The House of Accolade 2024 Success Story
Event Overview
Picture a bustling, vibrant event where the world of wine takes center stage—that’s exactly what the House of Accolade 2024 was all about. Hosted by F&BM for Accolade Wines, this event brought together the crème de la crème of the industry. Our venue, with its quirky and vibrant ambience, was the perfect backdrop to showcase Accolade’s impressive wine lineup. We had everyone from major retailers like Tesco and Asda to big names in hospitality like Matthew Clark and pub legends Greene King. It was the place to be for networking and discovering the latest in wine innovation.
“My company had the pleasure of creating an event for a leading wine company and booked 26 Leake Street for a weeklong immersive retailer event and company conference. We were blown away by the venue and booked straight away. The flexibility and versatility of the space mixed with its character and quirkiness made it the perfect venue.”
— Stacey James, Account Director at F&BM and Grand Central Creative
Challenges
The event was a dry hire, so no catering was initially included. The client wanted to incorporate catering and serve canapés during the four live tasting days. By choosing to manage catering in-house, they maintained a personalised approach. With small groups attending daily and no fixed canapé service times, our standard package required inventive adjustments to align with the unique dynamics of this event.
The Solution
To address these challenges, we stationed a chef on-site throughout the event. This ensured freshly prepared canapés were available exactly when required, adapting seamlessly to the event’s fluid nature. The client collaborated with our event manager to adjust service times as required. This approach successfully met the client’s needs, ensuring canapés were available on live days and aligned with event requirements.
“From start to finish, the team have gone above and beyond. Cate, leading the event curation, was excellent, helpful, and accommodating to the ever-changing needs that come with an event 8 months in planning. Every request was met with enthusiasm and a willingness to help us create the high-end event we were hoping for.”
— Stacey James, Account Director at F&BM and Grand Central Creative
The Outcome
Our strategic approach resulted in a smoothly executed event, even with the client’s last-minute requests. Having the chef on-site allowed us to provide a personalised service that met the client’s expectations and improved the guests’ experience. This flexibility, along with effective event management, showcased our capability to host high-caliber events. Accolade Wines made a positive and lasting impression on their guests, reinforcing their leadership in the wine industry.
“Ollie of Blue Elephant was incredible, leading the tech and scenic build for us. Again, with new requests and varying requirements coming in, he was patient, knowledgeable, and amazing to work with.
Faye (Hosch), leading the vinyl and stretch fabric requirements, was so efficient and responsive to our needs. I can’t rate Blue Elephant and Hosch and their teams highly enough. All highly professional and friendly in equal measures. The result of months of planning combined with their expertise and high-quality equipment made a truly spectacular event.”
“My last thank you goes to Alin and Toby (Venue Managers) who have been an absolute delight this week. They have bent over backwards and jumped to our every need this week and have made us feel very at home at Leake Street. We all know how tiring events can be, and the guys and their teams have been upbeat, super helpful, and lovely to work with. Fingers crossed we will be back and work together again.”
— Stacey James, Account Director at F&BM and Grand Central Creative