The Brief
To mark City & Country’s 60th year in business we were tasked with organising an event for stakeholders and delegates to recognise the evolution of the business over six decades. Held on the front grounds of The 1840, St George’s Gardens, our aim for this event was to bring together over 100 members of the City & Country team for a Corporate Garden Party at the close of summer.
The Planning Process
We began the planning process for this event in March and were faced with some familiar challenges along the way. As with any long-term advanced planning, there is always room for change, and this event date was initially fluid meaning we had to re-evaluate concepts and potential suppliers; it is unusual for an event planning process to be completely linear!
Once a summertime date had been decided and our Events Team had narrowed down the theme to be a Corporate Garden Party, we set to work securing suppliers.
The Concept
As with any event, it was fundamental that this Corporate Garden Party was in keeping with brand and setting. This importance was highlighted by the event’s location on the front lawn of the Grade II Listed former Victorian hospital, The 1840, which is an elegant space that required careful dressing. We went for a simplistic theme, with floral bouquets and white draping to provide a contrast with the red carpet stretching up to the building’s red brick exterior.
Three marquees were dotted on each side of the red carpet, as well as a bar station, and croquet pitch. Within the main large marquee, we set up an area for a live jazz band, an art display by local South West London art duo Tomartacus, and a stage for presentations from Chairman Tim Sargeant and Planning & Design Director Simon Vernon-Harcourt.
We arranged for a champagne reception and gourmet canapes to be offered to guests for their mid-afternoon arrival.
Our Events Team worked in close collaboration with the City & Country Sales Team to ensure that the 1840’s show home would be available to view throughout the afternoon of the event.
The Event
The Corporate Garden Party took place on the 8th September, and over 100 business delegates attended to celebrate City & Country’s 60th anniversary. There was a jovial atmosphere, as two Croquet Masters provided coaching sessions to guests on the front lawn. This was followed by speeches in the grandly adorned marquees, which proved a godsend due to the characteristically temperamental British weather!
The live jazz band created a fantastic atmosphere as the sun began to set over The 1840 and the afternoon stretched into evening.
Social Media Coverage
We created live story content of the event on The 1840 Instagram account, which showcased every aspect of how the afternoon unfolded, from set-up to speeches, décor details to croquet games, music, and renowned City & Country team members.
Alongside documentation for social media, our photographer also captured fantastic images of the event to be used for grid posts.
If you’re thinking of holding an event and want to discuss this with one of our experts, get in touch with our events team at events@oraclepr.co.uk.