Penelope Alice at the Meetings Show: Lime Venue Portfolio, Unique Venues of London and 30 Euston Square

Last week I brought you a taster of my time at the recently held Meetings Show and now here’s the conclusion of my epic three days.

My busy schedule included the hosted buyer welcome reception, which was put on by Lime Venue Portfolio and held at the Science Museum. There was great steampunk entertainment from Eventologists, delicious canapés and creative cocktails from Payne and Gunter, plus a fun team-building exercise designed by Wildgoose in which we followed clues on a tablet computer to answer a series of challenging questions – talk about a great icebreaker.

Next, I attended Unique Venues of London’s 21st anniversary party at the Royal Academy of Arts (pictured). To celebrate its birthday, the consortium unveiled its new branding, which pays homage to its variety of properties with vibrant colours – a big change from its classic navy and white logo. The canapés from By Word of Mouth looked as interesting as the art on the walls of the gallery and they were all delicious. My favourites were the selection of desserts made with fresh strawberries.

Towards the end of the three-day event I had a bit more time to partake in some of the networking events at the show, not least of which was the opportunity to meet David Beckham at the Accor Hotels stand – his lookalike, that is. At first glance, I couldn’t see much resemblance, but when he posed for a picture and imitated the footballer’s famous raised eyebrow he was virtually spot on.

Finally, I headed over to 30 Euston Square to experience a showcase of the venue’s new auditorium with a presentation by Alexis Conran, host of BBC’s The Real Hustle. While it was fascinating to hear him talk about the world’s oldest scams, I was more interested in the state-of-the-art AV system, which would certainly come in handy for a presentation.

I have to admit that I was dragging my feet when I returned to work after the show, but it was definitely worth it. I hope the rest of you found it as useful and enjoyable as I did.

This blog originally appeared on the PA Life Club site. To read more of Penelope Alice’s blog entries and get access to a range of fantastic benefits, including discounts and special deals at dozens of selected retailers and venues, as well as exclusive monthly competitions, networking events and 50% off PA Life’s new training courses, click here: palife.co.uk/pa-life-club