The Prohibition era comes to life in Kings Cross – time to party!
The first event we organised for this company was last year’s two-day Christmas extravaganza, whisking hundreds of staff away to dress up as heroes and villains followed by a more formal winter wonderland party event.
Knowing how much everyone had enjoyed the experience, our client naturally turned to us to organise and deliver their next Christmas party, this time in London. Our venue search focused on finding somewhere that would provide the perfect combination of vibrant atmosphere, sophistication and fun – and plenty of space for 400 people!
The Solution
Of the venues we found, the one that stood out was in Kings Cross and couldn’t have been better located – our client’s Camden offices are just a stone’s throw away and easy for everyone to pop on a train after finishing work. Goods Way is an exciting events venue and its largest space, Lafayette, which opened just a couple of years ago has quickly gained a great reputation for live music events. Combined with three other spaces, each with its own unique look and feel, the venue was exactly what we needed.
Inspired by the fabulous bar areas in Goods Way, which are like stepping back in time to the days of American saloons and secretive speakeasy bars, we based our party theme on New Orleans during the Prohibition era.
Coordinating an event that runs across multiple spaces can be a challenge, but we ensured that the guest experience was consistent throughout. We assigned a dedicated venue manager to essentially create a mini-event in each space, which meant that attention to every single detail was exceptional. We printed themed posters and handbills that advertised when and where things would be happening and we had a team onsite during the party to guarantee everything ran smoothly.
This party was all about fantastic entertainment and a brilliant experience – we wanted to wow guests from the moment they arrived. We hired two immersive actors who, in the guise of 1920s Flapper girls, greeted and mingled with guests whilst everyone enjoyed a glass of fizz and canapés. Getting guests in the mood, the actors encouraged them to explore the venue and to find Nola’s, the speakeasy bar hidden behind a secret door. They also invited guests to have fun taking photos in the vintage photo pod we had installed – utilising the venue’s décor, we created a backdrop that looked like a 1920s living room.
Each space had its own headline act, which also gave us the opportunity to include a variety of musical genres. We provided lighting and sound for all three acts and took care of all their technical requirements such as amps and speakers. Fully FunKtional, a fantastic six-piece band, performed a two-hour set of classic party hits in Lafayette. In Sweetwater, the saloon bar, singer and guitarist Kelly Barnes played acoustic contemporary covers. And in the more intimate surroundings of Nola’s, the secret speakeasy bar, jazz singer and pianist James Nicholas created a wonderful atmosphere. In between performances, our DJ kept the party rocking.
We worked with Goods Way’s in-house caterers and brought in some street food vendors to prepare an array of bowl food that could be enjoyed by guests without having to pause the partying. We served chicken Caesar salad, risotto primavera asparagus, crispy-skin salmon fillet and pitta bread filled with chicken, halloumi or falafel, which took care of all dietary requirements. And to make sure guests wouldn’t run out of steam before the party ended, more food was served later on – tacos with a delicious choice of chicken-, steak- or mushroom-based fillings.
