If we’ve had the pleasure of hosting your all-important meeting, party or event, you could probably tell from our lunch menu (Tandoori roasted chicken skewers with mint and cucumber raita, Heritage carrot tart tatin with red onion marmalade just to name a couple), that we @studiovenues HEART our food. We even hold a not so secret quarterly menu tasting. You’re most welcome to join us for a nibble, get in touch by phone, enquiry or social media!

When thestudio Birmingham got a new neighbour earlier in November, our undeniable love for all things fun, festive and food, the time had come for the team to grab their sleighs and head down to the German Market!

Full of whimsy, wonder and fantastically festive, year after year the stalls are brimming with stocking fillers and trinkets full of Christmas charm. As if that wasn’t enough, the market is laden with seasonal treats. As it is a forgivingly indulgent time of year, a foot long bratwurst is not out of the question! With the promise of a white Christmas high on the cards, it was no wonder the team were drawn to the comfort of a hot chocolate and a fresh off the grill sausage.

Feel like you’re missing out? The German Market has nestled into many cities around the UK, so whether you’re way up in Leeds, mooching in Manchester or busy in Birmingham, be sure to visit them before they leave in late December!

Wishing you a very merry time in the run up to Christmas!

studiotreeIs your team experiencing that all too familiar end of year slump? December is a challenging month; with endlessly dark days and the weather never truly being on side, it’s no wonder people find it’s harder to face the daily grind. But all is not lost, Christmas presents, jolly carols and jam-packed stockings full to the brim are just a few things that make December a month long festive laden celebration.

So, that all important question?

How do you keep your team motivated throughout the holiday period? Here are a handful of tweaks that might help give your colleagues a new lease of life!

Cue … Baubles, tinsel and fairy lights

thestudio ethos strongly believes that the environments we work in play a key role in our productivity, creativity and efficiency. Hence why we aim to provide our guests with light bright innovative spaces; great places to get your thinking cap on. Everyone enjoys a change of scenery from time to time so why not spruce up your view with a bit of Christmas cheer! (more…)

IMG_4578This may be your first encounter with thestudio or you could have the venue on speed dial for all your meeting and event needs. There may still be a few things you didn’t know about us! Read on and be enlightened. 🙂

1 – Hot drinks and wifi…

Nestled at the heart of the second city: thestudio Birmingham has quite a few quirks up its street. The largest of all current venues this setting truly offers something more… Open to the public, our business lounge is a retreat for like-minded professionals looking for that special place to get the job done. With a bar menu to hand, unlimited hot drinks and wifi for £5, what more would you need to help fuel you throughout the day? When the time comes for a much needed break, refresh yourself on our roof terrace, it’s beautiful in all seasons.

2 – Away we go…

Is your team bogged down and in need of some revitalization? If the good old days seem to be buried in the past, it’s time to “shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing baby” with an away day. Mix things up with Rum, Lime & Sugar’s cocktail making classes or better yet compose a team anthem with Dan Whitehouse. These are just a couple of our away day alternatives, if this has peaked your interest shuffle onto our website. You may even be inspired by some of thestudio teams’ away weekends. (more…)

Do you remember when internet was everything but wireless? Now we have powerhouses of 4G in our back pockets. How times have changed!

When we look to the past, our ancestors fashioned tools to become more efficient hunter-gatherers. Today we can see the impact and implications of technology, much like the spear of the past; it innovates and drives us forward, pushing to create new possibilities, enabling us to constantly imagine, invent and innovate, turning thoughts into reality.

Tidy desk, tidy mind…

Like an artist who is stirred by a beautiful landscape, new spaces can rouse a whole host of emotions, yes, even a work desk can be inspirational! Funnily enough, we @studiovenues strongly believe that if you want a new idea, it’s best to change the view… Hence why spread out across the UK (Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds) thestudio venues pursue the ultimate goals of being customer driven and providing light, innovative spaces, perfect places for your bright ideas. (more…)

leedsTonight is no ordinary night, with the sun setting early and winter already upon us it seems like a gloomy end to the day is inevitable. But all is not lost, as tonight is magical Bonfire Night and to top it off, it’s also thestudio’s Leeds launch party, so chin up! (Literally or you’ll miss the fireworks).

If you’ve visited us in Leeds before, its winning panoramic views would have undoubtedly made an impression and if you have the pleasure of joining in our celebrations, we offer you delicious food, thirst quenching drinks, fireworks and surprises along the way!

Tweet your pics @studiovenues (more…)

We, thestudio team, love the festive season, and what better occasion to celebrate in the run up to Christmas than Halloween!

Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day, is a surprisingly auspicious occasion. It is known for having roots in Christianity and Paganism as a day to remember Saints, Martyrs and the dead. It was only a year ago that we celebrated with a big monster mash and a “lunatics asylum” themed party @studiovenues! Lots of pumpkins all round.

smashing pumpkins

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when Halloween is mentioned? For us, it’s definitely pumpkins! We find their strange faces, eerily set aglow with candle fire truly creepy! The tradition of carving pumpkins has been around for centuries; in keeping with the strangeness of Halloween we thought it was time to investigate…

Take part in the festivities, tweet your carvings @studiovenues! (more…)

Quaintly decorated trees, snow flurries and hot chocolate by an open fire topped off with timeless Christmas classics are just some of the things to look forward to this festive season. Amidst the ghouls and ghosts suspended from window to window, in ample time for spooky Halloween celebrations, Christmas has tiptoed its way into the shops, and for some even into our bags!

With this in mind it seemed like a no brainer that thestudio join in with all the festive preparations! For those of you on our mailing list, you may have already been greeted by our Christmas email. If you’re not and are interested in finding that all important venue we’d love to help. With novelty knits and cocked Santa’s hats being the obvious seasonal attire, we welcome you @studiovenues for a great Christmas do!

What a better way to anticipate this pleasant period than to reminisce on past get together? The team let us in on what they love most and their own quirky traditions.

Let us know your Christmas customs and kitchen catastrophes @studiovenues, we love a good story! (more…)

IMG_4968Britain is accustomed to the odd watery spell or downpour that seemingly last for months on end, blending every season into an indistinguishable monsoon. Unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, the media has been rife with warnings that we, Great Britain, were going to experience our first hurricane!

Battering its way through America and dominating over beautiful Bermuda, Hurricane Joaquin bellowed its way towards Britain. But before you grab your wellies and begin boarding up your house (the most efficient way across the pond to saving you windows; and selves), Joaquin made a ‘turn for the best’ and has decided against visiting the Isles.

Though we expect and anticipate the UK’s notorious wet weather, more often than we’d like to admit, we do get caught out! Forgotten your brollie? Not to worry, as a guest @ thestudio, we endeavour to keep your head high and dry with our complimentary umbrellas! Ensuring your spirits aren’t dampened.

If you were lucky enough to be around Birmingham last week you may have seen quite a few events kicking off, not just the long awaited England Vs. Wales match (well done to Wales), but the unveiling of Grand Central, the opening of John Lewis and the activity packed Birmingham Weekender!

With lots of exciting events now behind us, it is hard to imagine there’s much life left in September, but you’d be surprised! As the month comes to an end and autumn slowly draws in, turning the leaves and even the Moon red… We’d like to introduce our new menu!

As fall bares a whole host of ripe treats to the table, a change of seasons truly wouldn’t be the same without the studio menu tasting which also takes place every quarter. If you’re interested in joining our taster panel then Tweet us @studiovenues to get on the guest list! The more the merrier.

If you we’re able to join us this Monday you’ll have been able to feast both your eyes and tummies on our alluring autumnal selection. From heart-warming Beef Bourguignon to Heritage Carrot Tart Tatin served with red onion marmalade and treats like “Snickers” Eaton mess, what’s not to love?

We hope that you’ll be able to join us in our next gastronomical journey.

 

With the remnants of the British summer slowly dying away, it won’t be long till the luscious green hues of spring and summer fade into a pile of crispy leaves. It’s almost time to dig out the cosy jumpers, gloves and boots! As appealing as that sounds you’d be forgiven for feeling like 2015 is nearly done and dusted. Thankfully there are some great things yet to come before we bid farewell to 2015!

There are quite a few exciting events still in this year’s pipeline and one of which seems to be edging closer and closer is our third venues’ grand opening in Leeds.

Speaking of grand openings, Grand Central – Birmingham’s newest retail destination will launch on 24th September perfectly timed to co-incide with the Birmingham Weekender Event taking place in key locations around the city. If you’re thinking about steaming ahead with your Christmas shopping you can enjoy the exciting arrival of the largest John Lewis outside of London.

With Autumn approaching thoughts turn to “back to school” and from the 1st Sept onwards we’ll be making a £10.00 contribution to Wood Street Mission for every booking made in Classroom, one of the 10 vibrant event spaces we have in our Manchester venue, for more details on Classroom take a look here.

Like us, we bet you’ve got some great memories of school; we hope all children feel as though they are able to have the same opportunities and can create some smashing memories like we all did. The proceedings will enable Wood Street Mission to gear our next generation with supplies and resources to encourage a brighter future, with everything from P.E kits to stationary. Now that’s what we call a great start to the academic year! (more…)