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Posts Tagged ‘Central London Conference Centre’



Bye Bye Britain

December 15th, 2010

The Christmas break, when all conferences come to a stop as people all over the UK are way too busy drinking good wine and eating turkey, is the ideal time to do some works around our conference rooms. 

It is lovely to discuss the new color of a wall or the application of our logo across the cloak room, and think of many other ways to give our venues a facelift. Lovelier still, is to see the despair on Tom’s and Dermot’s faces when they have to take yet another decision regarding electrical switches, or light bulbs. Schadenfreude, I’m sorry, but it’s just so funny!

I will miss all this very much – I decided to stick with the light bulbs and paint, and am going back to Brazil to pick up my career as an architect where I left it about two years ago.

It has been a wonderful experience both to live in London and to work at Cavendish Conference Venues, which was finalized in grand style yesterday evening with our office Christmas party: a treasure hunt through the city of London followed by the spiciest of curries in Brick Lane.

I will take this opportunity to say thanks to our clients for having kept us very busy this year. And most of all, here is a big thank you to my colleagues – you are fantastic!!

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Christmas Fever

December 14th, 2010

I assume this week I am writing this blog for no reader at all. Why? It is almost Christmas! And yes, that is less about reindeers and peace on earth than it is about gift frenzy and general panic. Who has been to Oxford Street lately knows, the countdown has started and there is no escape.

Every year I attempt to outsmart the rest of the population, and take great pride in starting my Christmas shopping around June. All throughout summer and autumn I am alert: no potential present escapes my avid eye, and my stocking up on gifts strongly resembles compulsive hoarding.

But no matter how hard I try, disaster always drops by last minute: by December the bought clothes don’t fit anymore, or a very similar gift was given by somebody else in the meantime, or the chocolate grew mould, or…

So this year, once again, I will be one to add to the crowds. See you there. Merry Christmas!

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Snow

November 30th, 2010

Ever since snow was announced to fall in London this weekend, I had been anxiously waiting. Few things transport me – and many others with me – more efficiently back to childhood than the sight of a snow covered landscape. Add to that the magical decorative lights that are appearing all over the city and the sound of Christmas carols, and I almost believe in Santa Claus again!

Therefore, big was my excitement when this morning I woke at 6am and peeking out of the window saw a white street – snow has arrived in London! Instantly awake, I got ready as soon as I could and rushed outside just to feel that blissful sensation of being the very first to step into a beautiful unblemished layer of snow…

And then reality kicked back in. Snow is cold. And snow is wet. And by the time you arrive at work, all the beauty has melted and it’s just a slushy grubby mess everywhere. Guess Santa doesn’t exist after all.

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Full House

November 9th, 2010

After a long radio silence here is the Cavendish Blog back on track!

Being an imported item that has happily adopted the English way of living, I have noticed in myself a very English tendency to whinge about the weather. Lesson in culture well learned, but I am surely starting to annoy myself with the amount of times I manage to exclaim ‘it’s cold!’ in a day.  

That it’s cold out there we all know a bit too well by now. And that the days are frighteningly short (HOW does it start getting dark at 4pm?!) can’t possibly have escaped anybody’s attention either. So I won’t even mention this unfortunate course of events – I will concentrate on the bright side of all this grief.

And that, in the London Conference Scene, can only be one thing: Conference High Season! It seems the end of Daylight Saving Time makes everybody realize that the year is almost over, but a lot still has to be done before Christmas – so it’s meetings, presentations and training days all around. It is a pleasure to see our diaries full of bookings and our venues full of people!

One tip if you are considering having an event in the High Season next year: book early, as the space goes quick, and at this time of year last minute doesn’t do the trick!

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Ecology über alles

October 20th, 2010

In our conference rooms the air con is starting to switch from cooling to heating mode, cold water is swapped for hot tea, and in the office the little mobile heaters are being called upon – the cold has undeniably arrived. And with it, a heavy conscience: all this energy wasted just to keep ourselves warm!

There must be better ways to do that… but how far are we willing to go? Why don’t we move our desks and phones to the kitchen, where it is hot anyway thanks to the ovens and stovetops? Give each delegate a thermo-blanket and a matching funky hat to wrap themselves up during the conference? At the refreshment breaks, hand out the much wanted coffees and teas only after a series of 15 lunges has been performed by each delegate, to generate heat from movement?  Or even, just go into collective winter hibernation, and get back to hold conferences once spring arrives? Spend that whole long winter sipping wine in front of a fireplace… All in name of ecology!

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FAT PIGS

October 8th, 2010

How big is the sense of humour of the English? As an outsider, I perceived in these months that English humour is quite brilliant. Understated, dry and subtle, but ever present for those who look out for it. Working in conferences, it is an important factor that makes our work so much nicer every day. We make phone calls to our clients, we talk to numerous delegates, and many of them put a smile on our face. When things unexpectedly go wrong (not that they ever do!!) that same sense of humour is just as important – even when the pressure is on, most of the time it is taken in good moods and all works out fine.

I started thinking of this subject because we are looking for new little treats to surprise our clients with. It is always wonderful to get a little thank you present, and so we have for many years now tried to please our clients with goodies, from wine to personalized pencil holders. Sometimes it is difficult to stay innovative, so we are always on the lookout for interesting new gifts.

This time, we found a delicious organic bar of chocolate, which is not the most original thing on earth, except that this one made us laugh, a lot: it is wrapped in shocking pink paper, with a drawing of a big pig snout, and the name of the chocolate is… FAT PIG! It has some instructions on how to eat it as well (“fast, before another fat pig grabs it off you!”) and we overall found it very funny. Looks like the perfect new little treat, just to put a smile on people’s faces.

But it is tricky: those who happen to be in a bad mood, might get highly insulted and never want to come back to that Fat Pig Conference Company. But for humour’s sake, I think it is worth the risk!

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