The summer of love is feeling like a distant memory now the autumn leaves have started falling, but if you were lucky enough to have been caught in the whirl of romance over the summer, you may now be looking forward to something other than Christmas to celebrate this autumn and winter.

Winter is certainly becoming a more popular time of year for wedding celebrations. For romantics, it is likely to be because of the sense of it being a magical time of year and the idea of walking to the ceremony on a crisp, snowy morning, before heading off to a cosy venue for the wedding reception. For others, the head rules the heart and it’s down to money, with winter weddings generally being a slightly more affordable option than the summer weddings that are higher in demand.

Sadly we can’t promise any snow but with exclusive venue hire of The White House, our beautiful 17th Century, Grade II listed building with 21st century facilities all for as little as £1000 on selected days between now and the end of March 2012, there has been no better time to organise a nice day for your winter, white wedding.

It’s at this point every year that the long hot days of summer are nearly over and that we start looking forward at the months and events coming up in the lead up to Christmas and the end of the year.

Kids are heading back to school, university students are packing up their belongings getting ready to head off for another year of hard work (in amongst the partying!) and the rest of us are folding up our summer clothes, putting them at the back of the wardrobe and getting out the winter woollies!

It’s not all doom and gloom as the days get shorter and the nights get ever longer, colder and darker as there is still plenty to get up to in town and country.

The country had plenty to offer at this time of year, due to it being the time to harvest of all of the delicious produce being grown over the summer months. Juicy British apples are at their finest and wild berries such as blackberries are appearing to feed both us and the creatures getting ready to spend the winter in hibernation. Gilwell Park’s 108 acre parkland estate is certainly starting its transformation from summer spectacular to autumn delight. Why not come and see for yourself at our Open Day on the 16th September.
October will be the start of the celebrations and large religious festivals. Diwali celebrations will certainly brighten up the streets of London and beyond in mid-October before things turn dark again for those tricking and treating for Halloween on the 31st! Baden-Powell House will be celebrating October with its last Open Day of the year on the 14th and Gilwell Park will be inviting Brides-to-be to come and celebrate its Wedding Show on the 16th.

Celebrations and festivals carry on through to November with the remembrance of Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot with magnificent fireworks displays lighting up the sky, bonfires keeping us toasty warm and of course the tasty treat of toffee apples. The Lord Mayor’s Show and Remembrance Sunday makes the weekend of the 12th/13th November a busy one for Londoners. Why not make a weekend of it and stay at Baden-Powell House (or at least pop in and say hello!)

With plenty more events and celebrations going on in town and country throughout autumn – Christmas will be here in no time!

By Katie Farnish, Marketing Assistant

The Great British summer is in full swing – plenty of great sport and summer music festivals, copious amounts of fresh, home grown strawberries with lashings of cream, longer daylight hours and of course... many inches of rain amongst small spells of glorious sunshine! But whatever the weather, there is still plenty to get excited about this summer – and not just the thought of escaping to a warmer climate!

Whether you are lucky enough to be travelling abroad in the up and coming months or not, why not get yourself in the holiday mood by escaping the office? There is plenty to get up to, both in town and out in the country!

Town:
If you are in central London you’ll be lucky enough to easily experience a plethora of music and arts festivals and exhibitions. With a whole host of summer activities planned, the capital will be buzzing with colour and excitement all summer long.

There are plenty of opportunities to catch some great sport, experience some of the finest night life the UK has to offer or just take a relaxing stroll through London’s parks and gardens.  If you are lucky enough you might be able to catch some fantastic bargains in London’s busy high streets with the start of the summer sales – where you might find that perfect outfit to help find you a summer romance!

Baden-Powell House is joining in with celebrating the summer with a special offer of rooftop barbeques – well it wouldn’t be summer without a Great British barbeque would it!? It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up with good friends or let your colleagues let their hair down – we can’t promise tropical sunshine, but we can certainly promise fantastic food!

If you need somewhere to stay or for a night (or more) after a hectic day in London, Baden-Powell House is also a great place to rest your head and help you feel refreshed – but be quick, with its great location next to some fantastic museums and its close proximity to tube lines, rooms get booked up fast!




Country:
If you fancy a bit of an escape from the hustle and bustle of town life you are never more than a short train ride from the calm, quiet countryside.

If it’s not just wandering through fields and woodlands to explore some of the fantastic British wildlife, or a gentle row on a lake that you are after, there is plenty to keep you amused in the country. Heading out of town you can find everything from the slower paced ‘Pick Your Own’ fruit farms and village fete days to fun-filled, hugely popular, globally known festivals and exhilarating adrenaline adventures.
Whether it is the peace and quiet of a secluded woodland, a gentle stroll and a picnic or a big field with a mass of people all rocking to your favourite bands, the country can offer as much excitement and great entertainment as the big cities.


So what are you still doing at your computer!? Get out of the office and enjoy everything that town to country has to offer!

By Katie Farnish, Marketing Assistant

Here at Gilwell Park we are certainly enjoying the early summer sunshine. They always say the sun brings out the best in people and that is definitely the case here. In between taking strolls in the 108 acres of mature parkland and catching a glimpse of the spring bunnies playing amongst the flowers, we are getting geared up for a packed summer of fun.


We are inviting you to come and celebrate the arrival of summer by getting out of the office and enjoying some of our exhilarating outdoor activities. Whether you fancy hitting the heights of the climbing wall or you want to dare your team mates to take on the 3G swing; there has never been a better time to get out and take full advantage of the Great British sunshine. There is still chance to take on the Gilwell Challenge from just £49.50 per person.

If you’re not so adventurous and want to celebrate the summer in style, come rain or shine, our conference centre rooms and Colquhoun International Centre (CIC) are ready for hire whatever your celebration. With a range of rooms and services available, as well as the use of our outdoor space, your birthday party, bar mitzvah or dinner dance will be a memorable event whatever the weather.

We have just finished refurbishing bedrooms in The White House, so when you’ve finished your busy day at Gilwell Park, we have 41 3-star rooms for you and your guests to hire. So if you would rather put off heading back to the office for just that little bit longer or want to save the hassle of arranging to get home after a great night out, we can offer you a stay in our accommodation for affordable prices.

If you are located nearer to Central London then our other centre Baden-Powell House is another ideal choice for your summer celebration. With a fantastic roof top garden and magnificent views across South Kensington, it is an ideal location for enjoying summer barbeques, birthday parties or evening relaxation with your friends, family or colleagues. Being located next to several tube lines and having 4-star accommodation available for up to 200 guests, there is no event large or small that we wouldn’t be happy to help you plan as part of your summer of fun!

By Katie Farnish, Marketing Assistant

Exclusive open day invite – be one of the first to view the restyling at Baden-Powell House Conference Centre.

Join other MIA members and event organisers on Friday 18th March at Baden-Powell House in South Kensington, opposite the Natural History Museum, for the Conference Centre’s first open day of 2011. Tour the newly redesigned space, meet the team and sample our award-winning food and drink.


Owned by The Scout Association, one of the UK’s largest and most well known charities, Baden-Powell House has benefitted from an extensive rejuvenation of both the outside and inside space leading up to the start of 2011. This includes a new bright and modern reception and seating area and an interactive element on the ground floor where, if you have time between busy meetings or conferences, you can learn a little about the charity today and test your Scouting skills!


RSVP: Email bph.conferences@scouts.org.uk or call 020 7590 6909


www.towntocountry.co.uk/bphouse


About Baden-Powell House
Situated in central London just five minutes’ walk from two tube stations in South Kensington and less than 15 minutes’ walk from Earls Court and Olympia, Baden-Powell House is the ideal location for any event, including meetings, conferences, parties and networking. We offer a selection of meeting rooms for between 2-50 people, a main hall with space for up to 300 people and a rooftop garden with views over South Kensington.

Once you’ve made that all important decision – to spend the rest of your lives together! - there are just a few other important decisions to make..

1. When? Choose a wedding date...
Consider whether you want to opt for a summer wedding or whether you see yourself as a winter bride. Although we see many people getting married in winter months now, summer weddings are still the most popular. Some venues are booked up for months, even years in advance so this may ultimately effect your decision. If your heart is set on a particular venue (such as Gilwell Park!) then you will have to think about marrying at a different time of year and being flexible.

2. Where – your perfect venue
Choosing your venue should be one of the first things you do, if not the first thing. Once you have this confirmed everything else will fall into place. Considerations here will be around proximity to the venue from home, for both you and your parents and guests. If you are planning a religious ceremony in a church/chapel/synagogue then you will need a venue in which you can enjoy the celebrations afterwards. One, which has overnight accomodation will obviously be preferable for guests wanting to stay overnight. The amount of guests the venue can accommodate will also be a consideration for you before booking.

3. Colour Schemes/themes
The nice thing about weddings today is that there isn’t really two the same. You have carte blanche to do exactly what you want. However, it can ne nice to choose a theme for your wedding which starts from the first communication you have with your guests and follows through to the wedding favours they take home with them after the big day. Whether this is choosing two colours that are on your invitations, place cards and worn by the wedding party or tables at the wedding breakfast that are named rather than numbered (for example, towns in Italy if you’re Italian and are honeymooning there). It’s a nice touch and helps to keep you focused…

3. Save the date
Wedding invitations are usually sent out three months before the wedding so you might want to notify guests in advance so they can save the date. Letting guests know as soon as you’ve booked your wedding day (or at least written the guest list) allows them to put the date in their diaries so they can keep the day free. You’ll also find out in advance if there are people who already know they won’t be able to make it. Remember the colour scheme/theme starts here!

4. Budget
Set your-self a budget and stick to it! Planning your perfect wedding day is an incredibly exciting time but it is easy to get carried away. Before you commit to anything sit down with your partner, and your parents (if they’re contributing in some way), and work out what you can afford to spend. The average cost of a wedding in the UK is now £11,000 but your budget may be above or below this. Work out what you want, what your priorities are and allocate spend accordingly. If you overspend on the entertainment, cut down on the flowers. There are always ways to economize on areas that aren’t so important if you really must have that dress! (Source: WeddingGuideUK.com).

5. Start looking at dresses!
Who needs excuses for this one?! There are hundreds and hundreds of different styles of dresses out there so you do need to allow yourself sometime for dress fittings. Dresses with sleeves, strapless, short, with trails, white, ivory, red – be prepared for choices and start looking at magazines for some inspiration. Whatever you choose you need to allow time to try on, show friends and maybe your mum. Just like shopping generally, some dresses that look great on the hanger might not just suit you. Equally, don’t try and emulate how your friend may have looked on her dressing because stealing her style might not work for you. There is a dress out there for you – you just need to find it.

6. Start looking at suppliers
Once the venue is booked, everything else will fall into place. However, there are still a lot of things to organize, so here’s a little list to help you on your way:


Bride and Groom Wedding Rings
Bride accessories, shoes, headdress, veil
Flower girl/Page boy outfits
Venue Flowers/Bouquets for wedding party
Beauty treatments/Hairdressing
Groom and usher outfits
Transportation
Save Date Cards/Invitations/Acceptance cards
Wedding favours
Photography
Videography
Wedding cake
Reception Decorations
Entertainment
Honeymoon
Wedding Insurance


Good luck and best wishes for a perfect wedding day!

So you’ve been given the task of finding a venue for your company’s next meeting but don’t know where to start? Here’s a short breakdown of the five things you should be looking for, and the questions you should be asking, to make sure you get the right venue.

1. Location, location, location
There’s no point finding the perfect venue if your guests or colleagues can’t get there!
You might drive a car but other people may prefer public transport – is your venue within a short distance from a train station, bus or tube stop?
Of course, driving can create its own problems – does your venue have adequate car parking? The conference centre might have 50 car parking spaces, but what if these are used up by staff or if there’s another event happening at the same time as yours that will also need spaces? Will they still have room for you and all your vehicles?
City centres usually offer a range of options and, given that these areas are normally well-served by public transport, for those that can’t or don’t want to drive they can be ideal. However, if you’re organising an event to happen outside of the office this might be because you want your team to be inspired by new surroundings away from the usual hustle and bustle of the of the office. If that’s the case, a more rural setting can be ideal – it’s amazing the effect that being surrounded by greenery can have on creativity even for the most fervent urbanites!

2. Room styles and sizes – bigger is not always better
This one seems obvious but so many people still underestimate the effect that the wrong sized room has on usability. Have you properly worked out attendance numbers before you booked your venue? The one thing worse than turning up at an event in a large room but where there’s just a few people is trying to squeeze lots of people into too small of a space because you haven’t worked out your numbers correctly. Do the former and your conference will have no atmosphere, the latter and you risk people not being able to work or interact properly because of a lack of space.
One way around this is to choose a venue that offers flexible space so that you can adapt the room completely to your needs. Ask your venue if they have room dividers or whether they have a break out area you can include as part o f your booking as this will not only allow you to maximise the space available to you, but also allow your delegates a separate area to relax and chat during break times and lunches.

3. Food
The majority of venues will offer some sort of food packages as part of your booking if required and at the very least your guests will expect tea, coffee and biscuits at your event. However, some venues go one step beyond and offer not just standard buffet platters, but menus tailor-made for meetings that offer healthy and tasty alternatives to the usual sandwiches and crisps. A good lunch will not only keep your delegates happy, but also energised and able to get the most out of the day.
Late spring and summer why not look for a venue that offers barbecues as something different for lunch? Not only will this make a pleasant change, but it gets everyone outside in the fresh air, great for networking and relaxing before heading back inside for the afternoon’s meetings.

4. Staying over
If your event is more than one day long, or if it finishes late into the afternoon or evening then is there an option nearby or at the venue to stay over? You might live just around the corner, but if you’re asking your delegates to travel a longer distance then being able to provide the option of convenient, good quality and stress free accommodation is a must. Especially important if you’re planning to end your event with a drinks reception or dinner.

5. Venue staff
So you’ve found a venue that meets all your requirements and is at the right price, but what are the staff like? If you don’t feel you’re getting a high level of service at the booking stage, you can be sure that the staff in the run up to your event and on the day will not be there to help you with any queries or last minute snags.
Putting together events can be stressful and time consuming for even the most hardened event organiser and venue staff that are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable can be worth their weight in gold when it comes to booking and running a meeting or conference.


Hannah works for Baden-Powell House and Gilwell Park Conference Centres in London, two venues in central and greater London that offer all of the above great features and more!