On Thursday 8th June, City Central at The HAC played host for the NABS’ Stranger than Summer: Twisted Toy Box party. GSP Events pulled out all the stops for this fundraiser.

NABS provides support for people working within the advertising and media industry, through career coaching, guidance, networking opportunities, workshops and grants. They are passionate about improving people’s wellbeing and supporting them through their career.

The Artillery Garden at The HAC was transformed into a giant play den, with oversized alphabet building blocks, huge crayons, a full-size train engine, snakes and ladders theming, and puppets hanging from the ceiling. The 10m long bar was converted into the Broken Toy Bar with damaged dolls propped against the bottles.

On arrival guests had numerous opportunities to find their inner child with The Artillery Garden’s private fun fair, floor piano, giant Scalextric and the Toy Transformation Stations (face painting!). Live green toy soldiers entertained guests, as well as the toy box themed photo booth.

The Stranger than Summer committee took centre stage and welcomed the guests through to the main room, just before a delicious three course meal by Create was served. Gin cured salmon fillet with elderflower cream, peach blossom, pickled lemon, spelt crumb and dill was given as the starter.

The main course followed with pot roasted guinea fowl, potato fondant, salsify puree, charred tender stem broccoli, confit salsify, Madeira and tarragon. Guests were then invited to take part in the “guess who killed Humpty Dumpty” challenge. A trio of desserts finished the meal with mini eclairs, chocolate cake pops and earl grey panna cotta.

Charity auctioneer, Russ Williams, was then brought to the stage to kick start the auction. Prizes included luxury treatment at a Mayfair spa, Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Worsley, a case of wine from Hedonist Wines, a year’s subscription to Sky Cinema packages and tickets to see Manchester United.

For the finale Jamelia took to the stage, guests enjoyed the performance then headed to the dancefloor to finish their evening of fun in central London.

If you would like to host your summer party at City Central next year, get in touch today and secure your date!

We’re so excited about our shared Christmas parties,
we can’t wait until the winter to tell you about them.

This year we have four incredible themed parties at some of the capital’s most exclusive venues and if you book your party tickets by 31st July, we’ll give you £100 John Lewis voucher*!

Each party includes everything you need to celebrate Christmas in style, from seasonal menus and incredible entertainment, to theming, production, a sparkling wine and cocktail reception and all-inclusive house wines, beers and soft drinks.

Prices are from £119 +VAT pp and if you book your party tickets by Monday 31st July 2017 we’ll give you £100 John Lewis voucher*!
*Please see terms and conditions below

Boogie Wonder Nights at City Central at The HAC promises a disco inferno, taking inspiration from Studio 54 you’ll be dancing your way through the 60s, 70s and 80s. It’s going to be an unstoppable explosion of colour and sound, creating a legendary party atmosphere.

Terms and conditions

  • Minimum booking of a table of 10 for a 2017 Shared Christmas Party Night with Ultimate Experience.
  • We must receive a signed booking form by Monday 31st July 2017.
  • Voucher is subject to one booking per company/event contact.
  • Deposit payment to be received prior to receipt of voucher. The £100 John Lewis voucher will be sent within a week of receipt of the deposit payment.

The CIPR Excellence Awards celebrate creativity and achievement in the public relations industry, they are rigorously judged, and the best of the best are recognised in the business. This was the first year that City Central at The HAC has been involved in this ceremony and looked forward to hosting this prestigious event.

Over 650 public relations professionals, from over 120 agencies and organisations, attended the 33rd CIPR Excellence Awards on Tuesday 6th June. The evening began with a welcome drinks reception with gin, elderflower, apple and lime cocktails. In between the rain showers, guests explored the exclusive fun fair in the private gardens at The HAC, rides included dodgems, carousel, Ferris wheel and five side stalls.

Guests were called to dinner where Jason MacKenzie, Found.Chart.PR, FCIPR, CIPR president welcomed everyone to the Excellence Awards. Create provided catering and served a picnic style hamper for starters comprising mini gala pie, coronation chicken frittata, smoked salmon rillettes with pickled asparagus and curd. Sous vide duck breast, smoked potato puree, artichoke cream, wild garlic and sorrel leaves with pickled carrots and tardviso followed as the main. BBC’s Mock the Week comedian, Andy Parsons, entertained guests during their citrus lemon tart desserts.

29 awards were given out from 171 finalists, including the renowned M&C Saatchi PRDynamoiseepr, and VisitScotland. After the ceremony guests enjoyed the celebrations with a photo booth, casino tables, DJ and dance floor.

 

On Monday 5th June, Ultimate Experience worked with Essentially Group to host the Virat Kohli Charity Ball at City Central at The HAC, to raise money for the charity Justice and Care.

Virat Kohli, India’s cricketing legend, founded the Virat Kohli Foundation in 2013 to support children across India. The foundation runs charity sporting events and raises awareness and money to provide education for underprivileged children. Justice and Care support victims of human trafficking, providing safety, rehabilitation, counselling, medical care and schooling for those rescued from slavery. Virat Kohli Foundation and the Indian cricket team supported Justice and Care at this event to raise money and awareness.

Guests were welcomed to the charity ball with Goan Summer cocktails specially crafted by Create and were invited to take part in the silent auction. Former English country cricketer Alan Wilkins opened the evening and guests enjoyed a performance from Bollywood troupe, Sapnay School of Dance, who were semi-finalists in Britain’s Got Talent.

A delicious three course meal was served to guests with a picnic style hamper for starters comprising mini gala pie, coronation chicken frittata, smoked salmon rillettes with pickled asparagus and curd. After guests had finished their first course, they had the opportunity to join the Q&A session with Virat Kohli.

The main course followed with pot roasted Keralan spiced guinea fowl, salsify puree, charred tenderstem broccoli, confit salsify, Madeira and tarragon. The second round of Q&As was held with the Indian cricket team whilst guests enjoyed their summer berry trifle, Pedro ximenez cream with pistachio brittle desserts.

Radio and TV presenter Jonny Gould kicked off the auction, with all money raised going to Justice and Care. Bids were made for a box at Lords for England v India Test Match, a private dinner with Virat Kohli, an original one-off-piece of art by Sacha Jafri, a Tissot watch engraved with Virat Kohli’s signature, an all-expenses paid five star trip to India to spend time with the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli’s favourite cricket bat, and other signed cricket memorabilia.

The charity ball raised £400,000 for Justice and Care, which will make a huge difference to their charity plans and how they support victims. The event gained international coverage and awareness for two incredibly important charities.

 

If you would like more information on hosting your charity event, or any other event at City Central at The HAC, do no hesitate to get in touch.

Catering from our partner, Create, can offer your guests a truly remarkable dining experience that other catering companies simply cannot deliver. No event is complete without the right caterer so you should hire only the best of the best.

Create has been delivering exceptional catering for years, and has taken it to the next level by re-imagining traditional canapés and cocktails using the best of British, seasonal ingredients. What sets Create apart from other catering companies is the attention to detail that goes into everything that comes out of the kitchen. Create has built a reputation for being one of London’s premier catering companies because of their use of bold flavors, fresh ingredients and the creative presentation of their dishes.

 

A New Philosophy on Food

You can place your trust in Create to handle all of your needs for your summer party catering. The Create team will work with you to produce a unique and one-of-a-kind menu only to be offered at your event. Whether you are looking for something modern, elegant, fusion, comforting or cutting edge – the design experts can customise your menu based on your taste preferences, while sourcing the highest quality ingredients. They will be with you every step of the way even on the day of your event from greeting your guests with sparkling beverages, to offering tasty appetisers to serving a seated dinner your guests will love.

 

Bespoke Food and Drink Menus

Create has successfully catered at City Central at The HAC on a number of occasions and provided countless guests with an exquisite dining experience. Whether you’d like to host a summer BBQ, a lavish banquet dinner at or a simple al fresco reception, there isn’t a theme or concept Create Food cannot work with.

Create can offer a variety of catering options such as canapés, bowl food, dinner party dishes, food stalls and even BBQ catering. Canapés are perfect for making an excellent first impression on your guests as soon as they walk in through the entrance.

Bowl food has become an increasingly popular choice at parties and is somewhere in the middle of canapés and sit down meals. Dinner party catering offers three course formal menus that can range from high-end and luxurious to casual, relaxed dining. Food stalls are a more informal option and offer your guests versatility. The stalls can be a combination of canapés, bowl food and mini plates. Create’s BBQ catering will gives your guests a true feast to enjoy. The summer time is the best time to host an outdoor BBQ with gourmet burgers, hot dogs and kebabs.

 

To find out more about what Create can do your next event at City Central, get in contact.

Cosmopolitan guests were invited to City Central at The HAC for a day of summer celebrations sponsored by Surf – with plenty of basking in the sunshine!

Guests enjoyed the sun in the private outside space in the middle of the City. They indulged in Gancia Prosecco, Zubrowka cocktails, Emmi CHOCO LAIT milk, Wheyhey ice-cream and Hotbox BBQ food, whilst getting beauty tips from industry experts and watched amazing fashion shows.

Rimmel was on hand to apply shimmer tans and make sure guests nails were looking perfect, Lee Stafford did guests’ hair, brows were taken care of thanks to Suman Brows and Freya Lingerie supplied guests with great goody bags.

Every moment was captured in the photo booth, which came complete with a topless Surf model, and once guests had finished striking a pose they headed to the stage to hear some summer beauty tips from Fleur De Force, followed by a fashion show styled by Cosmo’s Fashion Editor (with makeup from Mii Cosmetics).

summer entertainment

The stage-section of the day ended with an inspiring talk from Dalton Wong and Kate Faithfull-Williams, who spoke about their book The Feelgood Plan. Then it was time to slap on some foil tattoos from Seekers of The Sun and party the rest of the afternoon away to a flawless set from Neev – conveniently located near the Gandys stall for some new summer flip flops.

Guests took breaks throughout the dancing to grab candy floss and take more pictures in the ever popular photo booth.

To book your summer party at City Central, get in touch today.