RIBA at 66 Portland Place brought together notable corporates and agents for an Open House on Monday 27th March. In addition to showcasing the Art Deco inspired Grade II* listed venue, the half-day session was framed by topical discussions hosted by some of the industry’s respected voices.
Talking on sustainability and how venue finders could join the growing movement for sustainable events that positively impact the planet and environment were Matt Grey from event:decision, Edward Low from OrangeDoor, Clare Clark from CH&Co and Thomas Morgan from RIBA.
Award winning social media specialist Anna Peters from Evolve Events shared a masterclass to help engage delegates and drive event reach. Laura Willoughby MBE, co-founder of Club Soda, and sober inclusion campaigner Narmeen Kamran led the conversation on alcohol and lo and no options, which was a fascinating and pertinent conversation for the industry.
Recognising the importance of delegate duty of care, RIBA used the services of Nick Stolerman, a highly respected meditation teacher, whose exercises brought a sense of calm to the central London location. Rounding off the day, florists boo·kay ldn ran a masterclass for the organisers so they could let their creative spirit flow in the home of architecture by creating a spring bouquet.
RIBA’s catering partner CH&Co created a low waste menu for breakfast and lunch, with options including waste knot vegetable and fruit smoothies, trout and cream cheese mini bagels, highly sustainable venison ‘cottage’ pies, wonky vegetable crudites, and surplus bread and butter pudding, which utilised unsold croissants from RIBA’s Bauhaus Café.
Thomas Morgan, Head of Venues and Event Delivery at RIBA at 66 Portland Place, comments: “It was great to welcome so many clients to 66 Portland Place where they were able to experience our heritage venue in action. We put together a range of topical content sessions as we sought to get some important conversations started and we’re hugely grateful to our speakers and suppliers for giving up their time to share some really thought-provoking insights with our guests.”
