Tag Archive: London Events

1. New Year, New Venues for White Light

   30 January 2019 09:14 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has recently added a range of exciting venues to its extensive portfolio list.

   Since its formation over 45 years ago, WL has grown a formidable reputation for supplying the technical solutions to venues across the country. Not only is the company a cross-palace approved supplier to Historic Royal Palaces but also manages a range of prestigious venues such as Central Hall Westminster, Claridge’s, the Connaught Hotel and Mermaid London. The company has now been approved at seven more venues, in which it will be able to provide the technical solutions for clients using the space.

   One of these venues includes The SSE Arena, Wembley, where WL has achieved approved status for the first time. Located next to one of the most iconic sporting grounds in the world, The SSE Arena, Wembley, is the perfect venue to host corporate events and conferences for a minimum of 1,000 attendees. The flat floor of the main spaces gives huge flexibility, whether it’s a fully-seated conference or a part-standing format. There are also breakout rooms in a range of sizes. WL’s Business Development Manager Alicia Earls comments: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with a venue such as The SSE Arena, Wembley, where we will be able to offer their large and varied client base expert advice and the very latest technology”.

   

   Alongside The SSE Arena, Wembley, WL has also been appointed as an approved supplier for the first time at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Gunnersbury Park House and the Old Royal Naval College. The Royal Horticultural Halls are based on a quiet leafy square in the heart of Westminster and made up of two striking Halls – one Edwardian and one Art Deco. Gunnersbury Park House first opened in 1926 and this Grade*II listed building features a range of opulent spaces, all surrounded by 175 acres of stunning gardens and parkland.  At the Old Royal Naval College, the stunning spaces of The Painted Hall, The Admiral’s House and the Queen Mary Undercroft make it an inspiring setting for any occasion.

   WL has also been appointed as approved supplier at Events @ No 6 – a brand-new venue located in the premises of The Royal College of Pathologists in the heart of the city. This accessible, adaptable venue is well-connected and perfect for hosting corporate, academic and personal events for over 200 guests. Alicia comments: “It’s fantastic to be working with Events @ No 6 from the very start of their journey. This is a brilliant new venue unlike any other in London and we cannot wait to begin working with them”.

   

   Alongside this, WL has also had its approved supplier status renewed at the Royal Opera House and Museum of London. The Royal Opera House has recently completed an extensive three-year construction project, launching new spaces and updated facilities. Earlier this month, WL supplied the first commercial event in the Royal Opera House since the re-opening.

   Alicia concludes: “The fact that we are able to work with such a wide variety of venues across London and supply technical solutions bespoke to their individual clients’ needs just shows our strength as an organisation. 2018 was a fantastic year for us in which we were once again crowned winners at the Event Production Awards and we look forward to continuing this success into 2019”.

    

   Click here to see some of our recent event production projects.

    

    

    

    

    

2. White Light Appointed Production Partner by The Mermaid London

   15 January 2018 14:25 Comments Off on White Light Appointed Production Partner by The Mermaid London

   

   Today, White Light has announced the signing of a 5-year in-house supplier contract with The Mermaid London.

   The contract, which begun on 1^st January 2018, will see WL work alongside The Mermaid London to improve existing equipment as well as introduce new lighting, audio, video, rigging and staging technical solutions and products to enhance the venue’s event production offering. To complement the supply of equipment WL will be appointing a specialist project manager to handle all enquiries and manage the day-to-day technical support required on events.

   Richard Wilson, Director at WL, comments: “We are delighted to be working with The Mermaid London. Along with our expert technical teams, we will complement this fantastic venue with the installation of improved technical production equipment. Further technical support for clients will also be available from our head office in Wimbledon. This is a very exciting collaboration between two leading organisations.”

   WL has over 45 years’ experience in offering expert services including, but not limited to; full technical production service, an extensive range of technical equipment and an on-site team of highly skilled designers and technicians, to leading London event venues. At the end of 2017, WL was awarded ‘Best Use of AV Technology’ at the Event Technology Awards 2017 and ‘Event Production Supplier of the Year’ at The Drum UK Event Awards 2017.

   

   This announcement follows the success of similar in-house supplier contracts confirming with the Science Museum for Levels 4 & 5, Central Hall Westminster, Claridge’s, and The Connaught. Moving into 2018 WL will look to further expand its portfolio of managed venues, ensuring clients have easy access to the latest technology in event and conference production.

   Claire Pastore, Head of Commercial at The Mermaid London, added: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside WL in this exciting new venture. As a leading events venue in central London, we’re always looking at ways to enhance our AV/production to clients, and the state-of-the-art production equipment and solutions provided by WL, will enable us to offer the best creative and innovative production concepts to event organisers.”

   The Mermaid London, located in the heart of the City of London, is only a two-minute walk from Blackfriars Station, a short distance from Blackfriars Pier and a 15-minute walk from mainline stations Liverpool Street and Kings Cross St. Pancras. The venue is home to nine meeting and event spaces including the City of London’s only 600-seater auditorium, and the newly refurbished Upper River Room with breath-taking views of the River Thames, Tate Modern, The Shard and Shakespeare’s Globe.

   www.the-mermaid.co.uk

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.

    

4. White Light Receives Marching Orders for Fusiliers Gala Dinner

   10 October 2017 16:26 Comments Off on White Light Receives Marching Orders for Fusiliers Gala Dinner

   The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, specifically part of the Queen’s division. They have been involved in every major conflict over the last 400 years and are made up of four English Fusilier regiments. One of these are The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) who recently held a Gala Dinner with Historic Royal Palaces at the Tower of London. As a HRP cross-palace approved supplier, WL was called upon to provide the technical support.

   The event took place on Monday 2^nd October. Guests arrived on the evening to an exclusive look at the crown jewels. This was followed by a drinks reception and dinner in the New Armouries space. The evening also included a silent auction, a series of speeches before concluding with a live auction.

   The event was overseen by WL’s Project Manager Marcus Wadland. He comments: “Whenever you’re working in a venue such as the Tower of London, it’s important to ensure that you embrace your surroundings. On events such as this, it’s about coupling the historic architecture with the latest technology to give the client the best experience possible – regardless of the size of the event”.

   As part of its support, WL drew on a range of the latest audio equipment included EMS 121 Loudspeakers, FFA 6004 Amplifiers, Yamaha QL1 Mixer and Shure microphones. Marcus explains: “The evening was a celebration of the Fusiliers and so contained lots of speeches along with the silent auction. In a space as vast and open as the New Armouries, it was important to ensure there was equal audio coverage and that everyone in attendance felt a part of the evening”.

   Alongside the audio support, WL also supplied a range of on-site video technicians to programme the in-house video equipment. The WL team arrived on site late afternoon, having to ensure everything was in place for the evening.

   The Gala Dinner marked one of several events that WL has recently worked on at the Historic Royal Palaces, with others including a House of Frasier event at the Tower of London, a council dinner at Hampton Court Palace and The DailyDOOH Gala Awards at Banqueting House.

   Marcus adds: “As a company, we are fortunate enough to work on a range of high-profile, big-scale projects. That said, we also work on countless intimate events, on which we apply the same rigour and professionalism which has allowed us to be approved supplier to organisations such as HRP. The Fusilier Gala Dinner is a prime example of this and we were delighted to be involved”.

   Photos courtesy of Colin Baldwin.