The Great Big Event Company

2012 Party Season Kicks Off

2012-02-29T22:25:00.000Z

Saturday saw our first big party for 2012 and it was an amazing night. The party was to celebrate a family 50th.

Our DJ was Bill Sood, had everyone dancing...so much so, that the dance floor was not big enough for our hearty 90 guests. We hear that the last guest departed at 05.00am! The best thing about Bill is that he really did make the party swing. He had a playlist and he ‘read’ the crowd so well!

The food was a selection of canapes served with prosecco by our team to a hungry group of party goers followed by a wonderful 3 choice hot bowl food menu.

The menu was cooked by Alexander our wonderful chef who produced the most amazing sea bass dish amongst melting lamb and Singapore noodles!

Dessert – homemade miniature doughnuts with dipping chocolate sauce & Chocolate tiramisu cups! Yummy.

From invitation to dismantle – the whole party was Glitzy – All the ladies dressed in the most amazing glitzy party frocks and one gentleman was all silver glittery suit with a silver glittery hat!!

Gilly and the team really enjoyed this family 50^th party...

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: 0845 459 9812/4

How to plan a wedding...

2012-02-20T12:17:00.000Z

So our last blog was on the subject of how to ask the big question, now assuming the proposal has been asked and the answer was 'YES" then the next logical question is "how to start planning a wedding"?

Now, that is something we are very good at here at The Great Big Event Co. We just love a good wedding and with our team of wedding planners, caterer and exclusive venues we can help we all or part of your wedding planning.

I caught up with our top wedding planner and founder of the The Great Big Event Company Gilly Botte last week and asked her top tips for successfully planning your wedding:

Savour the moment and enjoy the time of being ‘newly engaged’
Definitely buy out the magazine racks for the most up to date ideas and happenings – brides, weddings
Relax whilst you browse the mags (with a coffee or a glass of wine, at home in your favourite armchair).

Make notes such as:

What do I want for my wedding?
Where?
Who?
How much?

Then share these thoughts and wishes with your other half before you invite the world to make comment on how you should do it.

Create your joint priority list.

THEN...

My next bit of advice is to really fully establish what sort of money you have to spend on the day and from there, get help with your budget planning. You will have to be prepared to compromise on all sorts of ways, but remember, the ‘priority list’ and work with that as much as possible.

That should set you up for a great wedding which you have control over and which you can get excited by.

If it all seems alittle over whelming then please download our wedding planning guide here.

Of course if you would like to speak to Gilly without commitment then please do call on 0845 459 9812 or email.

The beautiful engagement photographs in this blog are courtesy of Just Imagine Photography who we have had the pleasure of working with during 2011. Our next blog will focus on the growing popularity of engagement shoots and will feature more of Just Imagine fantastic work, in the meantime please do take a look at their website: www.justimaginephotography.co.uk

Best wishes,

Laura, Gilly, Romilly & the team.

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: 0845 459 9812/4

The big question...

2012-02-07T13:21:00.000Z

With Valentines day fast approaching there will be some of us expecting, hoping or longing for a marriage proposal! That got us thinking about the whole proposal issue, it must be a terrifying event to plan, where, when & how to proposal are all crucial to the moment because lets face it, if your proposal is success you could me re telling that moment for years to come - no pressure then!

But the thing is it really doesn't have to cost a fortune often the most imaginative or creative proposals that work the best. Last year we loved the You Tube sensation of Adam King proposing to his girlfriend on a London commuter train, with the help of his friends in a choir.

OK we don't all have the friends in a choir that are willing to sing on a packed commuter train, but the idea of doing something personal and unique will bring some very special memories.

For those not expecting a proposal we hope you have a lovely Valentines.

Best wishes,

Gilly & the team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Why Gilly loves a party!

2012-01-25T16:12:00.000Z

I have been arranging amazing events for some time now and offers an insight into some of the interesting private and corporate events undertaken over the past few years.

Cool parties and major family celebrations are my absolute love!

They get my heart beating fast, my mind races and I need to drop absolutely everything I am working on at the time so I can really pull myself together to listen & hear what the client is saying at the end of the line! This happens every time I get that call.

Straightaway I see the party happening in my mind and that is the foundation for me. When I meet clients face to face to further discuss their plans, I have to hold myself back so that once again, I hear what they want and then I take the brief from there.

I often find myself waking up first thing in the morning with a complete visual insight into what a client event will actually look like on the day/evening and often that’s exactly as it is... Funny this seems funny...but it just reaffirms that I am a visual interpreter rather than a wordsmith!

The best events are those, where the clients really want to enjoy the occasion and share with friends/family/colleagues – they set the scene from the outset! I do the rest to make it happen and stay cool.

Things that make me smile!

· Meeting a client for the first time and seeing their face relax as soon as they start to share their ideas and feel a sense of comfort as they release their hopes

· Being No 1 on an existing clients call list when they have an important family occasion to plan!

· Making a client laugh...out loud and get excited by ideas.

· Eliminating any concerns about political correctness.

· Creating a Buzz before the event

· Wowing clients and their guests

· Seeing a family raise their glasses without saying much ... just before the first guest arrives and feeling that warm fuzzy and buzzy feeling of achievement

· Watching guests arrive at the party all ready to enjoy

· Watching a husband, partner, father, mother, see each other all dressed up to the nines just before their event starts and look at each other in that amazingly unrepeatable way

· Seeing appreciation of the guests as they taste the food, see the décor, watch the show, listen to the music...just savour the moments.

· Knowing the client is happy.

Best Wishes

Gilly Botte

Founder & Owner of The Great Big Event co.

Merry Christmas & Thank you.

2011-12-19T10:36:00.002Z

Our last blog of the year...

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas

2011 - In summary

This time last year we were just getting ready for 2011 with a relaunch of our brand and services. We had completed a busy year with Weddings and Vintage Events and were about to undertake the growth of our posh parties service.

Since then...WOW! What fun we have had over 2011 with some lovely client events which we are proud to have created.

We have upsized our catering contracts and are now offer catering beyond 500 seated with both TGBEco parties and weddings and Vintage Days.

We moved out of The Medicine Garden in Cobham and into our new work places and hot spots London - Oxshott - Farnham - Guildford – Godalming.

Our key areas of London and the South East; we opened up in Barnard Castle, Co Durham through our Vintage Days catering service. All in all, a busy year!

We hope that with your continued support through 2012, and with all that we have to look forward to; we will be busier than ever before.

There’s a lot of celebrating to be done in and around the South East in 2012...

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
TGBEco Celebrating the Olympics summer event
2012 – GAMES

Rebrand 2011 took place in February when we relaunched our online presence with a new look. We took the ‘Company’ out of The Great Big Event and softened up with the Co! We hope you like?

Some of our loveliness

TGBEco would not be successful without our teams of professional freelance contracted teams;

Without all their hard work, enthusiasm, and continuous innovative ideas around food, parties, styling and planning, TGBEco parties and TGBEco weddings would not be able to present such great parties or weddings.

Thank you to our team of cooks and chefs headed up by our very own founder Gilly Botte;

Jackie, Ellie & Ali

David G

Kevin K

Alexander

And of course, we shall not forget our amazing front of house and service teams!!! Thank you to them for all their team work and expert management and co-ordination on the event.

Beverley, Caroline, Ads...to name our core team players! Thank you again.

Thanks to the in-house marketing, event planning, finance and project management teams too!

Romilly, Amanda & Laura

Merry Christmas & Best Wishes

for a prosperous 2012

^{With best wishes to you all and}^{Thank You!}

Gilly Botte – Founder and M.D. Terry Willat – General Manager

Festive Activities

2011-12-13T13:57:00.001Z

Here at the Great Big Event Co. our Christmas tree is up, 200+ mince pies were cooked last week and the Michael Buble Christmas album had to be purchased, so that means Christmas has officially started! So we thought we would give you abit of a round up of some of the Christmas activities around us that you may enjoy...

Christmas Market at Southbank/ London Eye.

Last weekend we had the pleasure of visiting the Southbank in London. Just a five minute walk from Waterloo station, London is transformed into a beautiful Christmas Market. 60+ wooden chalets line the banks of the Thames selling some beautiful craft items, gifts and novelty items. After a couple of mulled wines we purchased some gorgeous ear muffs for two little girls and fake snow (don't ask!).

In addition to the Christmas market, nestled behind the Festival Hall is the The Real Food Market...Mmm. Luckily we had already eaten but we did treat ourselves to some wonderful tasting New York Cheesecake.

With the christmas lights, traditional carousel with the backdrop of the Thames and the London Eye it really was a lovely way to spend a few hours and get into Christmas Spirit.

Southbank Christmas market is now now until 24th December (11am to 8pm weekdays and 10am to 10pm at the weekends) and is free to enter.

Other Christmas that maybe closer to you are:

Kingston - Traditional German Market - until 27th December. Open every day 10am - 8pm.

Winchester - Cathedral Christmas Market & Ice-rink. Open until 21st December; 10am to 6pm.

Manchester - Christmas Market, one of the biggest in the UK. Open to 21st December

Chester - Victorian Market. Open until 31st December.

Winter Wonderland - Hyde Park

We are not sure if we are glutens for punishment but we are planning a pre Christmas trip to Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park. It will be packed and the rides are on the pricey side, but last year we loved it. With loads for both kids and adults to watch, ponder and consume it is a real Christmas treat for everyone. For more information we advise you check out their website www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com and if you wish to see any of the shows booking is essential.

Panto - oh no it isn't...oh yes it is!

Get your Boo's and Hisses ready as Panto season is here. We are a late converts to Panto, visiting our first just 3 years ago but kids in tow we are big fans! This year we are torn between Reading Hexagon showing Aladdin with Justin from Cbeebies (parents among you will understand the appeal), Guildford our local Panto performing Jack and the Beanstalk if Santa is kind maybe we will get to both!

If you are looking for a pantomime near to you, take a look at www.bigpantoguide.co.uk they seem to have every pantomime listed.

Whatever you get up to this Christmas we hope you have a fantastic time and we wish you a very Happy New Year.

All the best from,

Gilly, Romilly and The Great Big Event team.

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Vintage Days

2011-11-28T13:39:00.001Z

We now have one of the largest collection of Vintage crockery, glassware, tableware and vintage props in the country. With 1,000+ place settings available we can cater for intimate gathering to the largest of functions, wedding and events.

Our range includes cups & saucers, plates, cake stands, sugar bowls and everything else to make your table a vintage treat. On top of all this we have the most fabulous (if we may so ourselves) selection of vintage props from bunting to bird cages to compliment our crockery & glassware.

Special Offer now available for all couples holding a Vintage themed wedding or event in 2012 is available until 31st December

Book between 70 or more for tea to include:

Tea cup and saucer, side plate, individual cake plate per person.

2 teapots, 1 milk jug, 1 sugar bowl, 1 x 3 tier cake stand per table of ten.

*** ONLY £3.75 per person ***

Includes - Delivery (region – South East)

Includes – Delivery within A1 – DL12 (region - North East)

For a quote or more information then please do contact Gilly or Romilly.

T: +44 (0)845 4588914

E: Info@vintagedays.co.uk

W: www.vintagedays.co.uk

W: www.thegreatbigevent.co.uk

Once upon a sunny day...

2011-11-07T15:39:00.000Z

Yes we did get really lucky with the weather for our modern vintage wedding photo shoot, but we did have to a last minute change of location so we could accommodate the planned shoot running order. This presented us with some fun but nevertheless the outcome was that our setting suited the creative styling and we introduced ‘Polly’ our vintage French Palomatic moped (often used as a prop) as a creative spin on modern vintage...the theme of our shoot.

Our photographer – David, decided that we should layer the gazebo with our shabby chic bunting, and as we started to do so, we added more and more to the setting including...hanging tea pots, hats, mirrors, bunting and bird cages! And yes...the gazebo is still standing.

Make up on the bride and hair by the amazing Gemma Sutton www.gemmasutton.com and our beautiful model for the day, Emily Wyatt, looking like a bride straight from the 1940s! just showed us, the planning team, what is possible from a creative styling point of view.

Everyone involved in the shoot had a really good day. We caught up with the photographer David Wickham a few days later and this is what he had to say:

'This photo shoot was so much fun! We all got to mess around with Gilly at Vintage Days wonderful collection of vintage items whilst creating our vision of a bridal wonderland. So there was bunting galore, pretty tea sets and floating cake stands on ribbon. Gemma Sutton created a beautiful vintage look for Emily, the model, which she topped off with pieces from her stunning new jewellery range.'

If we had a gramophone playing Vera Lynn ... anyone would easily have been transported back to that wonderful era of classic style...1940s

If you like the idea of a Modern Vintage Wedding – then you should contact Gilly on 0845 4599814 to discuss this further.

Our packages of modern vintage weddings include:

· Wedding menus, WI teas, traditional afternoon tea on authentic vintage service ware - www.vintagedays.co.uk

· Wedding photography – www.davidwickhamphotography.com

· Bridal hair and makeup – www.gemmasutton.com

· Bespoke wedding dress jewellery www.vintagedays.co.uk

· Vintage dress and styling www.vintagedays.co.uk

· Personalised invitations, order of service, menus, table plans www.thegreatbigevent.com

· Jazz and Swing band – www.thegreatbigevent.com

‘til we meet again..”Chucks away ginger!” I feel a slice of victoria sponge and homemade lemonade on its way...

Gilly Botte

The Great Big Event Co.
w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: +44 (0)845 459 9812/4

Bonfire Treats: Cookies and cream fudge brownies

2011-11-04T16:15:00.000Z

This weekend brings Bonfire night and whether you are off to a display or having a party at home this month's foodie treat courtesy of our wonderful Chef David Gillot is Cookies and Cream Fudge Brownies, sounds perfect for a treat for all the family.

Here's David's chocolate brownie recipe just ready for the weekend....

Ingredients

165g/5½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
200g/7oz dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped
3 free-range eggs
2 free-range egg yolks
1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or alternatively 2 tsp vanilla extract)
165g/5½ oz soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch salt
154g/5½oz pack chocolate biscuits, such as Oreos, broken into quarters
icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated (or chopped) chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 25-second blasts, stirring well each time.
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.
Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar
ENJOY!

Have fun this weekend,

Gilly and team

The Great Big Event Co.
w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: +44 (0)845 459 9812/4

Trick and Treats!

2011-10-31T19:40:00.002Z

This weekend brought our long planned, amazing halloween party at the clients house in Brook for 130 people. As the guests arrived for the evening they came down the drive and were met by Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and our amazing fire jugglers who remained in character for the whole event. The marquee was set up on the lawn next to the pool and their gorgeous wooden pergola was encorperated in to the marquee and formed the backdrop to the black and white dancefloor. There were fake flambe lights (made of silk and orange lights) at the back and the front pillars had twinlking fairy lights wrapped round them and were lit with orange, red and white LEDs.

I welcomed our headline, star act, Dynamo the magician (as seen on TV!) made him a good old Yorkshire cup of tea and walked him up to the marquee so he could start his wandering entertainment, close up magic and more. As I handed him over to the guests and walked away to put his tea down she felt two short sharp taps on my right shoulder and turned round to see who it was to discover no one there…spooky!

Sam, Mark and Tony our creative set design team built the most amazing scare maze and the first year students from the Guildford School of Acting (GSA) were put to good use whilst recreated a scene from a fun mad house. GSA also performed a Halloween Medley show in the marquee which was arranged, produced, choreographed and directed by the faculty from GSA - Phyllida Crowley-Smith, Rachael Kerridge, Stuart Winter, Niall Bailey

Much hauntingly, good fun was had by all... Happy Halloween.

Gilly and the team

The Great Big Event Co.

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: +44 (0)845 459 9812/4

EXCLUSIVE: Win the chance to come talk all things weddings with our experts!

2011-10-11T13:15:00.002+01:00

Are you getting married in the next 12 months and live or work in around Godalming/Guildford?

If the answer is YES then we are giving two lucky brides the chance to talk exclusively to our top wedding team; Gilly from the The Great Big Event Co., David from David Wickham Photography and hair and make up artist Gemma Sutton.

We are really excited to be working with David & Gemma on Tuesday 18th October on a modern vintage styled photo shoot in Godalming. We would like to invite two brides (or couples) to come watch the photo shoot and then sit down with all three of our wedding specialist for lots of free advice and tips for your big day.

To enter just leave a comment below or click here to email us your name, date and location of wedding (if decided) and we will pick two lucky winners out on Friday 14th October and contact you with further details.

You will need to be available 11.30am - 2.30pm on 18th October and be able to met us in Godalming, Surrey - Good Luck!

We are thrilled to be working with David & Gemma next week on the modern vintage wedding shoot. Godalming will be a beautiful backdrop and we can't wait to see the results. We caught up with David over the weekend and here's what he had to say...

'Over the last few weeks I have been working on a series of romantic, wedding style photoshoots with vintage bridal boutiques and lovely wedding venues around Surrey and the South East, to tie in with the launch of my new vintage style wedding photography website. Modern Vintage Weddings, launching 1st November has been a natural union of my Fine Art collection 'Modern Vintage', which are romantic scenes of London and Paris, and my 'Beloved' portrait service. I have been looking for a while for a great vintage events company and contacted Gilly at The Great Big Event Company with the hope that we could work together on some really special, memorable images, that would really make both our websites stand out and highlight what we both can offer fellow vintage lovers. What we decided upon is a vintage bridal picnic photo shoot. I'm passionate about creating fresh, vintage styled photography that suits those that are looking for something special in their wedding photographs, something classic but with a contemporary feel.'

If you would like any more information on any of the companies involved please take a look at our websites and feel free to give us a call.

www.thegreatbigeventcompany.co.uk - wedding venues, catering, marquees, entertainment, styling and wedding planning services.

www.davidwickhamphotography.com - wedding photography in a modern vintage style.

www.gemmasutton.com - bridal hair & makeup.

www.vintagedays.co.uk - Vintage crockery, glassware and tableware hire.

Ginger Sunday

2011-09-30T07:20:00.000+01:00

With all this unexpected good weather befalling us this week our thoughts have turned to how to make the most out of the weekend... so we hit the internet this morning and here's our highlights from around the South East:

LONDON

Did you know it is Ginger Sunday - no, nothing to do with hair colour, but in fact something much cuter. London Zoo are celebrating the arrival of Baby Tango - a rare ginger monkey born in September! They are offering 2 for 1 on all entries on Sunday (2nd October) for more details click here.

GUILDFORD
Closer to our Surrey Head Office there is a exciting new venue for music & comedy called G Live. If you fancy a few laughs then there are still tickets available for Al Murray stand-up show Barrel of Fun Extra or if you prefer the classics the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra are performing on Sunday evening (3rd October) tickets starting from just £19.50 www.glive.co.uk

ASCOT
Horses and beer more your thing? On Saturday 2nd October there is the Autumn meeting at Ascot, featuring the 5th Annual CAMBRA Beer Festival. So as well as the usual excitement of Flat racing there will be an extensive range of regional real ales, cider and perries. In this warm weather, what could be nicer...

BRIGHTON
Well, this could just top the horse racing for us... Frock Me at the Corn Exchange. Brighton's foremost vintage fashion show returns - from designers and students to the glamour glitterati, they all love this fair.

Frock me is the place to find clothes from every era from the 1920's right through to eighties retro glamour. Ooooh, we're not sure we can resist; plus we could go for a wander round the Lanes and the pier after! For more details go to www.visitbrighton.co.uk. We may just see you there.

If you know of another event happening that you think we might like, please let us know.

Enjoy the sunshine,

The Great Big Event Team.
www.thegreatbigevent.com

Brighton Rock comes to Goodwood Revival

2011-09-21T10:25:00.000+01:00

Last week we were thrilled to be asked to style four beautiful Crown Pavilions for Goodwood's Revival festival.If you haven't come across this company before we highly recommend you look at their website www.crownpavilions.com and watch the video below.

Crown Pavilions & Crown Gardens Project : Ms Gabriella Atkinson from Crown Pavilions Ltd on Vimeo.

Crown specialise in creating beautiful garden rooms and gazebo's, which can be used from anything from a amazing outdoor dining area to outside kitchen.

Our job was to style four of their pavilions which were to be exhibited at the Revival. Armed with ivory drapes, lanterns and a truck load of retro sweets we headed south to Goodwood. Our four very special themes were:

A Place to Wed - This romantic pavilion was wrapped in ivory draping with interwound ivory. The centre table featured a beautiful bouquet from Carl Wilson, 3 tier cake stand laden with delicious cupcakes from Hannah Logan, the brides wedding shoes and a vintage cup and saucer from Vintage Days.

Gentlemen's Club - This outdoor room featured classic Gentlemen club items from Leather bound books, a beautiful silver candelabra on a white linen table cloth with a black fleur de lis on it. Classic and stylish.

Oriental Place - Here we recreated a small taste of the orient with multi-coloured lanterns inside and out, purple silk parasol and finished off with an amazing arrangement of fresh flowers - gorgeous!

Brighton Rock - In the largest of the four pavilions we went with a fantastic upmarket retro seaside theme. If you have a sweet tooth this was the pavilion to visit with a spectacular sweetie bar fully stocked with bon bons, windmill sweets, candy floss and of course Brighton Rock. All the sweets were supplied by the lovely Tracy Scanlan of Mrs Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe in Cranleigh It was a really sweet seaside, pink treat!

We hope the visitors enjoyed looking round these wonderful Pavilions as much as we enjoyed styling them and we hope there was enough bon bon's to go around!

If you have a room, marquee, gazebo our indeed a Crown Pavilion you would like us to style for an party, wedding or corporate event then please just email us with your requirements and we will come back with our ideas.

Best wishes,

Gilly

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: www.twitter.com/greatbigeventco
f: www.facebook.com/greatbigeventco

Glee Vs Abba - The Party

2011-09-13T12:56:00.000+01:00

What a weekend we have just had; after months of planning and listening too maybe just one too many Abba tracks our fabulous Glee Vs Abba party took place and what a party it was!

Gilly headed up our Posh Party team with a beautiful marquee from Caron Marquees. The Marquee was fully blacked out with dark blue carpet and starlight ceiling which set the scene for a exciting night ahead.

The evening brought two shows one from the Conservatoire (Guildford School of Acting) who went all Glee, singing and dancing to all the favourite tracks from the TV show including our favourite 'Don't Stop Believing' and then brilliant Fabbagirls who treated the guests to hit after hit from the 70's supergroup Abba.

Gorgeous food and drink flowed throughout the evening and at the request of our birthday girl we set-up a delicious 'Ice Cream and Cake Parlour' with personalised cupcakes. The sweet table proved very popular later in the evening!

We would like to give a big thank you to all our staff and suppliers who made the evening very special. The evening was a wonderful, sparkly success and we very much enjoyed it too.

Who won the battle of Glee Vs Abba - we're not quite sure but we think we maybe singing Dancing Queen for some time to come!

Our next blog will be coming soon on our first ever baby shower....

Best wishes from,

The Great Big Event Team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Big thank you to Greg from Just Imagine Video for taking such wonderful photo's

Wedding Special: Bang The Gavel.

2011-08-02T19:46:00.000+01:00

This month we are delighted to feature a guest blog from Vanessa King who is a professional Toastmaster based in Surrey. We hope you enjoy her insight into the role of a toastmaster...

People often ask me what I do as a professional toastmaster. The image is generally someone who shouts, bangs a gavel, and introduces the toasts. Most people are surprised to learn there's anything more to the role than that, but I have made it so much more. I do introduce the toasts and I do speak loudly sometimes, but I never shout and I don't even own a gavel! Every event is a unique experience for the people who've generally put in a huge amount of thought, effort and money into it and it's no less unique for me. I see my job as Toastmaster to make sure the event is every bit as perfect, special and unique as the client imagines it will be.

Anyone involved in significant events knows they start many months before the big day, and the most successful events, from my perspective, always start with my early involvement. The day is unique and my service is tailored specifically to the client. I have a planning meeting with the client where I 'walk through' every aspect of the day as planned thus far.

There isn't much for me to do after that initial meeting, but I keep in regular contact with the client to make sure there's nothing I can do to help in the lead-up to the event, particularly with respect to the speeches. People are often very nervous about giving a speech as it is often the first time they've spoken in public.

The night before the event I make sure my uniform is immaculate and starch my shirt and trousers. I have a number of boxes with all sorts of bits and pieces that might be needed at an event, ranging from scissors, glasses, mints, paracetamol, pins, and hand lotion! I put all of this into the car as you never know what might be needed on the day.

I learn a great deal from every event I do. I have learned that a little stress is a good thing, but I shouldn't worry too much because I do have an authoritative yet gentle manner that gets people doing what they need to be doing. I have learned that I am good at making everyone feel looked after and I'm getting better all the time at liaising with everyone to make sure things happen smoothly. The best thing I've learned is that I've finally found my dream job that brings together all the skills I have and the things I love to do.

I'm fortunate to have received lovely testimonials from my clients. I am proud to serve them on such memorable occasions and being a professional Toastmaster is just the most rewarding job in the world for me.

Thanks to Vanessa for this months blog - more information can be found on Vanessa's website www.ladytoastmaster.wordpress.com. Our next feature will be focusing on the rising trend in baby showers. We have our first ever shower booked this Autumn which will be themed using our beautiful vintage crockery and we can't wait. More details later...

Enjoy the sunshine.

Gilly & the team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

KateFest Start on Friday

2011-06-30T18:17:00.000+01:00

Already this year we have had Wills & Kate, Lily & Sam and the next big celeb wedding is taking place this weekend.

Kate Moss is set to marry Jamie Hince on Friday 1st July, in what is rumoured to be a three day festival themed wedding. It is reported that will be up to six themed marquees in the grounds of her Cotswolds home, with entertainment for both the adults and kids tents with dedicated childminders!

But the big question is THE DRESS. Will she go Vintage, Rock 'n' Roll Bride or classic? And who will design arguably one of the world's most famous fashion icons dress? Front runner is still the John Galliano, despite his recent troubles or could it be his boyfriend Alexis Roche or a shock outsider?

Either way, we don't have long to wait as this much anticipated wedding swings into action tomorrow. We can't wait to see the pictures, as like it or not weddings such as this will influence wedding plans for some time to come...

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Glitz, Glamour & Acrobatics

2011-06-30T14:41:00.000+01:00

Our busiest weekend, so far this year, fell just before summer solstice this year with a private party in Surrey themed as ‘Footballers’ Wives’.

The wives concerned were all rather chic and beautiful! With plenty of ammo to go with, our brief was to ‘create an amazing and unfortgetful’ party. Success is always in the eye of the beholder, but we have to say that given the client’s great enthusiasm and ‘joie de vive’ this was always going to be a party filled with fun and playfulness.

Our menu was canapes all night long and cocktails, created by our wonderful energetic chef, David G. My lasting memory of this will be the two ladies who managed to climb the swing (which we constructed over the client’s pool) and then proceeded to offer an impromptu acrobatic performance for a good 10 minutes... this was one of the many highlights of this special event.

And the final word comes from the client on the following day: "We've been delighting in the universally positive feedback we've received from our guests. 'Best party ever' is a phrase I keep hearing and we really do have you to thank for that."

Our next big party is Glee Meets Abba, can't wait for that one! More party updates to come this summer....

Gilly

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Two become one...

2011-06-27T11:19:00.000+01:00

It's a beautiful morning here in our Surrey studio, we've had a lovely weekend and even managed to fit in watching some of the Glastonbury highlights! Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that our increasingly popular blogs are changing. We are in the process of merging of wedding and events blogs to give you one all new & shiny blog.

The reason why we have decided to do this is that there is such a cross over between our wonderful weddings and posh parties that we didn't want you to miss out on any tips, advice or news that could be used whilst planning your wedding or a fabulous party. Such as today's topic...

Sun is shining on our Vintage style

Our vintage service is flourishing for both parties & weddings and with celebrities such as Lily Allen embracing the Vintage theme at her wedding this month we don't see that trend slowing down.

Our range of Vintage crockery range can make all the difference to your wedding theming giving guests something to talk about, here's what one of our recent brides told us:

"We just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the vintage crockery etc yesterday. It looked fabulous and as gorgeous as we had hoped!

The baroque glasses went down a storm and many people asked about where they could buy the iron tables and chairs.

Thank you for all the hard work that went into the arrangements, we could not have been happier."

And it's not just weddings, last week we organised an 'Indian Summer ‘Christening’ event. This was a lovely family day for 70 guests in Cobham. Our client wanted to celebrate their daughter’s christening at home amongst travelled family and friends. We provided a lovely canapé finger buffet with vintage crockery and glassware. The garden was setup with parasols, tables and chairs, service points, bunting and multi coloured votives, adding the multi coloured feel to a beautiful garden. All topped off with beautiful handpicked flowers from the meadow!

So if you have a wedding, christening, baby shower, family party coming up and you like the idea of going Vintage then please do give us a call on 0845 4599 814.

Delicious delights arrive in the post...

2011-05-19T12:10:00.000+01:00

Here at The Great Big Event Company there is no denying we are all big foodies so when a mysterious box was delivered to our door you can just imagine our delight when we unwrapped the beautifully rustic packaging, untied with pretty ribbon and discovered a gorgeous box of gourmet chocolate brownies!

A friend had sent them as a 'Thank You' present and had chosen a box of 12 brownies, which included the flavours: Classic Chocolate Chunk, Cappuccino & Hazelnut, Banoffee and the limited edition Grand Marnier. Well, we just didn't know where to start... it was a tough call but we thought we had better try the classic chocolate chunk (made with Divine Chocolate Chunk no less!).

We soon discovered these are no ordinary brownies, rich, dense and full of flavour they just melt in the mouth. These brownies are a true treat and could be used as a dessert or sliced into chunks and served with coffee; you certainly would impress any guests!

After savouring every last morsel of our first Bluebasil Brownie we investigated the contents and were delighted to find (where possible) they use locally sourced ingredients (Bluebasil are based in the Cotswold) including eggs, flour and even butter. It is obvious that much care and attention goes it the creation of these brownies and they make a fantastic gift for birthdays, thank you, Father's day or just because you want to treat someone special. Gift boxes start from £14.50 (including postage) for 9 very generous brownies, gift wrapped and delivered, which we think make a fabulous alternative to flowers. To order visit www.bluebasilbrownies.co.uk

We loved them so much we thought it would be rude not to share, so will will be running a COMPETITION on our Facebook & Twitter pages THIS FRIDAY 20th May. So make sure you come and follow us for your chance to win a box of 12 truly divine chocolate brownies from Bluebasil.

May Food Blog from our executive Chef David Gillott

2011-05-09T12:21:00.000+01:00

May is the month when seasonal food gets really colourful, with peas, carrots and cherries coming into season, along with aubergines and rocket. The first of the new potatoes arrive, sardines and pollock are available too.

Fruit

Apricots Cherries (coming into season) Kiwi fruit

Vegetables

Asparagus Aubergines (in season from late May) Carrots (in season from late May) New potatoes (coming into season) Peas (coming into season) Peppers Rhubarb (end of season) Rocket (coming into season) Spinach Spring onions Watercress (coming into season)

Meat

Lamb Rabbit (available, but at its best Jul-Dec)

Fish and seafood

Crab Pollock (pollack) (in season from mid-May) Salmon Sardines (in season from end of May) Tuna

Rhubarb fool with lemongrass and white chocolate

Ingredients

For the rhubarb fool:

700g rhubarb 2 lemongrass stalks very finely chopped to almost a powder 100ml water 140g unrefined organic sugar 110g icing sugar 150ml crème fraîche (preferably organic) or 1 small carton 150ml mascarpone cream 4 tbsp white chocolate, grated or peeled into shavings

For the rhubarb:

lemonade 1 lemon, juice only 1 small glass sweet wine, optional

Method

Wash and trim, but do not peel the rhubarb. Cut into even chunks about 3cm/11⁄4in long and put into a warm pan with the water, sugar and the lemongrass. Cover and simmer until the rhubarb softens and breaks down - usually this takes about 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve, reserving all the juices and allow the rhubarb to cool down. Whisk the icing sugar into the mascarpone, then gently fold in the crème fraîche and half the rhubarb.

Divide the remaining rhubarb among four dishes or glasses and spoon the fool mixture on top. Allow to set and cool in the fridge. Serve with the chocolate shavings on top. For the rhubarb lemonade, pass the reserved rhubarb liquid through a fine sieve, then add lemon juice to taste. Add the sweet wine if you want to make it alcoholic and chill well in the fridge.

Serve in small iced glasses with the fool and some shortbread biscuits or Tuille biscuits.

David is our executive chef at The Great Big Event and can cater from intimate dinner parties in your home to weddings and events of all sizes. If you would like to discuss menu requirements please contact David on: chef@thegreatbigevent.com or call 0845 459 9812

How to put on a Right Royal Party!

2011-04-27T13:20:00.001+01:00

Are you having a party with family and friends to celebrate the Royal Wedding this Friday?

Here are our top tips for creating a fun and stress free day:

Firstly don't try to over do it! Given that there is only two days until the big event, our advice is to keep it simple & fun!

First there is the decorations: Embrace the day and go with the classic Red, White & Blue colour scheme. With many shops selling flags & bunting it is easy to dress your room or garden to get everyone in the mood. Or if you want to get kids involved why not get them to make the bunting, some string, paper / fabric and paint can keep the children quite for an hour and produce from fun decorations! If the patriotic theme really isn't your thing, then we have seem some fabulous 'Vintage styled' party accessories available in Waitrose. Ranging from cake stands, bunting & tea cups & saucers.

When it comes to food the we think you can't go wrong with some Bucks Fizz to start the day followed by a light buffet lunch and a classic afternoon tea to finish off your day. Finger sandwiches, cupcakes & scones will always be popular with all ages!

Our last tip, is check the timing of the day: The wedding is due to start at 11am so make sure you're guest arrive in good time as you don't want to be answering the door and getting drinks when the wedding has started, otherwise you may miss out on all the events yourself! BBC have a great schedule of events you may wish to check out.

We will watching from our event at Hurtwood Park Polo club, but hopefully be able to celebrate with a Bucks Fizz or two! We hope you have fun and enjoy the day...

The Great Big Event Team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Our Spring Food Guide by Private Chef David Gulliot

2011-04-20T11:03:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to introduce our monthly food blog by the fabulous David Gulliot. David has worked in a number of London restaurants including The Greenhouse & One Lombard Street, both of which are Michelin star establishments.

Here's how one past client described his food:

"David is a spectacular cook. Always full of surprises and ideas, he is a very creative chef and executes flawlessly; his presentation is mouthwatering. His food is better than most restaurants I have been to, so why go out when David can come to you?"

David describes cooking as his passion and we are looking forward to sharing his monthly ideas and recipes with you.

An Introduction to Spring

As spring seems to be finally upon us with the warmer weather coming and the sunshine arriving (we hope!) the produce available to us triples. With so many classics such as lamb and samphire coming into season in April why not cook some things that you wouldn’t normally?

At their best in April:

New potatoes
Celeriac
Purple sprouting broccoli
Sorrel
Halibut
Oysters
Crab

Salmon and Watercress Tart

Ingredients:

For the pastry case

200g/7oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g/3½oz butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
1 free-range egg yolk
a little water

For the filling

400g/14oz salmon fillet
a little butter or groundnut oil
salt and black pepper
2 large handfuls watercress
4 free-range eggs
400ml/14fl oz double cream

Method

For the pastry case, place the butter and flour into a food processor and blend well.
Add the egg yolk and a little water to bring the pastry to a firm consistency.
Allow the pastry to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes then roll out and line your tart case carefully.
Trim the edges and bake in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes with baking beans.
For the filling, bake the salmon with a little olive oil and black pepper for 10 minutes - then flake the flesh.
Roughly chop the watercress and spread the leaves and the salmon around the bottom of the tart case.
Mix the eggs and the cream and season well.
Pour the egg mixture into the tart and bake at 160C for 25 minutes or until just set.
All that’s left to do is allow it to cook and enjoy...

Before we go and let you start cooking your Salmon & Watercress Tart we just want to wish you fantastic Easter weekend and we hop the Easter bunny is kind to you all.

Anyone for Tea?

2011-04-07T10:33:00.001+01:00

Whilst watching BBC Breakfast this morning, Bill Turnbull & Sian Williams were discussing the merits & traditions of afternoon tea! Not an hard hitting news item we agree but it nice to know that Brits all still embracing the traditions of afternoon tea, in fact according to the tea council it is an increasing trend.

This week Claridges was named London's top afternoon tea place for 2011, but there are plenty of other gorgeous tea rooms all round the country for you to enjoy this Easter. We've been checking out the Tea Councils website this morning and we are busy making our short list for this Easter.

If you are thinking holding your own tea party there are even details of how to make the perfect brew on the website. And finally, if you are having friends & family over you can make it even more memorable by hiring some vintage tea sets and cake stands from Vintage Days, we are thinking, sunshine, garden parties, sandwiches and scones & jam. Lets just hope the weather holds out!

Fiona Cairns talks about her Royal Commission

2011-04-07T10:02:00.000+01:00

Kate Middleton's dress may be a closely guarded secret but British cake baker Fiona Cairns has been talking about her commission to create the royal wedding cake.

In an interview with the BBC she said that she had a meeting with Kate to discuss her ideas for the cake. Fiona says the cake is a traditional wedding fruit cake with a modern twist! There will be lots of lattice & scroll work and she has been given a list of 16 flowers to incorporate into the cake in one way or another.

The finished cake will of course be multi tiered, with a simply but stylish white and cream scheme and each tier with be different. Fiona sums the cake up as being as 'traditional, delicate, modern with a vintage element'.

We can wait to see what it looks like!

A celebration idea

2011-04-04T15:50:00.000+01:00

We have a great idea!

You want to join in the celebrations, but you really don't have time to organise it at this stage...

Or you're thinking about gathering friends, colleagues, suppliers together and the perfect event could be The Royal Wedding.

Well look no further! We are inviting you to our own 'The Royal Wedding' which is being run in association with Hurtwood Park in Ewhurst, Surrey. Tickets are available now by emailing your request to Info@thegreatbigevent.com

Let us know if you'd like more information...

Cheerio,

Event teat at TGBE co.

Luxury Boutique Event Services...

2011-02-18T10:27:00.001Z

Since 3rd January, we've had our posh wellies on, then off, then on and now they've been put to one side for 2011 in time with the new re-launch of the UK business

http://www.thegreatbigevent.com/

It's an exciting thing to realise that business can be so flexible and dynamic and I wonder if larger organisations ever have the opportunity to really feel this in their business? Probably not as it's happening I suspect...

Our team in Surrey and London has been evolving over the past 18months and through a hard period we've made it right for us & importantly, YOU!

The vision is that we build a business which is fresh & flexible offering boutique styled service and we think you'll love it!

So keep up with us because we want you to be one of the first to really benefit. Whether you are just considering an intimate dinner party or hoping to escape for a short while, think of 'The Great Big Event Co' as your very own secret tool for all of life's little luxuries!

!!!We hope you like as much as we do!!!

Oooh and...Let us know if we can be of any help. + 44 (0)845 4599814
E: info@thegreatbigevent.com

We're back for 2011

2011-01-18T12:06:00.000Z

WELCOME to our first blog of the year...It’s going to be a terrific year! Whilst we are starting on the planning for our 2011 events we want to make sure that we keep blogging.

Highlights of 2010

John and Anni’s Wedding - August 2010
John & Anni Llewellyn Smith’s ‘country styled’ wedding, was styled and planned by Gilly Botte of Vintage Days Weddings, wedding photographed by Zoe Collyer and catered by Pan Global Catering with Vintage Days Weddings

A truly tremendous day with lots of fun, festivities, and frolics...

Phil and Caroline’s Wedding – September 2010
Philip and Caroline’s Wedding was all about the people, friendships and style. The day was brilliantly sunny and warm and the group of friends all arrived on the old Route master bus with a willingness to celebrate!

The ethos from the outset was about good quality food combined with top notch service and having Gilly on hand to advise and co-ordinate those essential ingredients needed by every busy couple nowadays.

The Great British Bake Of Final
A bit of Vintage Days fame courtesy of the amazing ...Love Production team on their production of The Great British Bake Of.

Vintage days was asked to add ambience to the production of this lovely programme. It was such a pleasure to be part of this production in our own little way...and tapped right into the creative spirit behind Vintage Days!
www.loveproductions.co.uk

Vintage at Goodwood 2010
Most of our stock was hired out by The Goodwood events team who put together a superb Vintage Event at Goodwood this year. This was the inaugural ‘Vintage at Goodwood’ event and we were proud to be a part of this.

www.vintagedays.co.uk

Crown Pavilions at Goodwood Revival

www.crownpavilions.com

We styled 3 beautiful Gazebos for Crown Pavilions at Goodwood Revival in September.

A shabby Chic Tea Party
An Arabian meets Raj Styled Coffee House
A Luxurious Ladies Quiet Place

Here’s where we are going in 2011;

OUT with the old and IN with the new...2011!

!Look out! for the updated logo & website to follow during 2011. We are also embracing social media and we will have new Twitter & Facebook pages coming VERY soon.

With our new website...online shop and pre-priced packages which will be available to those of you who we don’t get to meet face to face at Cobham!

We are extremely grateful for your continued support and we look forward to working with you again during 2011 and beyond!

Best wishes,

Gilly, Sharon, Romilly, Rachael & Terry

Food Glorious Food

2010-12-30T12:20:00.001Z

Is it your time to consider your Caterer?

With our chef and catering teams in place for 2011 we would like to introduce you to:

David Gillott - Private Chef / Michelin trained

Kevin Kingham - Rustic and Live Cooking / Family Catering - World Travelled,product resourcer

Anise Catering - F&B caterer

Bookings for TGBE events are managed through Gilly Botte - The Great Big Event Co (UK).
Telephone: 0845 4599814 | Email: gilly@thegreatbigevent.com

Thanks for reading...

ROUND up 2010

2010-12-23T17:10:00.000Z

Happy Seasonal Greetings to you.

We've just finished icing the Christmas cake, with a dash or two of Mulled wine on the go and the presents completed...at last! But I really wanted to thank everyone of our followers for all their support and please look out for the new website/logo and services coming in 2011.

With a gorgeous wedding on 31st December taking place this New Year's eve, we will be full of the sentiment behind Christmas ... Friends and Family all coming together to share.

Happy Christmas.

Gilly Bottex

The Great Big Event London - Website Launch

2010-06-16T11:42:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to announce the launch of our dedicated London Office website: www.london.thegreatbigevent.com.

Heading up the team in London is Sharon Dawes our Senior Event Specialist for The Great Big Event & Wedding Company. Our London office will focus on events in London, Essex, Herefordshire and Watford. Sharon also has a wealth of experience in international business into U.A.E. (particularly in Dubai) and Atlanta, USA.

Gillian Botte-Isaac, founder of The Great BIG Event Company commented 'this adds incredible value to our existing corporate and private client base, contacts and network and also opens the door of opportunity to service new clients both inbound and overseas.'

Our London office adds value to our business services as Sharon has extensive experience in large scale hospitality and broad range consultancy to the catering industry. Her professional approach to both private client and company business, is invaluable to our business.

For your London, Essex & Herefordshire events you can contact Sharon directly on:

Telephone +44 (0)208 352 1121
Mobile: +44 (0)771 809 3692
Email: Sharon.Dawes@thegreatbigevent.com or
Head Office +44 (0)845 4599812

www.london.thegreatbigevent.com

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Walled Garden in Cobham opens soon....

2010-05-13T15:22:00.000+01:00

Our new venue which is a beautifully restored walled garden in Cobham opens soon!

You will shortly receive your personal notice for the Mad Hatter Tea Party followed by ‘Jazz on the Lawn’ event on Saturday September 11th 2010.In the meantime...did you know?

• You can hire the garden, bring your own suppliers in and make your own party?
• You can have Hog Roast, Pan Food, BBQ, Seated Dinners, Picnic, Bowl Food and practically anything else you can think of served in the garden!
• Your budget – your decision – We will make it work for you!
• Location and Links – if your organisation needs to get out from London or simply wants to ‘go local’ ... this venue works
• All sorts of numbers work! Whether there are 10 of you or 500 + the space works well.
• You will have the flexibility to create a superb summer party either on your own or with our assistance.

We have a dedicated events team based at Cobham as of Monday 28th June 2010 so come visit us if you’re in the area! Whilst we are planning to open with The Mad Hatters Tea Party for all on 11th September 2010. Our plans at this stage include; Outdoor Summer Theatre with Supper. A Hog Roast with Jimmy, Moonlit Picnic with Stargazing, Teddy Bears Picnic, A Tour of the Garden with the experts, various craft workshops, music workshops, relaxing outdoor meditation and tai Chi at sunrise or sunset. We are also looking to attract independent art and sculpture exhibitions from both professional and local amateur artists.

So if you need to organise that last minute dot com party...call us on 0845 4599814!

The Great Big Event Company Nationwide

2010-02-04T11:05:00.001Z

The Great Big Event Company are excited to be expanding throughout the UK with two new offices in Scotland and one new office in London.

Melanie Newdick event planner for The Great Big Event Company, has offices in The Highlands and Edinburgh and operates throughout Scotland.

Melanie's background adds value to our business services as she has extensive experience within the travel and exhibition business. Her professional approach to both private client and company business is just the start for new clients in Scotland. Melanie has worked all over the World for the past few years in the front line handling a variety of clients on cultural tours and trips. Melanie is currently developing packages for our corporate teambuilding, travel and community based business owners.
If you have any events enquiries for this region please contact Melanie through our Head Office on 0845 4599 814 or email melanie.newdick@thegreatbigevent.com.

And in London we have Sharon Dawes - Event Specialist Consultant and Wedding Planner for The Great Big Event and The Great Big Wedding Company. Based in London and operating throughout the South East of the UK and international business into U.A.E. (particularly in Dubai) and Atlanta, USA.

Sharon's background adds value to our business services as she has extensive experience in large scale hospitality and broad range consultancy to the catering industry. Her professional approach to both private client and company business, is invaluable to our business.

She is available for any areas where you need that extra resource, service or expert advice on supplier services. : To contact email: Sharon.Dawes@thegreatbigevent.com or Head Office +44 (0)845 4599812

The Great Big Event - A Night To Remember!

2009-12-10T13:27:00.000Z

We have been working on a new video for both the The Great Big Event Company and our sister company The Great Big Wedding Company. Please do have a look ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoOaPF_qOwI

Many Thanks,

Laura

Looking for unique event location? Gilly recommends...A Secret Garden in Cobham.

2009-12-04T10:25:00.000Z

I went to have a look around this fantastic venue and space which is readily avaialable for hire for anyone. Having had the opportunity to meet with ‘the man behind the development’ Paul Stadholme, who was a breath of fresh air for this here event planner...I could see the amazing opportunity available for all of you and so I am going to shout about this for those of you seeking out a unspoilt location in the south east with good access to the major motorway networks and good event suppliers on the doorstep.

The space;
The space avaialable for hire is set out into sections to mirror a ‘medicine wheel’ from North through to North. The landscaping has been carefully thought out with you in mind and the space itself would suit and can comfortably accommodate large numbers as well as equally offering the opportunity for smaller groups for a variety of hire opportunities.

The Garden
The garden itself has a lot of history behind it all of which is noted on the website. You can see the future here and smell the past...

So if you’re looking for a great space which is aesthetically pleasing and you have large numbers – this is the spot for you!
Or, if you are looking for a good room hire for your next board meeting or showcase event, then behind the garden walls is where you need to be! Look out for our follow up on this fantastic location!

Final note from me...it will offer your senses a visual impact from the moment you and your guests arrive through the main gates and if any of you have a large event with numbers over 500, this location will be very hard to beat for logistics.

For more information on this very special location contact Gilly at info@thegreatbigevent.com

Complete event management solution

2009-11-10T13:27:00.000Z

The Great Big Event Company is able to provide event planners with a complete solution to increase event attendance and decrease event costs. By automating the event planning and management processes, our software enables you to focus your time on strategic decisions rather than repetitive, time consuming tasks event management software allows us to provide every client, with a completely seamless delegate capture and delegate management solution for their events.

Overview of delegate management with The Great Big Event Company:

Managed by our professional in house team
‘Attendance grabbing’ event promotion to increase response rates
Design an online event registration
Promote your events on branded event websites
Collect whatever registrant data you regard to be critical
Accept registrations via web, fax and direct mail
Build dynamic, multi-track, multi-session registration options
Pre-populate forms to expedite registration
Quickly design simple events to save time
Clone previously created events in minutes
Restrict event registration by email address, event registration code or a unique ID assigned to each invitee
Create custom name badges and mailing labels
Register, modify, cancel and refund attendees
Upload and display documents such as exhibitor rules, brochures or trade show layout maps
Setup event approval permissions which require certain users to get approval for their events before launch
Activate automated wait list function to limit capacity to the event or to particular sessions
Allow a user to register a group of registrants at one time to streamline the event registration process
Personalise registration pages with custom fields such as "t-shirt size" or "Membership ID"
Utilize HTML editors to easily customize web-based forms with graphics and logos to match organizational branding

For more information contact Gilly or Julie at info@thegreatbigevent.com

www.thegreatbigevent.com

The Great Big Event Company excited to be working with Guildford School of Acting

2009-10-22T12:25:00.000+01:00

Guildford School of Acting (GSA) has built an international reputation for excellence as is The Great Big Event Company's ongoing mission. Our focus is to offer an amazing experience through exceptional partnerships with the client's experience in mind all the time. GSA have so far, offered us a superb level of professionalism and flexibility to do so.

Past Events included:

A Magical fairytale
Halloween
Moulin Rouge
A Musical to Dine On

We have such a versatile and creative opportunity here that every client needs to know about how we raise the bar at every opportunity, offering, unequalled value on budget! Working with training actors, dancers and performers has enabled us to offer our clients amazing entertainment, engaging and close up!

If you would like to know more about how GSA can make your event memorable contact us on info@thegreatbigevent.com.

Welcome to The Great Big Event Company Blog

2009-10-10T17:27:00.000+01:00

Hello & welcome to our first blog from the Great Big Event Company.

Our sister company The Great Big Wedding Company has been blogging for awhile now, so we thought it was time that we joined in! We will be making weekly posting about the events we are currently working on and how we can help you make your own party, wedding, conference a memorable one.

So I suppose the best place to start is to tell you alittle about what we do:

We provide services focusing on event planning & management, tailored packages, lifestyle management and corporate communication services. So, whether you are a business professional seeking an event organiser or an individual looking for a travel package or in need of lifestyle management and support, you should talk to us! The core business services range:

Event planning and management
Travel and lifestyle packages
Party planning
Wedding planning
Theming and décor
Live events
Catering and bars
Event staff
Media & technical production
Conference Organisation
Product branding
PR Events
Discretionary P.A. services

If you like any further information or would like us to discuss a particular topic relating to event management please let us know.

Until our next blog....

Laura, Gilly, Julie & Terry from The Great Big Event Company