From all of The BNC we'd like to thank you all for joining us for a fantastic evening at The Hoxton, Holborn, for The BNC Christmas Networking Party 2018!

100 top corporate event manager members of The Buyers' Networking Club and exhibitors who will be joining us at our next exciting BNC Event Show came along for our much-talked-about festive and fun-packed BNC Christmas Networking Party!!!

We hope you enjoyed yourselves and got into the Christmas spirit, especially thanks to our BNC Christmas Sing-Along! 

The networking was certainly in full swing and we hope you liked the various entertainment, delicious food and drink, and the fun, quirky event space of The Hoxton, Holborn!

Please scroll down to see scores of fantastic photos and the hilarious festive images and GIFs and to find out what's next in The BNC calendar...

 

Thank you so much for last night! Had a wonderful time!

Looking forward to the next event!

I just wanted to say thanks so much for a lovely event last night! Food was delicious and all the activities were great!

Thanks again for a wonderful evening!

Dear Kim, Emily and Melissa and of course the rest of the ‘gang’ :)

Thank you so much for a lovely evening at the Hoxton last night. My first xmas party this year.

Thank you also for the lovely hamper. I tucked into it as soon as I got home. (I have sent a thank you email to Tia as well)

All the best, Merry Christmas and see you in February

Thanks so much for a lovely Christmas party yesterday evening at The Hoxton!  I had a lot of fun and it really kicked off the festive period nicely for me. It was great to see the hotel too, which I’ve been meaning to get to for a while.  I hope you both had a good evening.

Thanks also for the lovely hamper – I shall send a note to Russell at Cowdray House to thank him separately.

Great event last night, it was my first one and couldn’t be happier to be part of such an amazing thing!

I can’t wait to start attending as many 2019 event as possible with you all! J

Please can I find out some more regarding the BNC Corporate Networking Forum on the 4th-6th April.

Lovely to see you, what a fab evening!

Once again, thanks yet again for a truly wonderful evening. It was my first BNC Christmas Networking Party and I loved it. Managed to meet lots of new people as well as getting the opportunity to chat to those I already know.

If I don’t speak to you again, hope you all have a great Christmas and no doubt I will see you in the new year.

Thanks so much for a lovely evening, very enjoyable and valuable!

Have a great Christmas,

Thanks Emily for organising a great event. It was lovely to network with colleagues in the field.

Thank you so much for a wonderful night, I understand what a huge effort it is to put on evenings such as this. I enjoyed the evening and caught up with some great suppliers.

I mailed my contact at Park Plaza Hotels as soon as I got home last night and they have sent me out some follow up information.

Again thank you so much for a wonderful, interesting and useful evening.

Thanks for another great event Emily! Was lovely to see everyone again and I was thrilled to be able to take home a beautiful festive display from Pimlico Flowers

Thank you very much for inviting me, it was a lovely evening.

Best wishes and have a lovely xmas,

I just wanted to say how much all of us enjoyed yesterday! Thank you for a fabulous evening!

 

Congratulations to our Heads or Tails winner!

Julia White from the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead was the lucky one left standing at the end of a lively game of Heads or Tails and got to take home the beautiful Mulberry handbag. Congrats Julia!!

 

Commiserations to our runner-up Francesca, who didn’t leave empty handed. She took home a wonderful bouquet of flowers, courtesy of Pimlico Flowers.

 

We'd like to say a special thanks to...

 

THE HOXTON, HOLBORN

… for hosting us at their spectacular venue

Contact: Natasha Platts, Head of Sales: E: Natasha.Platts@thehox.com / M: 07342 038413 / W: www.thehoxton.com/london/holborn/hotels

 

SPENCER WOOD MAGIC

“More than just a magician…”

Contact: Spencer Wood: E: info@spencerwoodmagic.co.uk / M: 07738 555453 / W: www.spencerwoodmagic.co.uk

 

PIMLICO FLOWERS

… for the beautiful flower displays

Contact: Susie Ind: E: sjind2@hotmail.com / T: 0207 8286430 or 07778 516478 / W: www.pimlicoflowers.co.uk

 

PIING

… for their great interactive gaming

Contact: Ed Baldry: E: ed@piing.events / T: 01618 798501 / M: 07808 939448 / W: www.piing.events

 

MEGABOOTH

… for their fantastic photo booth

Contact: Elliott Gold: E: elliott@megabooth.com / T: 0203 0534333 / M: 07950 128502 / W: www.megabooth.com

 

SPLENTO

… for providing us with the great photographer, Giulia, for the evening

Contact: Isaiah Kossinne: E: Isaiah@splento.com / T: 07568 518368 / W: www.splento.com

What's up next in The BNC events calendar?

 

The next BNC Event Show is 20^th February 2019 at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, EC1Y 4SD. Make sure you and your senior event colleagues are signed up via our website here.

 

The next BNC Corporate Networking Forum will be from 4^th – 6^th April 2019 at the Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa. If you’d like to find out more please email me back (Emily Everall, Event Manager, BNC Forums at emily@bnceventshows.com).

 

The BNC team wishes you wonderful Christmas and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

 

Kim, Alec, Charles, Annabel, Nathan, Melissa, Christie, Darlene, Francesca and Emily

 

 

Just wanted to say thank you for a great show!  Always feels welcoming and friendly unlike a lot of the larger shows, thanks again 

ALTRA Events

We would like to thank you for making it possible for us to have a stand at your wonderful show yesterday. It was so nice to be a part of it and was so impressed in the way that we were looked after, what with being fed all the time and all the help and kindness that you gave us setting up the day before and on the day. 

The staff at the venue were also really friendly and helpful, especially with all our heavy items! We very much look forward to working with you again for the November networking event.  Pimlico Flowers

Thanks again for a great show - I met with some new venues and it was very useful for me. 

Danish-UK Association

We have come away with 96 new leads once we had deleted the duplicates and tests, which is great.  

A few have already booked site visits at the venue and hopefully something will convert into a confirmed booking. I will keep an eye on this over the coming months so we can measure how successful the show was for us and of course will share any news with you.  

Similarly we will also be launching our two new outdoor event spaces at the end of September so I will send details for this too. I hope to speak soon and I am looking forward to our next BNC show! The National Gallery

Just wanted to say thank you for a lovely event as always. All the exhibitors are very friendly and helpful, and the BNC team put on a great day. Have a lovely rest of the week. 

BBC World News

I stand by what I said before, your show is probably the best in the events industry to connect buyers to all types of venues, hotels and other suppliers. The quality of the corporate buyers is always quite high, interesting mix of third parties/agencies and also interesting venues and suppliers.   

We have made hundreds of new contacts and already initiated a few interactions which is very promising. I want to thank you and the team for all the support in turning around our presence in the show with such short notice and also the support on the day. Cookery School

Congratulations on a great showcase last week, it was very helpful as ever. 

INGENIOUS 

Just wanted to thank you immensely for all the help with Sophie and my first BNC exhibit. We’ve got a long road ahead transforming Cineworld’s venue hire but the BNC Show and your efforts in supporting us honestly went a long way to demonstrating we are on the right path. It was a big risk exhibiting so early on in our time with the company (Sophie and I started 4 June!) but we are starting to see it pay off. It was a really enjoyable day and I look forward to being back in February for an even better exhibit. 

It’s a shame that football never came home on the night, but we had smiles on our faces either way! Jonathan Woodhouse - Cineworld 

I just wanted to say a big Thank You for all the hard work which I know went into the show yesterday. As always, it was very useful and great to meet some new suppliers as well as catch up with some of the usual faces. 

Very much appreciated!  Please pass on my thanks to the fabulous BNC Team. 

McKinsey & Company

Thanks so much for having us, it was a great event and very well organised. We'll know for next time to be there bright and early ;)  Really enjoyed the presentation too - the audience were engaged.  Eventbrite

I really enjoyed the show this morning, it was great to meet face to face with suppliers and network plus learn about recent new openings/refurbishments.  

Looking forward to the next show! CWT Meetings & Events   

Thank you for helping Charles and I to exhibit at this year’s BNC Show. Once again, we had some decent leads showing interest and with some possible events but we will have to hope they follow through with them. 

It is certainly a far better show with regards delegates and contacts than others at which we have exhibited. We need the enthusiasm for our services on the day to be turned into confirm bookings and new clients! Thanks again and we hope to see you next year as well. Incorporate Entertainment

Thanks for a great show last week – I value the opportunity to network with peers.  I really enjoy the seminar programme you put together, it’s a shame I couldn’t make it to the marketing sessions.  

Have a great summer! ICSC 

We had a really great time on the day and already got few promising leads! Swingers

Sign up to our next show and join us!

20^th February at The Brewery

www.bnceventshows.com

A big thank you for the excellent event this morning. I will be cancelling going to the Squaremeal event as this one is far superior…lots of ideas and old faces

Thank you for organising such a great show on Wednesday, it was my first BNC and I will most definitely be coming back. 

Thank you for a great show today, I haven't been for a few years but actually made it today! It was a great opportunity to catch up with current suppliers and meet new suppliers. The event was well run and had the right number of varied suppliers so worked really well for us and what we were looking for.

We had a great day and hopefully have some exciting leads to work on. Appreciate all of your help. 

The show was a great success and I am glad to be a part. I had some good meetings and connected with new international suppliers. Good luck for the next ones!

I have attended the BNC Show, many times over the years, albeit with different companies. Have to say, my gut feeling is that yesterdays was the best one todate – early days I know, but the volume of visitors was very high, especially in the morning and the quality of the visitors / buyers was excellent too. Great to work with you and all the team at BNC. All the best,

We really enjoyed the show yesterday and made some great contacts. Could you send me the details for the summer event please and I’ll see whether we can find the funds to participate. I certainly think it would be worthwhile.

Great show on Wednesday! Really strong crowd and only good vibes throughout the day :) Thank you so much for forwarding the leads, I shall follow up today - how exciting! It would be great to have you at the showcase next Wednesday, if not pls let's get a date in the diary for a catch up. Thank you for having us and pls send my regards to Alec and Kim,

Thank you so much for hosting such a fantastic show. It was my first time attending/exhibiting at The BNC Show and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience – I truly believe it will be significantly beneficial to us at De Vere with some fantastic new leads acquired throughout the day. The hospitality was exceptional and we were really well looked after. Thank you again, see you at the next one!

Another great event today, thank you very much! I could only stay for a few hours yet managed to meet so many new contacts and catch up with existing suppliers. Congrats to you and the team on another great show!

Thanks so much for a great event yesterday! As always, really worthwhile and thoroughly enjoyable.

I hope that the rest of the day went well yesterday. I enjoyed the panel and I hope that the audience got a lot out of it. I think that the general message was ‘take things into your own hands’! The show was super busy and even though I didn’t have much time I managed to catch up with everyone I wanted to and meet a good number of new and interesting suppliers.

Just a very quick one to say congratulations on another amazing show this week – it was fab! Thanks to you & Kimberley & the rest of the team for making it exceed expectations (as usual!)

Thanks so much for inviting me to the BNC events show in London on Wednesday. I had a great – and very productive – time and it was really lovely to meet you at last. 

Thank you for putting on such a great show, it was really useful as always.

The BNC show was great (as always!), and the GDPR session in particular was really useful.

I just wanted to say congratulations on a great show yesterday. I’m sorry we didn’t get the opportunity to meet but appreciate you were rushed off your feet doing great work! We would be interested in exhibiting at the July show - please can you send details when you’ve had chance to recover 

It was great to exhibit at the show yesterday. Thanks for all your and the team's help!

On behalf of all the team, a huge thank you for everything yesterday! It was a truly great show. Have a wonderful end to your week!

We had a great day and it was an amazing day of networking and relationship building!!! Congratulations for a successful show. Please send my thanks and love to the rest of the team!

Just a very quick note to say a huge thank you for looking after us so wonderfully on Wednesday. It was a beautifully executed event from entrance to exit. I think what stands out most is that the BNC team were visible throughout the day, which is often lacking in so many ways at other events. The staff, food and venue were wonderful. I have lots of (hopefully) fabulous leads to work on and am keeping my fingers firmly crossed on converting them into business. Two quotes have gone our already. I hope the event was a success for all.

Hi Team BNC
Just to say a huge thank you for all your efforts yesterday – I think one of the best BNC Shows to date! Thanks also for the opportunity to joining the wellness panel aka BNC’s version of ‘Loose Woman’ - it’s a topic I feel very strongly about & I’d like to say I ‘ve learnt the hard way myself but in reality I’m still learning! I’ve had lots of positive comments about the session already. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle really enjoyed their Valentine’s day too. Please pass my thanks on to the whole team

Our next BNC Event Show

Firstly congratulations for putting on such a hugely successful event. The significant amount of hard work that went into it was apparent, made even harder I imagine by the audience you were targeting!

Secondly, thank you so much for inviting me. Not only did I learn valuable new ideas and information from my fellow buyers and suppliers, I had such fun doing it too! We’re all connecting and I’m sure the conversations will continue.

Bravo BNC! Hope to see you on 14th February. Warmest wishes, Jane

What a great networking trip! So nice meeting and laughs, and good friends.

We have very nice connection. Thanks a lot for your amazing smile and organisation. 

BNC you rock it … Maud

A *MASSIVE THANK YOU* to you and all of the team who worked so hard this weekend to make the event such a huge success. For me, the opportunity to network with – and learn from – other senior-level buyers was brilliant – sometimes it’s so hard to see past your own office front door, and talking with, and sharing experiences with, buyers who have the same day-to- day experiences, regardless of company or event types, was invaluable. 

Thanks again – see you on 14 Feb! Very best wishes, Clare

I hope you are well and safe after our amazing trip to the Canary Islands. Just wanted to pass on my huge congratulations to the team for putting on an expert forum and by far my favourite one to date. The group size was perfect for us allowing us to spend the right amount of time with suppliers and buyers alike. The hotel was fab and the service levels were exceptional. Emily was the jewel in the crown, all communication leading up to the event and during was really incredible and she always had a smile on her face. So much so I will replicate her itinerary for my future events. She really did cover everything and was the most gracious of hosts. Really appreciated the networking sessions too which allowed us time to see everything from both perspectives. Despite us not answering all the questions in the quiz!

Had a really productive time and met contacts old and new. All round 10 out 10 for the event!

Wishing you a fabulous rest of the week ahead. Thanks for a memorable trip and superb execution, Emily

Hi Emily, Hi Kim

Just to say a massive thank you for the networking weekend you have just organised. It was truly helpful and greatly appreciated.

Please pass on my thanks to Nathan, Alec, Charles, Kimberley and Chezzie.

See you on the 14th February, Helen

Hi Emily

A massive thank you on a well organized, successful, positive and overall fantastic event. You and your team were amazing and set a standard in organizing events! But a particular hats off to you for being so calm, collected and smiley for the whole trip.

I made some great contacts and it has really motivated me to get more involved in the industry.

If you need any help with the 14th or anything ever, then please do ask,

Thanks, Kara

Awesome event! You nailed it! 

Glenn

Thank you for organising a great BNC Forum – I hope you are feeling relaxed and rested after a couple of days of normality.

It was a great event at which I made useful contacts, both suppliers and buyers. I particularly enjoyed the Friday afternoon discussion session; it’s always so interesting to hear different/similar experiences across the industry (really pleased to hear that I’m not the only one who’s fallen foul of the ‘joint first hold’ issue). If you have any of these sessions running in the future I’d love to hear about them.

Got a few venue viewings booked in over the next couple of weeks so fingers crossed these turn out to be fruitful!

Thanks again Emily for everything – looking forward to seeing you again on the 14th! 

All the best, Sophie

I’d also like to take this opportunity to say big thanks to Emily and the rest of the team organising the most memorable networking event I have ever attended. Really productive and well organised! I have learnt so much from the experienced buyers and get to understand more of how the suppliers work.

Great work to the BNC team!

Kind regards, Maxine

Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful trip! Liam and I enjoyed it immensely and made some great new contacts who we are looking forward to following up with soon and at the show.

Thanks again and see you in a couple weeks!

Kind regards, Jen

Thank you also for such a well-organised, insightful few days – I learned a lot and it was lovely to meet you, the BNC team and the suppliers and buyers.

Thank you also for the contact information, I will ensure I share this internally also.

About to register for 14th Feb, see you again soon! So nice to know who you are now!

Kind Regards, Annabel

Clap clap to you Emily and the wonderful team… oh that Victor Wood (Charles) cracked me up so much!

Hope you rested a wee bit xxxx

Myra

Thanks Emily. Still reeling from the event. Came back into work today and I swear I left my brain on the balcony in Tenerife!

A huge thank you to you all for the invite and for well organised event, I couldn’t fault any of it. I have met some amazing people, some I hope to do future business with and others I hope to stay in contact with.

The discussions were spot on and very interesting.

Again, thank you for letting me join you and I hope to see you on the 14th.

Enjoy the rest of your week, Candice

 

Thank you so much for the forum - I always tell people its one of the best things I did for my career and this one did not disappoint (as if it would!)

Can’t imagine how exhausted you guys are so I hope you’re getting some well-earned rest.

One random piece of feedback - I really liked the narrow tables at the morning meetings… made it feel more like a chat than a super formal meeting which was really nice.

Love to all the BNC team and see you soon! Sophie

Thank you so much for having me! I had such a fun weekend and met some great people. I look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

Regards, Chandler

Thank you so, so much for such a fantastic forum. It was such an amazing few days and well worth it with such a great variety of connections.

I will definitely be looking to join along again, look forward to seeing you again in a few weeks

Hannah

A huge thank you to you and the team for organising such a valuable, interesting and fun trip!

I found the networking sessions really useful, particularly the group sessions, and learnt a lot from meeting so many different people with such different backgrounds.

From knowing no-one on the trip beforehand, I’ve come away with new friends and industry contacts – so definitely worthwhile!

It was also brilliantly organised and ‘just the right amount’ of both ‘work’ and ‘free time’ – so thank you!

Would be great to catch up properly with you over a coffee in the next few weeks.

Best, Arabella

Thank you so much for your email. I also wanted to express a huge Thank You to you for all your hard work – I had an amazing time and so many interesting chats with everyone.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be part of this forum – I truly enjoyed it! See you on Valentine’s Day, Meike

A massive thank you for the last few days! The event was a real success with some great buyers. It was so well organised and the added sun just completed it all. Nice balance for work and relaxation. Emma

I just wanted to say thank you so much for having me at the Forum this weekend. That’s the first time I’ve attended anything like that and I must say how impressed I was with the whole organisation. I found the meetings and networking sessions very useful, and I’ve made some invaluable contacts and connections. It was such a fantastic setting to get everyone together and I’ve only heard good things from everyone I’ve spoken to as well. Such a lovely group of people to spend the past few days with.

A massive well done to you and the team for putting on such a good event and creating an amazing experience for us all. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and looking forward to seeing you all at the February show.

I hope you are treating yourself to some well deserved (and much needed!) time off to relax.

Many thanks, Lauren

Thank you for trusting us to help you organize BNC Tenerife. It was a pleasure meeting the attendees and sharing not only know how, but many anecdotes and potential business ventures. Marcos

Jamie and I just wanted to extend our thanks for having us at the forum this weekend. We had a fantastic time and felt extremely well looked after. It was great to be a part of something that felt so productive and supportive to those working in events, and also to have the opportunity to meet suppliers who I’m sure we will be looking to work with in the very near future!

Thank you so much for all the hospitality and for putting together such a great event for all involved. Please extend our gratitude to your team, and we look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks at the Brewery!

Best, Katie

Thank you so much for organising such a great trip. There was a great mix of people, both buyers and suppliers, which meant that there was always interesting conversation.

It was extremely well organised, which I know from experience is not an easy task.

Many thanks, Sarah

Thanks for sending this across. It was an excellent event, I made lots of potentially interesting contacts and I’m really glad I made the time to attend. I’ll see you at the show!

Kind regards, Melanie

The event was perfect! Well done again :)

We all made the most of the socializing to create great relationships with everyone, you guys included and, well.. it was great fun too!

Thank you for the list and can list wait to see you again at the Show!

Have a great week.

Kind regards, Luca

Just want to say a big thank you for the event on Monday. This was my first time attending one of your networking events and I’ll admit I was rather nervous about attending alone! It was a great night and I got to chat to a few people, venue and entertainment was great! Will be signing up to as many as possible from now on

Thanks
Roisin

Thank you so much for arranging a fabulous event last night – we really enjoyed it, the venue/catering was fab.

With kind regards,
Danusha

Thank you for the invite – it was a lovely evening and fabulous venue.
Thank you for the contacts of the entertainment at the event – this is very helpful.  We have already been in touch with one or two to work with us on some of our events for Q1 2018.
Look forward to the next BNC event.
Kind regards
Debi du Preez

Just wanted to thank you and the amazing BNC team for a great night and what a venue !! Was great to get up there and the VR’s were brilliant ! Also big thanks to Mikael for the Christmas Hamper full of goodies.

Hope you all have a fab festive season and see you all in February 2018.

Thanks
Nikki

Kim, thank you so much for last night, the time flew and I missed my intended train home as I was having too much fun. The venue, catering and company were superb and the hamper was amazing!! Thank you

Who were the 3 guys performing? They were fab x

Dear Kim and The BNC Team 

Thank you very much for a fabulous night yesterday- great venue, food and amazing entertainment!

Thank you for having us!
Emilia and Kate

Thank you for a lovely evening last night. The food was excellent and I scream/laughed my way through the VR’s! It was great to catch up with familiar faces new and old and take in the view. I wasn’t really drinking after the first glass of fizz (pesky late night trains and driving!) but the soft drink option was yummy so I didn’t feel left out at all. Great venue and as always a really useful way to keep in touch – it can be a lonely event manager life without your events!
Anne

Hi Kim,

Many thanks for a fantastic evening yesterday! What an amazing venue, amazing entertainment, and the slide VR experience was unforgettable!

Thanks,
Isabella

Dear BNC team!!
Thank you for organizing another wonderful networking event! Great location and great atmosphere.
Looking forward to attending the show beginning of next year, see you then!
All the best from the Beach of Amsterdam

Grand Hotel

It was a great night, many thanks J
Best wishes,

Emma Carroll

Thank you and all the BNC team Francesca!

Joanne Egan
Director
Hotel Desk

I just wanted to say thank you very much for last night, this was my first BNC event and I really enjoyed it. The catering and entertainment were fantastic and it was great to meet other members. 

Thank you again.

Kind regards,
Marcia

We enjoyed the evening and happy everyone liked the entertainment as well.
Sophia loves the hamper products. Good to sort out Christmas presents early ☺
Kind regards,

Mihaela
Cirque Le Soir

Dear Kim, Emily and all the BNC team for a great Christmas party last night,. Lovely venue and the virtual reality slide ride was great fun

Sounds a bit early to be saying this but hope you all have a great Christmas

Best wishes
Michelle

Thank you to you and your team for such a wonderful, beautiful start to the Christmas season. The venue was stunning, the food and wine excellent and the networking, as always, first class.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas

Kind regards

Sarah

Hi Kim, 

Thank you so much for a brilliant evening last night! The venue, the catering, the view and the entertainment were all incredible! 

Thanks, 

Stella 

Merry Xmas to all at BNC. Best - Sue

Jewels, cash, gold, a pirate’s wooden leg – that’s what some of us thought we’d discover along the foreshores of the Thames during our #GreatRiverRescue clean-up event. 

Well, ok, maybe that was just me, but most who joined us for the day dreamed-up a scenario in their heads of uncovering some kind of cheeky little treasure that would make a great ‘tell-at-the-pub’ story.

We knew we’d find crisp packets, plastic bottles, old newspapers, and odd boots – plus other recognisable household items - but the curious creatures among us couldn’t help but think that in all that silt, sand and water there might be ‘something’ worth digging up and talking about.

We weren’t disappointed. 

However, the ‘something’ turned out to be a shocker – and not of the good kind, either. Instead of treasure, we found ...................well, think the opposite of treasure and you’ll find the collective word for piles and piles of sodden, heavy, wet wipes clearly used and discarded without a thought. Over time they had tumbled through the system, fought in the waters and become tethered together by the iron-like fibres that weave these cloths into brilliantly strong bottom-cleaners for babies.

When you ‘innocently’ flush one teeny, tiny wet wipe thinking it will go ‘poof’ once the lid closes, you are unaware that through the dark and gloomy underworld of sewerageland these ickle wipes find one another and form an impossible chain that slinks through the pipes and expand. They can not be processed as toilet tissue can and so are expelled through the overflow pipe and reappear, lurking like tentacled monsters on the shores. Utterly disgusting.

And if that wasn’t enough of an assault on our beautiful waterways we also found sanitary towels that had being carelessly flushed away and flung out – not by residents of nearby million pound properties, surely, but by people who were quite clearly dragged up through the woods or who had just crash-landed here from another planet. 

Who are these people who think these items are ‘flushable’. Bravo London for NOT throwing onto the streets and into the rivers the aforementioned crisp packets, plastic bottles, newspapers and old boots but shame on you for flushing quite obviously non-flushable items through our systems.

What an eye-opening lesson that was for our group of 30 eventprofs who had gathered one windy Friday morning for a networking session of a difference. 

Under the #BNCGivesBack initiative they came dressed for river exploration and willing to join a formidable team of ‘River Rescuers’ alongside environmental experts from Thames21. 

On went the steel toe-capped wellies and reinforced gloves and with black bags, spades and litter-pickers in hand they and The BNC staff team all set about clearing a stretch of the mighty River Thames just by Battersea Bridge.

Working in groups or getting stuck into an area on their own, our fearless bunch – which included suppliers from Richmond Hill Hotel, Jardin Blanc, Hotel Desk, The Stafford London and YEP Enterprise - weren’t afraid to dig deep and fill bag after bag with waste, making the riverbanks and foreshores beautiful once again. Give an events professional a job to do and they will get it done, goes the adage, and in this instance it was certainly true! 

“This is very typical of what we find on a daily basis,” said one Thames21 representative as she clawed at heaps of wet wipes stuck hard to the sand. “It’s a big problem in London. We’re not exactly sure why but it is heartbreaking to see and makes so much work for our teams of volunteers.”

Thames21 works on a daily basis to keep our waters and wildlife free from litter and pollution and offer events like this to corporate groups who want a hands-on experience helping a charity and the environment at the same time. 

“We can go out as frequently as people want,” says corporate partnerships officer Seren Nelson. “It takes about three weeks to organise an event for the average group size of 50-60 people and we offer all the gear and support you need.”

Seren worked alongside her Thames21 team at The BNC Gives Back charity day and says we did an amazing job. “Everyone worked really hard and we’ve had reports from the River Port Authority that your group collected just over a tonne of rubbish that day.”

BNC Director Kim Paulden, who, along with co-Director Alec Mumford, helped on the day says:

“We want to do more for charity and after organising fundraising raffles, advice clinics with charity event managers and donating bottles of toiletries to homeless charities we wanted a hands-on activity that people could do whilst chatting."

"Working with Thames21 has been a fantastic and educational experience and a great way to give back to the city that most of us do business in. I am so pleased with the results from the day and we look forward to doing another activity with them in July.”

Viki from Schroders agrees with Kim. “I will be telling everyone about this event one day in the old people’s home!” she jokes. “Seriously though, it was a great event for you to arrange for us Event Managers to give something back to the city we all love so much.”

Comments from social media on the day showed similar enthusaism for the city an the project:

"Huge thanks @bnceventshow for organising today’s Thames Clean Up with @thames21 totally eye opening. We cleaned up about a tonne & half of rubbish mostly face & baby wipes. Please, please don’t flush these! Londoners get involved & show your river some ❤️ "

"Today we're giving back to London in collaboration with the Buyers' Networking Club and @thames21. Our Senior Sales Manager Rachel masters the shovel and gets her hands dirty to clean the river banks of the Thames, together with fellow industry professionals. What a great Clean Team, or may we say Dream Team!"

"Networking with fellow #eventprofs at the #bncgivesback morning, cleaning up the Thames foreshore around #batterseabridge and talking events. I never want to see another wetwipe as long as I live."

As we gathered at the end of the day over hot tea and chocolate biscuits to reveal our ‘best find’ there was a little light at the end of the murky tunnel.

Some of our gang had  uncovered - to their glee - lost wallets (empty), an ancient vase (possibly) and a moment of huge comedy came when one of our intrepid river rescuers, an event manager from Barclays, pulled out a pair of (surprisingly) clean and bright false teeth from the riverbed.

Another reason to keep talking about this brilliant day and this brilliant charity for quite some time. 

 

This is just a small part of what the wonderful Thames21 charity does. Please find out more at:

www.thames21.org.uk

#GreatRiverRescue

#BNCGivesBack 

 

Dear Kim, Alec and super BNC Team!

What a great show it was yesterday and the exhibitor list as good as ever. I caught up with a couple of old colleagues and of course it was great to see you there too! The venue was great and in an excellent location (well, for me anyway!) and the bowl food really yummy. I know how much effort goes into these and just to say it is so worth it and much appreciated! 

Jackie

Hi Kim,

It was lovely to see you, Melissa and Nathan yesterday, and wow what a show! It’s amazing what you have accomplished, I’m so pleased for you, it’s well deserved.

Love Claire

Good Morning Kim

Just wanted to pass on my congratulations on another great event yesterday! It's great to catch up with historic contacts to reinforce and build upon, but equally to have exciting new exhibitors at each event to explore.

Sushil and I had a de-brief (cocktail at Browns) afterwards and both mentioned that the seminars now are much more worth attending than a few years ago and I note that it is since Nathan came on board that that is true! 

It is always great to see you too of course!! 

Sue

Hi Kim, 

Thanks again for a wonderful show! Always great to see familiar #eventprofs faces! Particularly nice to see a different venue in action. I hope you and the team had a good event and are now all able to rest a bit... Thanks also for the Frankfurt/stand build feedback! 

All the best, Sophie 

Hi Kim,

This is great – thanks so much. I also wanted to say that the showcase this week was really useful. I’ve made some really good contacts and the venue this year was fab – thanks to you and all the team!

Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks,
Lizzi

Dear Emily,

Thanks so much to you all at the BNC for organising this. The BNC Show was as useful as ever and great location this year. I found it much easier to get around the different exhibitors and there was a really good choice again.

Thank you!

Helen

Hi Emily

I just wanted to belatedly thank you very much for registering me for this event. I really appreciated it and I enjoyed heading along for breakfast and networking with everyone on Wednesday. It was thoroughly useful and it was a great morning!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Best wishes

Rosie

Hi Emily,

I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you for the showcase today. I had to leave earlier than expected and so will be missing the seminar I booked in for because of a few work calls. I don’t know if there is any chance I can get the slides from the session? (11am one). The showcase was really fantastic – I’ve made a few new international contacts so it really has been helpful. I also love the new venue and am very excited for the next one!

Thanks again,

Elizabeth

Hi Emily,

It was nice to finally meet and thanks again – I always find these events useful even if I can’t get around all stands.

I didn’t make it to the Shard Viewing stand but do keep me posted on that Autumn event they are planning. 

Kind regards,

Tanya

Hi Emily,

Just a quick note to say thank you and the team for organising such a great event today. Again we have met some new and very interesting suppliers. Please do keep us on the list for any future events. 

Thanks again,

Katie

Hi Kim and Emily

Thank you as always for a great show yesterday. I liked the new venue - it felt more spacious (probably because of the high ceilings) and of course it's in a great location!

I caught up with a few familiar faces and met a few new venues/suppliers too.

Many thanks

Agi

See more photos from the event on our

BNC Event Shows Facebook here

Dear Emily, Kim and Alec -and all the hard working staff at the BNC! 

Thank you so much for a most enjoyable evening last night at the Guildhall.
What a truly spectacular venue it is. The food and entertainment was fantastic and I've no doubt the Urban Soul Orchestra will be flooded with bookings after their rousing performance.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you all at the BNC show in July.
Brendan

I wanted to say a big thank you for organising last night’s BNC Grand Dinner. It was incredibly well run, the food and venue were stunning - I loved the seafood starter! I was also able to make some good new contacts, my stack of business cards has been depleted and I was able to catch up with some familiar faces. All in all, it was a brilliant evening, well done!!

All the best,
Abi

Huge thank you for the invitation, what an incredible venue and fantastic dinner last night!
I made some really interesting connections too and have lots of inspirations for my future events going forward.

Thanks again,
Emilia

Thank you so much for a beautiful evening at the Guildhall last night. The food was delicious, the wine excellent and the company, as always a delight!

I’m sorry I couldn’t stay on and enjoy the band but with a new job and a sick husband I had to get home. Please also pass my thanks to Emily and the entire BNC team for a wonderfully organised event. 

I am looking forward to seeing you all again at the July show.

Kind regards
Sarah

Dear Kim, Alec and all the lovely BNC Team

Thank you very much for a great evening last night at such a great location.

Big hats off to you all for organising.

See you all soon.

Best Wishes
Ken

///

Amazing event, well done it was a lovely evening.

We are looking forward to the 12th of July as we endeavour to keep that bar rising

Paul 

Fantastic evening last night Kim!! Sorry I had to leave a little early but had to say goodbye to the kids as they are off to Belgium today!! Thanks for such a wonderful evening. The venue, entertainment and food were amazing and I had the pleasure of sitting with the amazing florist, one of the band and one of the caterers, lucky girl!

Marissa

///

Hi Kim,

Thank you for last night! It was a fantastic evening and I loved every bit of it.

Many thanks,
Nikki 

Thank you so much for a fab evening. The venue was great, as was the food and we have made some really useful contacts. 

I look forward to hearing about any upcoming events. 

Thanks again and best wishes, 
Katie

It really was a great night last night! 

Kind regards,
Francesca

///

Can I just say what a fabulous dinner it was yesterday. I had a really good time and met some really interesting people. Thank you so much for the invite!

Thanks again
Nicola

I had a lovely evening at the grand dinner last night thank you for the invite.

Kind regards
Laura 

///

Thanks so much for a fantastic evening, it was again a very well organised event by your team! The venue and food was amazing and great to see you all as always.

Looking forward to the next show in July.

Harriet 

I just wanted to say thank you for last night, myself and my manager had a brilliant time. The food, wine and entertainment was amazing, and I met some great people that I will be in contact with for upcoming events. 

Many thanks Hannah

Thank you all for your splendid hospitality. As always, a brilliantly delivered & great networking and fun BNC event. The Guildhall is absolutely stunning, such a hidden gem and their catering was exceptional! I think the band were also at their best. Thanks to photographers, lighting, musician, table dressings. Everything was simply perfect.

Apologies for my inept ability at the head & tails game – I was going for the comedy value (Ha!)

Really thank you – all your hard work showed & paid off!

Kind regards
Jo

Thanks so much,

What a great evening yesterday! Such a beautiful venue; I absolutely love the vaults. 
Great to see you and the team all looking so well in your finery 

Until next time, all the best, 

Sophie

///

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for last night.

The Guildhall was an amazing venue and the food and entertainment superb. It was a pleasure to be a part of such a great evening and catch up with industry colleagues.

Thank you again for the invite and we are looking forward to the next BNC show at Central Hall Westminster.

Best wishes
Mary

The evening was great!. I really enjoyed the company of people in my table.

Also it was such a beautiful place! And the best, was the chance to see old friends :)

Again, thank you for the invite. I really enjoyed the evening!

Kind regards,
Rosa

///

Hope you have recovered after another wonderful event! Thank you so much for having me last night, it was a really lovely evening. Kim and Alec do make me laugh. I had a really nice table of people as well and it was all fab! Congrats on another great event!
Kelly

Thank you for such a lovely evening! Really enjoyed it.

It was lovely meeting you!

Best wishes,
Christian

///

Thank you for the invitation, it was a very enjoyable night!

Gail

Thank you so much for such a wonderful night!

The food, setting and of course company were all wonderful

All the best,
Kat

///

Thanks again for including me. As always it was great event.

Looking forward to catching up again soon.
Lisa

Tuesdays dinner was the best yet!

Well done to you and all the team!

See you in July!
Ali

///

Thank you Lizz for a great evening!! I am looking forward to the 2018 BNC event in February already

I have also made my donation as promised

I hope you had a great time and congratulation to the team on a superb night

Emma 


Thanks for a great night, we had to shoot off as Rhys has recently had a baby but we really enjoyed it and will certainly be in attendance for the next one!

It would be great to get the pictures taken by Ian of myself and Rhys, theres a couple on the FB page

Many thanks
Jake

We had a fantastic evening on Tuesday. Thank you to you and all your team for organising such a great event and to everyone involved.

Best wishes
Helen

See more photos from the event on our BNC Event Shows Facebook here

We'd planned an awesome event, including all the trademarks of our now famous networking exhibition but this year we went that extra mile to showcase the best in the business by making use of new events space at London’s The Brewery which enabled us to welcome scores of new suppliers to The BNC Event Shows brand and to extend our welcome area.

We also built-in extra special touches as it was the occasion of our tenth – yes, 10^th!!! - show and there was the opportunity to celebrate!

There was a Champagne party, free makeovers for guests, extra goodies to take home, over 25 giveaways and luxury prizes to be won plus a stellar line-up of excellent and awe-inspiring speakers including Simon Weston CBE and Brexit experts Nick de Bois and Simon Hughes.

Buyers involved too in gift-giving, too. Their mission, under the #BNCGivesBack campaign, was to bring in unopened toiletries for us to create hampers for cancer patients. Watching everyone happily donate bottles of lotions, perfumes, creams, make-up and bath sets was inspiring and is something we hope to repeat with every show.

 “From start to finish it was a non-stop incredible day,” says The BNC’s Director Kim Paulden. “It was our best show to date and I am so pleased that we marked our tenth anniversary with gifts for others. I’m proud of this initiative and thank everyone who took part.”

Another thing we hope to repeat with every show is a phenomenal presence on Twitter! During early afternoon #BNCEventShow was the number two trending hashtag on London Twitter!

Tweets relating to fascinating seminars, informative stand holders and a fun atmosphere flooded the number one social media channel and we topped the likes of Robbie Williams as the hot topic of conversation for the day. Wow!

In a message to BNC members Kim says:

“Thank you for coming to our show and for being such fantastic buyers. You filled the aisles and took the time to speak to the exhibitors and enjoy the day who were thrilled with the energy, atmosphere and engagement levels you brought to the day. 

“We organise our BNC Event Shows just for you and are so pleased when year after year the buzz gets greater, the aisles become busier and you - the buyers - go home happier after a few really well spent hours doing research, networking and learning new trends and tips of the trade.

“We're really proud of what we do but we owe it all to you - your enthusiasm and passion for events with quality suppliers at quality venues and destinations challenges us and impresses us and drives what we do. Thank You.”

Are you a full BNC member? Missed the show but would like some notes from seminars, or for us to connect you with exhibitors? Just drop us a line and we’ll sort it for you. Please write to: melissapaulden@thebnc.co.uk

Thank you #eventprofs for the amazing feedback of our show!

“We really enjoy exhibiting at The BNC Event Show. Every year the quality of the buyers is outstanding and the atmosphere overall, outshines any event show that we go to” The Hurlingham Club

“I come to the BNC Show every year because hands down it is the best show in the industry” Freelance event manager

 “Thank you for arranging a fantastic event last Wednesday – I had a very busy and very fruitful event! 
Can I please ask for more information on the July BNC such as who attends, how much it is, is it the same format as the February event? Can I also ask if I can rebook my position for February 2018? “ Business Design Centre

"Fantastic show!" CWC Group Limited

“What a great event! Seen some really, really good strong buyers here today. Quality wise, it is one of the shows that I look forward to every year. If I walked away now, which has just gone lunchtime, I would still be a very happy lady, Brilliant Show” Imago

“Been coming to The BNC for the last four years and have always found it a very good show. Really good mix of buyers both direct and agency. Very good ROI for us and a really good follow up, all in all BNC is a fantastic Show” Royal Garden Hotel

"Great show" Grass Roots

“This is our fourth year at The BNC Show. It’s been a great show already this morning. We have made a substantial amount of new contacts with a great number of enquiries as well to follow up on” SANA Hotels

“I come to The BNC Event Show every year its really good to catch up with people who I don’t get to on a regular basis. They always get lots of really good suppliers, I like to see if there are any new venues around. It is the best show I come to every year” AOK Events

“It is one of the best shows we do, we have done it every year now, it has such a high calibre of buyers and today has been really, really busy” BMA House

“The BNC is a really great organisation. The initiative itself, bringing event managers together and sharing ideas is a wonderful thing. Today, bringing all the venues and exhibitors under one roof makes life a lot easier and everybody is really friendly and informative and it’s really good because you get free stuff and free food – all day, it makes us happy and want to be here, it’s been really good and we got some great suppliers from today” News on the block

“We have had a fantastic show today, we’ve seen lots of fabulous buyers and got really great access to, especially direct, corporate buyers that we might not always get to see and reconnect with some agency friends as well, it’s been a really great show” The Dorchester Collection

“Thanks for a fabulous event today! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt it was very worthwhile attending in terms of relevant suppliers with whom I met” EMAP

"Thank you for an amazing show! As ever, the best and most helpful event gathering. The education was great and I got to give out four proposals for events on the spot! It's the only show I attend!" Field Fisher

To celebrate two decades of events industry networking, The BNC - Europe’s leading  association for event professionals - relaunched its Corporate Networking Forums in style at the Dolce CampoReal, Lisbon...And to bring the event into the 21^st century, and as a way of celebrating twenty incredible years, The BNC team added a charity element to the four-day trip and The BNC Gives Back Forum was born.

To qualify all participants had to already be doing, or commit to participate in, some form of individual or group charity work and whilst there, Portuguese DMC EMVIAGEM brought in local charities to join in the networking. At the end of the Forum all attendees agreed to a series of BNC charity initiatives that will be carried out through 2017 and beyond.

BNC Recommends: Why did we choose Lisbon?

It is one of the oldest cities in the world and has practically the warmest winters in Europe! Flying time is just over two hours and there is no time difference!

BNC Recommends:  What would we recommend about the destination and hotel?

The large bedrooms and amenities

The chairs in the conference room were c o m f y (it’s the small things!)

The covered courtyard breakout space was so Mediterranean and a welcoming place to sit in between sessions!

The ‘nourishment station’ as it was called was plentiful, stocking piles of delicious snacks that never ran out

The unique canapé options that were beautifully displayed and explained to us when asked (that’s really important!)

Service with a genuine smile – the Portuguese did this a lot (something other hotels and suppliers could learn from)

The thoughtfulness of our arrivals team –the hotel served homemade hot chocolate and melt-in-the-mouth biscuits, the perfect pick-me-up after travelling and it made the check-in process for 50+ people not so bad!

Great teams working together to make your event happen (see supplier list here).

Kim Paulden says.......

On the destination:

“There’s something really buzzing and ‘alive’ about Lisbon. It has a wonderful energy to it and it’s my favourite place for a short break. There is so much culture and history and the people are incredibly friendly and to top it off the hotels there are outstanding. That’s why I chose Lisbon as the destination for our BNC Gives Back Forum 2017. Our hosts were so accommodating and warm and welcoming, they made The BNC’s 20^th Anniversary all the more special.”

On the networking:

“From the minute we arrived at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 our group started networking. I could hear them in the check-in queue! It was brilliant! They were a lively, engaging and incredibly friendly group of event professionals who clearly enjoyed each others’ company and the opportunity to learn more about a destination together and to meet suppliers in a less traditional set-up.

On our second day we had supplier-buyer meetings that went really well and then on the third day we broke off into groups to chat through industry issues and event management problems. Of course, there was lots of storytelling and recommendation sharing as well!

During the day we discussed all things events in conversations that included buyers, suppliers, our Portuguese hosts and charities from the local area.

Key topics were:   Transparency, Contracts, Brexit and its Impact on the Events Industry, ROI, Creativity, After Dinner Entertainment Ideas, Health and Safety, Service Levels, Supplier-Buyer Communications and Relationships. We finished with a large group session on charity work and how we can all be more charitable in our own events, as a Club and as an industry as a whole.

Our group literally chatted non-stop throughout the four days: in the hotel’s elegant lounge bar, over breakfast, lunches and dinner in the beautiful Grande Escholha and Manjapão restaurants and then during pockets of free time where they went to the gym, the pool, out on bike rides and to nearby towns. The final excursion – an evening spent at the trendy Museu da Cerveja in the heart of Lisbon town saw the group really bond over a unique tasting and dining experience. By the end of the trip it was evident that solid connections had been made.”

On The BNC Gives Back initiative:

“We’re very lucky to work in the industry that we do,” says Kim Paulden, Director of The BNC and the driver behind The BNC Gives Back initiative.

“It’s a multi-million pound industry and we all arrange or attend very extravagant and privileged events.

To balance that, The BNC wants its members to come together to work towards good causes and to leave a lasting legacy wherever we are – at home or overseas.

I am so pleased with the efforts made by the BNC team and by our members and supplier contacts during the latter part of 2016 and with the Gives Back Forum in Lisbon. There’s a lot more to come as the initiative takes hold and grabs the hearts and imagination of many more BNC people.

It was an honour to meet with charities from Portugal and we hope that we helped them in some way. We will keep in touch and look forward to hearing their updates.”

BNC Recommends: 

What the buyers said

“Thank you for a wonderful four days that not only allowed me the opportunity to meet with some amazing people on a professional and personal level but to learn a great deal. I came away from the whole experience with so many tips and ideas. It’s given me back the confidence in my own abilities. Working for a membership organisation, creativity isn't needed and I’d forgotten that I'm creative because I don't get to be creative. Everything is done online these days and you don't get the human interaction that last week’s adventure gave us. You forget the value of face to face meetings even though our careers are about selling face to face meetings to delegates. It’s been an eye opener and will definitely change how I market my events moving forward. I also picked up some secret tricks to use when booking hotels for my holidays thanks to Rita from Sofitel.”

“Thanks so much for having me at the event, it was really useful and hopefully I have found a venue for our London event from it! I really appreciate all the organisation that you guys put into such a great event and look forward to seeing you at another event soon.”

“I just wanted to say thanks again for letting me be part of the forum. It was such a useful event - I still feel like my head's going to explode from learning so much and meeting so many great people, but it was definitely worth it! I'm sure you're well aware of this already, but in addition to being a fantastic networking opportunity it was also superbly organised - Emily is an absolute wonder!”

“I would just like to say a huge thank you for inviting me to the Forum, I had the best time and really picked up some amazing venue contacts. You did a great job in organising and the BNC family are a great team! They made me feel very welcome. I would love to stay in touch and shall be at the London show so hopefully see you then. If you do another Forum I would absolutely love to attend.”

CHARITIES

Maria Lourenço, ABMAV

Patrícia Pinto, ABMAV

Telma Teixeira, ABLA

Elsa Pereira, ABLA

With thanks, to our wonderful hosts:

Alexandra Baltazar, Manager, Lisbon Convention Bureau

Samantha Martins, International Sales Manager, Dolce CampoReal Lisboa

Luiz Castro, Business Development Manager, EMVIAGEM (Our DMC)

Ana Castro, Groups, Incentives and Congress Department, EMVIAGEM (Our DMC)

Carlos Pinto de Oliveira, Sales,  United Kingdom, TAP Portugal

JOIN US NEXT TIME:

We have already sold over half of the supplier spaces and have taken some registrations from buyers for the 2018 overseas BNC Gives Back Forum! If you would like to find out more please contact emily@bnceventshows.com 

Over 200 party-goers gathered at the glorious One Great George Street in London's Westminster, to network, relax, sample wonderful treats and enjoy catching up with friends and connections old and new.

Event professionals work hard all year, making stunning events happen for others, and so on this night The BNC wanted to spoil and reward its guests as well as thank them for their loyalty and participation throughout the year at BNC Event Shows, BNC Forums and by continuing to keep the core of the Club - the online recommendation sharing – going as strong as ever.

There were exciting delights from event providers such as
- Lick Me I'm Delicious (who create wonderful concoctions from bubbling, Willy Wonka-style machines in front of guests' eyes, such as the 'edible mist' they provided on the night!)

- Boots who gave guests practical make-up and beauty advice as well as treatments and sparkly party make-up touches on the night

- Lee Smith an award-winning magician and mind reader did some incredible walkabout magic

- The Haywood Sisters who sang their special brand of vintage tunes – complete with Christmas carol where everyone joined-in!

- The House of Boda and Le Saint Tropez Rosé Company who each provided drinks samples and beer and wine tasting challenges on the night

- Megabooth who snapped groups in festive, snowy scenes

- TBR Floral Design who showcased their bespoke floral displays for the festive season

Add to this competitions such as the chance to win a luxury hamper filled with £400 worth of beauty products and other fun games with prizes, The BNC Christmas party was a lively affair with all the fun of a Santa's Grotto for big kids.

"It was our best party to date," says BNC Director Kim Paulden.

"Everyone had such a great time and I was so pleased to see so many people there. The venue did us proud and looked incredible. I'm so glad we picked One Great George Street for our Christmas party."

As tradition now holds, each event professional left the party with a Harvey Nichols Christmas hamper, courtesy of the 100 event suppliers who were there on the night. This made for some extremely happy guests who wrote-in the next day:

"Thanks for a lovely event. Loved the sing-a-long, and the makeovers, and the venue was lovely. Oh, and the hamper too :) thanks again and have a lovely Christmas."
New York Times

"Thank you for organising a fantastic party last night. I really enjoyed the evening, it was great to look round the venue and I will definitely keep Liz Earle in mind when sourcing gifts and additional extras/entertainment for events."
London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

"Thank you Kim and the rest of your wonderful team at the BNC for the lovely Christmas party last night.
It was lovely seeing everyone in that fabulous venue.
The canapés and entertainment have got me in the Christmas spirit even at this early stage!"

Have a great season,

BBC

"Thank you so much for last night, it was a fantastic evening enjoyed by myself and my colleague.  Thank you for inviting us. I hope you have an enjoyable Christmas and New Year."

Deloitte

"Huge thanks for last night – great fun and incredibly generous hampers! So appreciated."
Premira

Hi Kim,

Thanks for a great night, was a great start to the festive season and the hamper was fab :)

The Lisbon trip was mentioned again last night and it sounds as though you have added some additional volunteering into the programme whilst you are there that sounds great.

EY

Hi Kim,

Thanks so much for last night. It was a really great evening. Myself and Natasha really enjoyed ourselves and we loved the hamper!

Newquest media

Hi Kim,

Thanks so much for a great evening, really enjoyable!

AIMA

Hi Kim

Just wanted to drop you and note from all of us here at BBC Global News to say thanks for a great evening, we especially enjoyed singing along to Shakin' Stevens !

Looking forward to the pictures :)

Thanks
BBC Global News

Nikki beat me to it. I also wanted to say a big thank you for yesterday Kim. What a great night! Many thanks for the invitation.

BBC Global News

Hi Rosie

Lovely to see you last night and thank you to you and the rest of the BNC Team for a lovely party. Another triumph!
It was such a treat to have a bit of pampering courtesy of Liz Earle – we are big fans of her products here at LCCI.
Thank you also for the gorgeous hamper, I'm looking forward to sharing this with my family over the Christmas break.
With best wishes to you and the team,
London Chamber

Dear Kim
Thanks for a great evening - I had a lovely time last night at the party!

McKinsey & Company

Kim,

Thank you for last night. And a special mention to the people from Liz Earle, they were so lovely and helpful.

IG

Hi Kim,

Great meeting you last night. Thank you for the invitation, it was lovely!

Im hoping you and the BNC can help, we are looking for venues in Dubai. We need a large room for about 70 people with a stage set and screen and then a catering area for same number but with space for 6 small exhibition tables in it and buffet.

Thanks!

Open Door Media

Dear Kim,

I just wanted to send a big Thank You from me and the team for the great Christmas party! We are looking forward to the next Christmas part at the Shard already!

Euromoney Seminars

What a great event last night! Thanks very much to all at BNC for hosting. Really impressed with the venue too... definitely getting a site visit in after Christmas :)

CWP

Hi Kim,

Thanks for a fantastic evening, the wine tasting was really fun and making it a quiz was more interesting.

Arthur J. Gallagher

Held at Camden’s inspirational Interchange triangle the day-long networking event saw experienced event managers partnering with charity events co-ordinators in an effort to boost their forthcoming fundraisers by passing on tried-and-tested knowledge and expertise.

Charity staff from The Children’s Trust, Nova, Tern, Family Action and more brought big, ongoing issues to do with event management to the group of BNC professionals. Many were looking for ‘fresh ideas,’ some were looking for volunteers and others were looking for tips and tricks of the trade. What they all had in common was something that BNC eventprof members felt at one time - the need to shake off that feeling of isolation, to reach out to others and to use them as soundboards for advice and solid recommendations.

Questions such as ‘When’s the best time of year for a large scale event?’ ‘How much advance notice should we give our invitees?’ ‘Where can we find more volunteers for our events?’ were posed to the event professionals who used their decades of knowledge and expertise to give each of the eight charities’ events the corporate touch.

“Today has really changed how I think about planning events. It has helped tremendously,” said a representative from The Winch.

“I was feeling overwhelmed about my event and this has helped a lot,” commented Emma from Family Action .

Annie Joyce, head of events at Moneyfacts, who was participant and a presenter during the morning’s session added: “I’ve been a BNC member for over eleven years now and I’ve learnt a lot. It was good to learn about new charities and to be in a position to give back. It was a great day for me.”

Kate Conway, head of events at Hyundai, agreed.  “This was the best networking event I’ve been to. It was nice to feel useful for once! And it doesn’t finish here. I am going to go back and pick the brains of all of my contacts.”

The BNC’s Director Kim Paulden was really pleased with the day. “Thank you to everyone involved – the buyers, the Interchange and VOLO. The knowledge that our corporate event professionals have is fantastic and it was our absolute pleasure to connect the two worlds of events together to learn from each other. Harriet from Cambridge Weight Plan made me laugh earlier as she was rounding up. She said ‘I didn’t know I knew so much until I started talking!’ and that’s what The BNC is all about – giving you the platform to learn and share, discuss and debate and pass on knowledge. Today is the first of many events of this kind.”

The BNC Gives Back inaugural Charity Day was organised in partnership with VOLO, an organisation that brings people together to do good. They are all about making an impact, leaving an impression, a legacy, and they were fascinating to work with.

Says The BNC’s Gives Back co-ordinator Emily Everall:” It’s clear that everyone has had a really great day at this inaugural BNC Gives Back event. It’s been really productive and I think people could have talked for hours! We couldn’t have done today with the support of VOLO, who have been amazing to work with.”

The BNC will be giving back in a big way next year when it relaunches it’s annual overseas networking forum in Lisbon. In between the networking and site inspections a group of 50 corporate event managers and industry suppliers will help at an orphanage for the day. If you would like to join in please take a look here

Learnings from  the day:

Always think big – bigger than you think

Have confidence in your events AND in your abilities

Use social media more – think especially about running competitions to engage potential supporters and attendees

Plan ahead – be sketching out 2018 events now

If your charity has a venue that you can rent out, market it well. Start by listing it on venue finding websites

Pick your audience rather than the other way around

The more you commit to planning the smoother your event will be

Themes help event planning

What you’re doing is right! Just perhaps on a small scale

Measuring your ROI on events is crucial. Companies like Glisser – who presented on the day - can help

Always ask for feedback at the end of every event

Everyone you meet is a contact! Get their details and keep in touch with them!

It’s not too late!

To join in with The BNC Gives Back Forum please write to:

Suppliers: kimpaulden@thebnc.co.uk

Buyers: emily@bnceventshows.com

If you would like to get in touch with VOLO to find out more, please contact either 

Melissa Mitchell
Founder / CEO
VOLO GROUP
T: 07794 864 097
E: Melissa@volo.org.uk

or

Lotis Bautista
Co-founder/ CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER
VOLO GROUP
T: 07779 544 053
E: Lotis@volo.org.uk

(website: www.volo.org.uk)

Alternatively if you would like to find out more about The Interchange's event spaces, please contact

Victoria Robinson
Head of Events
The Interchange
T: 07920 792 387
E: victoria@interchange.io

(website: www.interchange.io)

By Melissa Paulden 

Known as Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue the Barbican – complete ten event spaces - is working with other cultural organisations in the City of London to form a cultural hub. That energy is evident when you walk through the doors. 

On the evening of our visit – 11^th July - children happily tinkered on steel drums as our party made its way (with a spring in their step!) to the 4^th floor. There, a Conservatory Terrace with views of the tropical plants below greeted our group as they mingled whilst being served cocktails, bubbles and some super tasty city scones by Searcys.

On 27^th June the first meeting of The BNC Gives Back group was scheduled. It was meant to be the launchpad for a gathering of minds from both sides of the supplier-buyer chain who have signed up to a group project to help charities in the UK and aboard.

However, a wee football tournament in France saw England otherwise occupied. The fact that the team hit ‘icy’ wall and were booted from the tournament is another matter, but we’ll leave that one there..... So the canapés were put on hold, the drinks stayed in their bottles and the leafy Conservatory of the Barbican sat poised and waiting for our event to recommence two weeks later. 

Why were we meeting?

Hoteliers and venue managers gathered to celebrate charity work and to make plans for team efforts under The BNC Gives Back umbrella. Sharing tips, ideas and examples for not just each others’ corporate social responsibility schemes but for individual volunteer and charity passions the group made plans for working towards a common goal: doing charity work together as a BNC team and cementing relationships as well.

What is The BNC Gives Back initiative?

BNC Gives Back will see buyers and suppliers making a commitment to themselves, their companies and to the Club by pledging to complete charity or community work between now and the end of the year. We will do some of the work as a group. Ideas for ‘giving back’ were: 

donating expertise; volunteering at a foodbank or homeless centres/animal shelters; working with the elderly; collecting shoes/clothes for other countries and more. Other members are going to take on a personal challenge such as a long distance run or a cycle ride. 

One suggestion that The BNC team will take on board immediately is having a ‘donate my gift’ section on the BNC Event Shows website so that show guests can pay their goody bags and gifts forward.

By completing a piece of charity work (and then hopefully continuing with it) it will then qualify the event professionals for a four-day international BNC Corporate Gives Back Forum in Portugal where we will focus on personal and professional development and help a good cause whilst on location. 

What is The BNC Corporate Gives Back Forum

The BNC Corporate Gives Back Forum will be a Forum like no other – yes we will try to solve event problems, debate industry issues and share best practices and recommendations for leading suppliers and top destinations but there’s more: in and around the networking sessions the 60-strong group will have individual meetings, tours of the local area, celebration dinners, some much- valued personal time and then we will unite to work on a local project that requires a helping hand, such as a school or community group that needs painting or gardening done. 

 “The BNC Shows are a great way to meet lots of excellent event managers in one day but our BNC Forums will be the best way to spend quality time with these quality buyers. This is networking, but in a way that benefits others,” says The BNC’s Director Kim Paulden.

“Tonight’s first meeting has shown what great people we have in the club. The bringing together of so many amazing minds and energy will benefit so many good causes. I am really excited about taking this forward.”

It’s not too late!

To join in with The BNC Gives Back Forum please write to:

Suppliers: kimpaulden@thebnc.co.uk

Buyers: emily@bnceventshows.com

By Melissa Paulden 

Being creative and as curious as ever, The BNC Directors wanted to see if this 'zany' venue would appeal to big kids too, and it certainly did. Over 200 event professionals and suppliers joined together for The BNC Grand Dinner, an annual evening of 'thanks and celebration' for clients and guests of The BNC Event Shows.

Tucked away in an unassuming corner near M&S in London's Westfields, Kidzania is an oasis of fun for kids of all ages. There are 60 activities to explore over two floors in a 'kid sized' city starting with your 'arrival' through an airport departure lounge complete with check-in desks and boarding passes. Visitors to this multi-million pound complex then take a true exit from reality into a land where time suspends and dreams come true.

With 22 venues all over the world Kidzania has left nothing out in its planning. There are roads and buildings, a city square, shops and offices, a music studio, tv station, recycling plant, football stadium, theatre and more, – even the ceiling is covered with a blue and cloudy sky.

It's a place where kids can be kids – run around and be their own bosses, get messy with chocolate and do lots of dressing up but for grown ups the appeal is just as exciting: be who you always wanted to be, live out a fantasy of an alternative career as a weather presenter, rock star or fire fighter and let all of your stresses disappear as you indulge in childhood dreams. What a great place for a staff party, end of year thank you or incentive.

The evening started off with a drinks reception with a difference. With Champagne or cocktail in hand guests started their tour of this wonder-city, sampling what it's like to be a chocolatier in Cadbury's, reading an autocue as a live TV presenter in a fully equipped studio, learning how to be a drummer in the Roland Music Academy or acting the part as a member of British Airways' cabin crew academy. Ice cream making in the Walls factory had people queuing up in their dozens!

When playtime was over, the dinner bell rang and guests headed to the main square to eat 'al fresco' on tables of eight. Lots of networking took place over a Payne & Gunter triumphant three-course meal (the vegetarian was particularly outstanding) and on every table, we're sure, there was a 'what did you want to be when you were younger' kind of conversation that a place like Kidzania would inspire.

Speeches on the night from BNC Directors Kim Paulden and Alec Mumford talked of the new location of The BNC Summer Show (Gibson Hall, 6th July) and launch of a new initiative: The BNC Gives Back Corporate Networking Forum (January 17th-21st 2017 in Portugal) and guests were treated to complimentary tickets to a new production from The BNC Event Shows team – The London Motor Show (Battersea Evolution, 5th-8th May).

"The events industry is known for having a good time with Champagne so we wanted to do something different and really special," announced Kim Paulden of The BNC Gives Back Forum launch. "We're really excited about this: it's where buyers and suppliers will head to Portugal for three days of really great networking but before they join us, they must have completed some sort of charity work.

"We want to show that BNC members care about the world, care about people. The events industry is a very friendly industry and there are some amazing event managers who share knowledge with each other through The BNC. This is a great industry to be in and we hope you'll come on this journey with us."

After dinner the party headed to Kidzania's mini sports stadium to dance into the night to the live sound of the stunning Urban Soul Orchestra. With glasses in one hand and giant lollipops in the other (taken from the fun table centrepieces!), everyone had a great time.

The #BNCrecommends Kidzania – just one tip: plan lots of time to explore the city so that your guests don't stamp their feet, drop their shoulders and cry 'but whyyyyyy?' when you call them in for dinner.

The BNC is proud to announce that following a game of 'heads or tails' just under £500 was raised for Kidney Research UK, a charity close to the winner's (Laura Henwood from Event Prop Hire) heart.

Other prizes given out on the night were:
The Lancaster London and Hotel Desk - Dinner for two at Nipa Thai at The Lancaster London

Visit Belfast and Hotel Desk - A two-night trip to Belfast for two including flights and accommodation at one of the Hastings Hotels and the Galgorm Resort and Spa
Royal Garden Hotel - A night's stay in a Garden Suite for two with a traditional English breakfast

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts - A night's weekend stay for two including breakfast at the Andaz London Liverpool Street
Chocolate Tasting with Hotel Chocolat

If you would like to be at our next #BNCGrandDinner let us know

kimpaulden@thebnc.co.uk

By Melissa Paulden 

Cliveden one of those places that has 'the best 'of everything: the best food (André Garrett), the best grounds to explore (National Trust), the best history (all that Profumo drama and scandal –ooo!), the best service and the best ever beds and pillows (– really, everyone agreed – we slept like babies cocooned in angel wings on mountains of marshmallows.) It was the ideal location to get some superior r&r whilst doing business with likeminded professionals.

The BNC Forum was designed to ensure that busy event managers didn't lose too much time away from the office and this appealed to many who joined us for some or all of the 24hours. By whisking the group away to an enchanting place like Cliveden time seemed to stop and every minute was thoroughly enjoyed.

At 4pm on Thursday 21st January a Mad Hatter's Tea Party in the French Dining Room ensured that the our five suppliers and 20 buyers from media firms, financial institutions, retail companies, law firms and more, got to know each other in a fun and informal setting.

The table was laid in a whimsical fashion and the most scrumptious afternoon tea was served to everyone's delight. The kitchen and serving staff was outstanding in catering for a number of different dietary requirements and the event left everyone excited for what lay ahead.

Pre dinner drinks were served in the neighbouring Library, a warm and cosy place to meet for cocktails and chats. Lots of networking continued from there into the French Dining Room where over a delicious dinner Sales Director Lisa Lernoux-Dock and General Manager Sue Williams enthralled our guests with charming tales of Cliveden's history.

"This event is SO BNC," began Lisa. "Classy, professional, but fun and you've come to the best place – Cliveden – the ultimate party and meeting house. Queen Victoria stayed here for 40 days; Churchill, Roosevelt and other big-name politicians have visited. There's such fascinating history here – in fact it's steeped in the table you're eating dinner on! This is THE most significant of all the 23 Grade I listed houses in the country."

After three fabulous courses our group were then treated to wine tasting in the Cellar. Along the way to the secluded downstairs space it become clear we were entering former servants' quarters. Our guests remarked on the property's 'Downton Abbey-esque' features such as rows of bells linking to each of the grand rooms above and lots of photos were taken and plans for future events were being starting to build in their minds.

After sampling some excellent wines and learning about their qualities, free time was offered to our guests. A private bar opened for our party and, just for a bit of fun, karaoke was on offer for a short time before everyone got a fairly early night!

The next day the meetings and networking began early after a wonderful breakfast in the André Garrett restaurant.
Groups split into threes and each rotated throughout the morning to participate in:

- a tour of sister property Hedsor House
- networking sessions on industry issues
- 2:1 meetings with suppliers

Emma Carroll of indigo at The O2
Anna Hayward of Dorchester Collection
Lisa Lernoux-Dock of Cliveden and Chewton Glen
Glen Mainwaring of the Barbican
Samantha Parker of BMA House.

Networking sessions were held in The Boudoir – a meeting space full of character complete with cosy armchairs, a roaring fire and views of the famous Cliveden gardens. What a perfectly uplifting place for meetings on a cold and wet January morning!

Topics covered were: teams merging and how to deal with changes; event technology and learning to develop and use apps; attaining the best work life balance; education and its pluses and pitfalls; VAT and transparency; contracts and cancellations and more. As always, lots of tips were passed on and recommendations shared for the best venues, products and services in the UK and abroad.

After a morning of thoroughly enjoyable discussions and networking the group reconvened in the French Dining Room for a hearty lunch followed by a talk by adventurer Tom Clowes. Tom talked of the numerous challenges he faced when climbing Mount Everest and he kept the group's attention with his messages of perseverance, self belief and goal setting.

Before everyone left at 4pm The BNC's Director Kim Paulden thanked everyone for attending.
"We've held some fantastic events in the past and some amazing venues but this one will be hard to beat," admits Kim Paulden, The BNC's director. "Thank you to Lisa and team for hosting the first of many UK BNC Forums and for ensuring that everything ran so smoothly. We have been really well looked after here and I think it's safe to say The BNC will keep on recommending Cliveden."

Exciting news of the next BNC Forum was unveiled by Kim: The BNC Gives Back Corporate Forum will take place 19th - 22nd January 2017 at the Dolce Camporeal Hotel , Lisbon, Portugal. 50 buyers and 50 suppliers will be invited to attend. To qualify they must each fulfil at least 8 hours' community/charity work during 2016.

Join us in Portugal next year to be apart of The BNC Gives Back Corporate Networking Forum.

For more information please contact: melissapaulden@thebnc.co.uk

THANK YOUS from just a few of our BNC Forum attendees:

Just wanted to say thanks to you, Alec and the team for a wonderful forum last week. You know already what a fantastic setting Cliveden House was, but in case it needed saying I thought it was lovely(!)

The main star of the show though was what a wonderful opportunity it was to get together with fellow events professionals and really talk about the issues we're currently facing. I learned so much from everyone whilst having a lot of fun! To top it all off I met some great people who it will be a pleasure to keep in touch with so a huge thank you to the BNC for letting me be involved.

Can't wait for the show on the 17th!
Sophie

Hi Kim,

A BIG thank you to you and your team for the forum at Cliveden House. It was a great opportunity to experience an absolutely stunning venue from a client's perspective whilst also networking with fellow event planners and expanding my venue knowledge with your additional suppliers. It certainly has got the brain wandering where I can put some of these venues to use. Tom was a great addition to the programme – very inspirational and I now know that I never want to climb Mount Everest!

It must have taken a lot of planning so thanks again, I hope you too thought it was a successful first forum and I'm looking forward to the showcase event in February.

Kind regards
Alex

Hi Kim

I just wanted to say a big thank you for a fantastic networking event. I enjoyed the opportunity to network with both suppliers and peers in such beautiful surroundings.

It was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to future events.

Regards
Annette

Hi Kim,

I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your team for a great offsite at the end of last week. It was a lovely way to make new connections and also really valuable content.

Kindest regards
Claire

HI Kim,

Just a quick note to thank you, Alec, Melissa, Charles and all the team members for organising such an excellent BNC event last week at Cliveden.

I cannot fault the organisation with varying interactive elements and plenty of time to network with industry peers and suppliers. It was a very worthwhile time away from the office and I certainly learnt some new things. Obviously the venue was to die for, but ultimately it was the programme that made it a success. Please pass on my gratitude to everyone who was involved in making the event possible.

The BNC goes from strength to strength!

Kind regards
Viki

By Melissa Paulden 

Following on from the launch of The BNC Transparency seminar at The BNC Event Show the purpose of this inaugural meeting was to gauge interest and participation levels and to set out guidelines and ways of working together going forward.

38 leading UK event managers showed interest in becoming part of the initial committee and attending the first meeting, with 11 being able to make it on the day. All holding event management and decision making roles, they came from the fields of building, retail, commercial property, global banking and UK financial institutions.

 

Over a breakfast of fresh fruit, sumptuous pastries, hot and cold refreshments – supplied, along with the room for the morning, courtesy of Anna Hayward and Lucy Sikora of The Dorchester Collection's Sales Team – the BNC Action Group got to work.

First they shared case studies of a range of incidences which signal the urgent call for transparency.

Such as: being unlawfully 'bumped' at short notice from hotel space that had been secured and booked months in advance; being over quoted by DMCs by as much as 40%; agents allegedly putting overrides in place and not reporting back to buyers with the full range of venues available; spaces being put on hold in the buyer's chosen hotel so that they are forced to choose the agent's 'preferred' hotel; extravagant gifts being offered to buyers in exchange for big pieces of business; being forced by one supplier to not talk to other suppliers in the event chain....and so on.

The aim?

The committee will steer a BNC transparency scheme where buyers can share stories of great events and ethical suppliers and where these ethical suppliers – both nationally and globally – can advertise their transparency through The BNC.

The ultimate aim of the group is to encourage suppliers to be more transparent in their accounting and to offer fair and just services. Vetted and approved suppliers will sign up to The BNC Transparency Charter and will be monitored regularly by staff and event managers who are members of The BNC.

The next stage of the Action Group is to create a list of aims and expectations then meet for a second time in November with key interested venues and agents present.

After the very successful two and a half hour meeting the group were pleased to enjoy a leisurely show-round courtesy of sales manager Patrick Antille of the five-star Dorchester Hotel.

Due to full capacity no bedrooms were available but we were pleased to be able to see the decadent Penthouse Suite, the fabulous Ballroom (home of the legendary BNC Grand Dinner earlier this year), the unique Crystal Suite, the Park Suite (loaded with natural daylight) and several dining spaces.

Our group was made up in equal measures of:
- event managers who have used the venue before and were pleased to have a 'refresher' site visit
- people who had booked the venue for 2016 and found the show-round helpful to revisit logistics for the event and bounce ideas off of other event managers (opinions on where tables should go etc.)
- those who had never been to the property before and were glad of the opportunity for a mini-fam with like minded event professionals.

Our thanks to the team at The Dorchester for hosting our event.

If you would like any more information on the event itself or if you would like to join the committee, please email: melissapaulden@thebnc.co.uk