There’s a never ending stream of lists, notes, RSVPs and charts for all of you that have to organise your company’s Christmas Party. Whether you’re a seasoned planner and already have everything at your fingertips or you’ve just been assigned this task but don’t know where to start, here is a useful checklist to make sure you’re on the right track.

1. Time

Timing is everything. Many companies book the date for the next Christmas Party months in advance to make sure guests (more…)

A few months before the London 2012 Olympics a Key Note press release announced that the UK Corporate Hospitality Market fell by 2.5% to 1.b billion between 2007 and 2011. However, the same press release remained hopeful about the market’s ability to gradually recover in the aftermath of the Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Although Corporate Hospitality was controversial (more…)

There’s been a lot of debate regarding the link between our brains and food. The food we eat influences our brain.  Refined sugars give an energy boost but after a short while they cause drowsiness, proteins keep us active longer and the right mix of carbs (sugars), protein and fat benefits our health; and it’s not just us saying that. It’s science!

Now, we tend to take science very seriously here @thestudio and ever since we opened our first venue in Birmingham we’ve made sure that we build our menus with everything that we need in order to keep our brains working (more…)

In the good spirit of team building, thestudio team away day was organised this year, unlike the previous years, in March instead of January. No more bitterly cold days, fresh air and spring all around…or so we thought.

The weather, however, didn’t bring spirits down and at 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning we were all (Birmingham and Manchester) having a lovely warm breakfast in the Quarnford Lodge , Buxton in the beautiful Peak District wondering what secret activities were planned for us. The morning fog made it even spookier as we were driven away to an (more…)

It’s been a week since International CONFEX (19th – 21st March) in London closed its doors. How time flies in the world of events! It seems only yesterday we were unwrapping our Christmas gifts and now we’re slowly wrapping up the month of March! It’s funny that in a world based on people contact you really seem to sometimes miss keeping in touch with your fellow colleagues and peers. CONFEX is a great opportunity to meet old acquaintances, get to know new people and hear people’s enthusiasm for the services we offer.

This year we were part of an elite selection of venues that were brought forth under the Meet Birmingham umbrella. It was great to see so many people who recognise the advantages of holding meetings in the Birmingham area. More than ever, people realise that the West Midlands is a great hub for bu (more…)

Sourcing a venue is no easy task and even more so in Birmingham or Manchester where you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a venue. After finding the venue, hiring the right room for your event is just as important to make a good impression on your delegates.

Here are a few tips from the studio team to help you choose the right room for your event. (more…)