venues

Summer is so close I can taste it. That’s a figure of speech, of course, but it was literally a reality last night when I had the chance to sample some amazing dishes served at my first sporting event of the season, the Natwest T20 England vs Sri Lanka cricket match, courtesy of my good friends at Keith Prowse. I’m…

Meetings can eat into people’s busy working day, so it’s important to make sure time out of the office is time well spent, says Miguel Neves. The first step to holding a successful meeting is to ask questions and make sure you understand the desired outcome. The objectives don’t need to be complex, but everyone involved should have a clear…

I am your typical girl when it comes to handbags. Put me in a shop full of them and I can spend hours browsing. Well the other night I was invited to the launch of Coach’s new corporate gifting collection at its New Bond Street location. I think Mr P will be glad I went – it makes a nice…

Having worked with Carlson Wagonlit Travel on putting together many a business trip in the past, I was delighted to be invited to the house warming party for the Meetings & Events team’s new office. After my tour around the space, I must say I’m jealous – it makes Mr P’s office look a bit shabby. The new base has…

When people are asked who their idol is, most will give the name of some celebrity or sports star. I tend to be a realist and look up to others who can actually give me proper advice on my chosen career; hence Donna Coulling’s website has become my first stop for tips on networking – next to PA Life, of…

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but what do they know? The lovely people at the Royal Institute of British Architects (ribavenues.com) invited me over recently to try out their absolutely ingenious, not to mention delicious, new catering idea for meetings delegates: the sandwich-free lunch. Forget carb overload and say goodbye to curled-up corners on that…

As an avid tennis fan and dutiful PA, I graciously accepted an invitation to the launch of the corporate hospitality packages on offer by Keith Prowse at this year’s Aegon Championships, taking place from 9-15 June at the Queen’s Club. I think Mr P will be ever so taken by the variety of options available. The hospitality provider showcased its…

With all the demands on my time made by Mr P (“Book me on an early morning flight to Frankfurt, Penelope”, “Can you arrange to send my wife a nice birthday present, Penelope?”, “Where on earth are my glasses, Penelope?”) it’s not often I get the chance to get out of the office. I’m so glad I made the effort…

Now I’m not one to go out and party hard on a work night, but I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a great venue when I got an invitation to I Heart Parties at Under the Bridge at Chelsea Football Club. It may have been difficult dragging myself out of bed the next morning, but it…

My latest night on the town was at the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo launch event. Hampton is meant to be the “budget” cousin of the Hilton family of hotels, but the new property at Waterloo looks classy to me. The lobby where the reception was held features some popular design aspects of modern hotels: mood lighting, a chic bar…

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then chocolate must be the one she secretly cheats on the gems with. I’m no stranger to indulging in the sweet treat, which is why last night’s PA Life event at My Chocolate in the heart of the City of London was deliciously perfect. Our workshop started with a lesson on identifying the…

The EXECSec Summit is the ideal event to source new suppliers. With a schedule of dedicated meetings and a series of informative seminars, you’re sure to come away with everything you need to succeed. Molly Dyson has all the details. The days of simply taking notes and writing letters are gone for PAs. Now you’re also expected to be business savvy…

As the PA to an exec who likes to show off as much as Mr P, I’ve been to my fair share of lavish venues. At last night’s PA Life networking event, however, I found a real hidden gem in the Rag Army & Navy Club, a super-swish gentlemen’s private club on the corner of Pall Mall and St Jame’s…

What’s in a name, my dear readers? Try this one on for size: Theobroma Cacao – sounds mysterious and enchanting, doesn’t it – guess what, it’s actually the proper name of the cocoa tree, derived from the Greek for “the food of the Gods”; they clearly had good taste in ancient Athens. I was reminded of this last week when…

Have you ever had one of those weeks that just lasts forever with a Friday that ticks by at a snail’s pace? Last week was like that for me, so it was perfect timing for the cleverly titled PAmper Day (PA – pamper, get it?) from the lovely team at &Meetings. When I got the invitation for the event, I…

It certainly is a gutsy decision to plan an outdoor event in early March, what with the UK’s notoriously unreliable weather, but Midlands golf resort the Belfry Hotel won me over with its open-air launch party regardless. Thank goodness Mother Nature has blessed us with a bit of warming sunshine recently. The idea behind the event was to bring the…