This was one of the most important events in The Gurkha Welfare Trust’s calendar and we wanted to create something unforgettable for our guests, whilst at the same time making them aware of our important cause. Working closely with the team at WL, we were able to achieve this”.

   Photos courtesy of Mark Brightwell/The Gurkha Welfare Trust.