Category: London

Party planning ideas specific to London

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Christmas in London

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Christmas in London

Every now and then I spend Christmas on holiday in the Caribbean and it’s a totally different experience. You see Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, but it just does not feel the same as spending Christmas in London.

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Christmas lights Oxford Street
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New Bond Street
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Selfridges Oxford Street

As the song says, I am dreaming of a white Christmas, it conjures up images of snow falling at Christmas time, not 90 degree sunshine which melts the ice in your rum punch in less than 5 minutes. However, did you know that the beach theme is one of the most popular ideas for company Christmas parties? Just imagine that you are entering a huge marquee for a party and they simulate the tropical weather by using large warm-air machines and all the guests enter in beach wear, but as you step outside, there is snow on the ground. It sounds crazy, but the beach theme is still very popular and our steel drum band has covered many Hawaiian/Caribbean themed parties during the coldest months of the year. Some people flip the coin and do the opposite in the summer, by having a winter wonderland theme. All it takes is a little imagination and a good event planner. It’s nice when you enter a function suite or marquee and you are just blown away by the amazing features that some event planners create. For those of us that have to D.I.Y and become the event planner, there are lots of fantastic party suppliers in London. However, if it’s just too much, then you can check out some of the venues that are currently promoting their Christmas parties on social media.

TWEETS

Alternatively, you can just choose a hotel in central London and spend Christmas there. 

It must be really exciting for Tourists that come to spend Christmas in London. Just imagine staying at a hotel like the Cafe Royal on Regent Street and you step outside and everywhere that you look there are amazing Christmas lights. You then walk a short distance and you are at Hamleys, the most famous toy shop in the world.

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Hamleys

After Hamleys, you take a few steps and you are at Liberty and just around the corner there is Carnaby Street. After 3 or 4 hours shopping, you need a rest back at the hotel before heading up to Oxford Street. So many amazing things to see in London and all within close proximity. Then, at night things just get crazy as there are so many amazing clubs to check out. Just off Regent Street is the Ice Bar, if you want to try something a bit different and just a short walk there is Leicester Square with larger clubs like Ruby Blue.

How do you plan to spend Christmas 2014? If you are on Twitter, you can reply to Twitter/bigsands.

 

 

 

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How to enjoy the warm September weather in London

Can you believe the weather in London today? The forecast is for 24 degrees.

An Indian summer is really a warm spell of weather occurring in October, but there is no precise explanation that I can find for this term and maybe Londoners should come up with an improvement. Perhaps something along the lines of a summer rewind. Please let me know your suggestions. The sun comes out and suddenly you feel inspired to do something or go out and enjoy the warmth. Fortunately, one thing that we have in London is lots of open spaces like Hyde Park, Green Park, Kensington Gardens and Regents Park. In addition, there are lots of squares in central London with green spaces, one of the most famous being Parliament Square, which is just next to Big Ben. However, the best thing to do when the weather gets this warm is to start texting your friends and see who is up for a last minute garden party.

things to do in London, ideas for a visit to London, what to do in London, how to plan my stay in London, Tourist information London,I mean, how hard can it be to arrange a party nowadays when most of your friends are monitoring your timeline on Facebook? Your professional contacts are also tuned into your LinkedIn feed and you may also have a few hundred people following you on Twitter. Some people may be more up to speed and use Instagram or WhatsApp and can bounce a suggestion around and have the whole party arranged in less than an hour. If you wish to take on the challenge, the first thing that you will need is some deputies to help you. If you manage to get all the components together and just need some live entertainment, our steel drum band may be available at short notice and this will create an exotic sound as everyone arrives. If arranging a party on the same day is too big a challenge, then you can settle for drinks at one of the many roof terraces in London.

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The roof terrace at the Queen of Hoxton

The warm weather is set to continue for a few more days where the temperature in London will be above 20 degrees, so you still have some time to plan something exciting. Alternatively you can check out some of the other options.

One thing that you will need when the sun comes out is a decent pair of sunglasses. I like sunglasses and wear either Prada or Emporio Armani when performing, but for social, it has to be the polarized Oakley pair. Which brand do you wear? I also like Oakley T-shirts for casual wear, especially on a warm day, otherwise it’s usually a Paul Smith or Ted Baker shirt and the sunglasses. You can follow my timeline on Twitter/bigsands and leave some comments below to tell me what you like to wear when the weather is this warm.

 

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Did someone mention the word Christmas?

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Summer has not finished yet and already there are scores of tweets containing the word #Christmas.

TWEETS

It’s one word which has a value of over £70 Billion for the U.K economy, but what does it mean to you and the company that you work for? Will your company be spending on a staff party or will your colleagues have to contribute? If you enjoyed a company summer party, will you also be treated to a Christmas party? If your company is having a party for Christmas, then you will need to get a move on and book a venue as quickly as possible. The key dates that you are most interested in booking in December, are the same ones that 100 other local companies are looking to book. Then, there is the catering companies, bands and other entertainment services which all get booked very quickly. For this reason, many companies end up having their “Christmas” party in January. It’s not quite the same. To avoid this, as soon as everyone is back from summer holidays, start the snow ball rolling.

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New Bond Street

The hotels in London will be busy, but there are also many venues on the outskirts of London which are worth considering. My steel drum band has performed during the reception drinks at many Christmas parties and also at many office buffet parties at venues in and outside London. If the time has caught up with you and you really can’t find a good venue because they are fully booked, then you can consider having a Christmas buffet in your office and hiring an ensemble to perform. There are many entertainers and small ensembles for office parties and various bands in London that can be hired if you prefer a particular style of music or your party. For a house party, there are also many live music options to choose from and you will find really competent musicians for hire in London, there are literally thousands of dedicated performers and bands that you can hire for a Christmas party.

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Christmas buffet

Nowadays most of your planning can be done when you are commuting or relaxing and browsing your smartphone or tablet PC. The devices are getting better at handling mCommerce and search results are also becoming more “relevant” to save your time. To help, you can browse through my Pinterest board for visual ideas.

After the work Christmas party planning is finished, you can focus on treating yourself and celebrating Christmas with friends and family. A personal treat is compulsory. For me, I have this plan that if I get through an entire season of events without receiving a parking ticket, then I will spend some of the savings on a present. I also like to change my phone at Christmas time, not every Christmas, but it’s usually at that time. Having seen the new iPhone 6 specifications, I will be having a closer look. For children, one of the popular toys this Christmas will be a levitating doll that I saw, the Flutterbye Flying Fairy. There are also a whole new range of remote controlled toys which do amazing things. What personal treat will you buy for Christmas?

 

 

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How to make friends in London

How to make friends in London?

Making friends with people is like a skill which needs to be developed. You can start by developing the right mindset and saying hello and good morning to more people and see how they respond to you however, one of the best ways is to plan a party. This can include the people who you already know and ask each of them to bring two people who you have never met. They will usually persuade at least one person, but if you ask for one additional person, you can guess the outcome. Use a guest list App to get their basic contact details and confirm the numbers well in advance. Depending on the scale of your party, you will have enough time to greet all the strangers and make a good impression. During the party, you can refer to the guest list and leave some brief comments next to the name of a guest who impressed you. It will be too difficult to remember all the information if you wait until the next day, or drink too much. The idea is that you now have a list of useful names which you can add to your social network and follow-up to make friends.

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Making new friends

When making contact with some of the people from the party, you may wish to suggest going out for drinks. It helps if you come up with some exciting suggestions as they are also assessing you, just as much as you are curious about them. Most of my favorite places have excellent views like the Sky Bar at the Trafalgar Hotel. I also like Skylon which is overlooking the Thames. The service is good and everything is well presented.

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Dessert at Skylon

You can arrange to meet anywhere that you like, but it is better to score as many points as possible in the early rounds of a friendship. If you have good listening skills, this will be useful. There are over 300 different languages spoken in London from many cultures and you can bet that the people you meet will have an exciting story to share. You can share the most relevant parts of your experience and this will help to form a bond.

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Summer party venues London

Most people like the company of others with a common interest or someone who can help or become a useful contact. After a while, you will build a larger social network and be able to hand-pick the guests for your next party. I attend many parties in London to perform with my band and you can easily tell which ones are more about networking than celebrating. What’s special about London is that there are many hotels with good bars where you will find a comfortable space to have drinks with friends. You will also get a quality service and a clean glass; the wash rooms will also be in good condition. In my experience, this is better value than going to a crowded bar with a louder ambiance, average service and no seats. It is worth paying a little extra for the comfort and quality.

Please leave some comments if you found this post useful and share any advice on making friends in London. You can also follow me on Twitter and start a conversation if you get stuck with the challenge of making new friends.