A summer party for a wealth management client at the V&A with a private view of the sell-out Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition.
The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of 2.3 million objects, and the museum holds many of the UK’s national collections, housing some of the greatest resources for the study of the creative arts, including architecture, fashion, textiles, furniture and photography.
We designed and created a summer party reception for a wealth manager welcoming their private clients to an evening of cocktails, canapés and sushi in the Hintze Sculpture Gallery, overlooking the John Madjeski garden, with private view and tours of the acclaimed Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition, guided by art historians with extensive knowledge of both fashion and London’s iconic galleries.
The Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition spanned 1947 to the present day, tracing the history and impact of one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers, exploring the enduring influence of the fashion house, and Dior’s relationship with Britain.
Welcoming over 350 guests to the Cromwell Road gallery entrance, we created subtle event branding reflecting the Dior exhibition while not taking away from the majesty of the V&A’s Dome entrance hall and the thrilling Chihuly glass sculpture over the registration desk. Guests were welcomed by the client team, and guided through to the gallery where they were invited to sign-up to exhibition tours. A full bar offered them a choice of three cocktails, a lychee martini, gin garden, and a bellini – as well as a selection of wine and soft drinks.
Serving a selection of canapés including Darjeeling sweet potato and red onion bhajis, sweetcorn and polenta cakes, hand-made sushi, miniature duck pancakes with Hoi Sin sauce on a duck spoon and fish & chips in Financial Times Cones, towards the end of the evening we served two sweet bites: steamed chocolate pudding with hot chocolate sauce and Eton mess with meringue and marshmallows.
Guests were clamouring to participate in timed tours of the hit Dior exhibition, led by a group of handpicked fashion historians and art experts; many guests returned to the party after their tour, although some chose to savour the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition in relative quiet and discuss the work with the curator.
We created the event branding, referencing an iconic Dior design, which was subtly referenced on the night with signage and digital branding, as well as creating the high-quality print invitation, digital date for the diary and digital travel directions and event print assets. We selected a prestige venue and worked closely with the venue to bring in a specialist caterer with heritage venue expertise. We managed logistics, welcome desk, guest badges, event production, lighting, entertainment, specialist insurance and health and safety, stage managed the 45-minute set up, and curated and managed the entire event to create a relaxed and convivial atmosphere to ensure that both clients and guests were delighted on the night.
Last night was just exquisite. The Dior exhibition was memorable and inspiring but your hospitality was phenomenal and your team treated us like kings and queens. Sasha did you proud.
Please thank XXX too. As I said to him when I left, thank you for what you do professionally so well and thank you for your warm friendship.
Congratulations first. You really are expert in finding the most interesting locations and events for Cumberland Place’s annual parties. The Dior exhibition was stunning and very well explained by an excellent guide. Neither Peter nor I would consider ourselves fashionistas, but we both found it fascinating and enjoyable.
Thank you second. We are most appreciative of the invitation, and the party attached to the exhibition was, as always, excellent. We are most grateful.
Thank you all so much again for another really splendid evening.
I know from my conversations with your clients last night that they so much appreciate the invitation and the service you provide. There is a huge amount of goodwill towards you and all the team.
Many thanks to you, and your new owners. It really was magnificent, and very worthwhile.
