Amex Stadium Events Team Scoops Awards

The Sodexo Prestige events team at the Amex Community Stadium in Falmer is celebrating winning two golds and a silver at The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2014 held at the KC Stadium in Hull on 5 June, recognising the efforts and dedication shown by the catering, conference and events teams at every football and rugby stadium across the UK.

Competing against all stadiums in the football league, including premier league clubs, Brighton & Hove Albion FC won the Directors Choice Award, voted for by clubs board of directors when they visit an away match.

They also won Matchday Hospitality Award competing against all stadiums with a capacity up to 40,000, as well as taking silver for Media Choice Awards, voted for by media attending matches across the UK, with Manchester City FC winning the category.

Said Tony Crosbie of Sodexo Prestige, General Manager at the Amex Stadium, “I am particularly pleased that after our first year in the stadium, we have successfully competed against much bigger stadia – winning both the Directors Choice and Matchday Hospitality awards is a real coup for us!

“We are also stepping up our game on non-match days, offering top service for events and conferencing, with a brilliant team of chefs and event managers to help our clients hold brilliant events.”

“I want us to be the best in the in the country for hospitality and ensure that every guest that comes to the Stadium for whatever event - be it match day, a small meeting, a large dinner or an exhibition or road show - they have a great experience and want to return again and again.”

Stadium Experience Chair Person Collette Salmon, from Liverpool Football Club, commented: “These awards recognise those dedicated teams who work tirelessly off the pitch at football and rugby stadia across the UK to make hospitality, conferences and events run seamlessly for their customers.”

Contact the Amex Stadium events team on 01273 878 272 or email events@bhafc.co.uk

www.amexstadium.co.uk

A Royal Visit and a Minister Pledge at South of England Show

71,000 people flocked to enjoy the spectacle of the 47^th South of England Show at the South of England Showground in Ardingly on 5-7 June 2014.   The largest agricultural show in the region was declared a great success by organisers with numbers up 3,000 on last year.  

The Princess Royal was warmly welcomed by crowds, presenting rosettes to carriage drivers from the Riding for the Disabled Association and visiting growing displays in the Wildlife, Farming and Forestry area and the Horticulture Marquee. She then attended the AGM of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth, which was hosted at the show.

On the opening day of the show, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Owen Paterson MP was well received by 150 farmers, pledging that he would put agriculture at the forefront of government policy and saying he was committed to growing UK food exports.

The three-day event showcased the best of agriculture and farming across the South East, with superb displays covering every aspect of country life, supported by continuous arena action in the show’s four rings.

In celebration of the Year of Horticulture, the Flower Marquee was in full bloom with some stunning displays including nine windows of horticulture demonstrating the best from specialists across the region.

Dozens of Primary Schools were asked to celebrate the Year of Horticulture theme by producing the most unusual planter, the most dazzling display or the most creative use of plants and they fulfilled the criteria with some wonderful colourful creations in the Knowledge Box.

Visitors enjoyed seeing the Young Craftsman of the Year Competition exhibition and 17-year-old Thomas Streeter from The Weald Sixth Form College in East Sussex was presented with first prize by Lord Egremont, this year’s President of the South of England Agricultural Society, for his beautifully turned wood pieces.

World class stuntmen The Kangaroo Kids made their debut at the show, wowing crowds with dare

devil leaps and tricks on quad bikes.  With fun for all the family, highlights at the Show this year included the micro-sized Shetland Pony Grand National, heavy horse turnouts, show jumping, Fur & Feather displays with dozens of breeds of chickens and rabbits and the famous livestock display, including many breeds of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.

The Show is the flagship annual event organised by the South of England Agricultural Society, which is a charity promoting education about the countryside. CEO Iain Nicol said, “I want to pay tribute to and thank the 2,000 plus volunteers who put so much energy and enthusiasm into making this event possible and to all our exhibitors for their hard work and support in helping us make this such a special show.”

Twenty organisers of agricultural shows from across the United States also visited and enjoyed the event, describing it as offering a true taste of British rural life.

Join us at our next show, the Autumn Show & Game Fair on 4^th & 5^th October.

Find out more at www.seas.org.uk

London Pet Show Visitor Success

London Pet Show, sponsored by MyPetonline, which took place at Earls Court One on 17 and 18 May, was declared a huge success by organisers, with major new attractions taking up double the amount of space at nearly 20,000sqm and a line up of top celebrities creating an enticing draw for over 24,000 visitors over the two days.  

Nicole Cooper, Show Director of London Pet Show at Brand Events said: “We’ve taken the show to another level this year creating the highest quality visitor experience through a number of interactive features, arena performances with leading talent and we are delighted with the result.”

Top of the bill was the new SuperDogs Live, hosted by TV presenter, adventurer and dog lover Ben Fogle and sponsored by Direct Line Pet Insurance, seeking the UK’s most talented, heroic and entertaining dogs, with performances twice daily in the Zoflora Super Theatre.  Kicking off with an abseiling Metropolitan Police Alsatian dog being lowered from the dizzy heights of Earls Court One to the sound track of Mission Impossible, the show included heart warming, heroic and spectacular doggy dancing and trick performances, judged by a celebrity panel including Channel 4 Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick and broadcasters Anna Webb and Joanne Good.

Fans of wildlife TV presenter Steve Backshall enjoyed an awesome display of some of the most dramatic predators on earth in an interactive stage show with the likes of a Reticulated Python, Giant Centipede and Alligator Snapping Turtle, live, up-close and on the big screen.  Fans were also delighted to meet Steve after his performances for a book signing.

Swedish Rabbit Show Jumping cup holders enjoyed leaping to unbelievable heights to rapturous applause and Bob the Cat and owner James Bowen enjoyed meeting their fans during a book signing as did eight-year old Owen Howkins and his dog Haatchi the three-legged Anatolian Shepherd who recently topped the Sunday Times bestseller list with their heart warming tale. 

Visitors to the show were able to meet a menagerie of over 450 pets at the fourth London Pet Show, with lots of experts and talks to learn how to care for them, including BBC Springwatch and Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham advising on the itchy problem of ticks and fleas as summer approaches who attended with London Pet Show headline sponsor, MyPetonline.

Amanda Melvin, publisher of MyPetonline said: “We were proud to be headline sponsors of this year’s London Pet Show just a year after launching MyPetonline. We see the show as a unique event celebrating everything good about the world of pets and look forward to continuing our involvement and to being part of its development at its new home at ExCel London next year.”

Elizabeth Peplow, Editor of MyPetonline, said: “The London Pet Show is going from strength to strength and really stepped up a gear this year with the expanded floor space and even more fun features. The range of attractions and animals represented is breath-taking making it a fantastic event which we love being part of. 

"The London Pet Show audience is, like the MyPetonline team, passionate about pets and our whole team were kept busy over the two days, sharing information and hearing about visitors’ animals, making it a great experience” continued Elizabeth.

The show zones, all as popular as ever included Discover Dogs, sponsored by James Wellbeloved, Discover Cats, sponsored by Royal Canin, Discover Small Furries, sponsored by Burgess Excel and Discover Animals, Aquatics and Reptiles, sponsored by Exo Terra, Fluval and Laguna, each area featuring a raft of different breeds and species, displays and experts to advise visitors on how to care for each kind of pet.

With the closure of Earls Court One at the end of 2014, London Pet Show moves to ExCel London in 2015 taking place on 9^th and 10^th May.  ExCel London situated in the East of London runs over 300 events a year and welcomed over 3.6 million visitors through their doors in 2013.

Building on the success of London Pet Show, in the autumn of 2014 Brand Events launched the National Pet Show, also sponsored by MyPetonline, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 20 and 21 September.  The National Pet Show will be a replica of the London event including SuperDogs Live, once again sponsored by Direct Line Pet Insurance and hosted by Ben Fogle.

Nicole Cooper concludes: “We are looking forward to bringing our successful format to Birmingham this Autumn and are working hard to put on a fantastic event for visitors to enjoy and exhibitors to do great sales.  Having organised many award winning events at ExCel London over the years we are also excited at London Pet Show’s move there next year and expect a large percentage of our loyal pet loving visitors to attend with the venue’s excellent transport links.”

Catherine, a visitor from Newbury, told the organisers about her visit to the London Pet Show: “Had a great day!  Third time we have come to this event which just gets better and better.  Hoping to go to the NEC in September.”

www.londonpetshow.co.uk

Afternoon tea and cocktails rock at Hilton Brighton Metropole

City leaders enjoyed tasters and cocktails overlooking the sea at the launch of the spring food and cocktail menu in the freshly decorated Waterhouse Bar & Terrace at the Hilton Brighton Metropole recently. 

New executive chef, Peter Buckingham, has joined forces with Waterhouse bar manager Nick Heasman to create 'perfect pairings', bringing together some of the most delicious new 'grazing plates' and sumptuous layered afternoon tea menus with taste tingling cocktails that bring out the best of the local flavours.

Said Howard Lewis, General Manager, Hilton Brighton Metropole: “We have a superb new team and we aim to offer tea by the sea in style, with an exciting menu and beautiful surroundings, including new heaters and parasols to enjoy our unique sea view terrace.

“The Waterhouse Bar & Terrace offers just the place for business people, ladies who lunch and families to enjoy the most fashionable afternoon meal, sliding gently into cocktail hour and watching the sun go down on Brighton’s seafront.”

The new menu brings some of the best local ingredients to the table, including Hailsham lamb from Ashdown Farm in East Sussex, mackerel caught off the Hove coast, and even Brighton Rock crushed to enhance a spectacular and unique crunchy cheese cake.

Cocktails combine classics with specially-created drinks carefully matched with the food, offering flavours that cut through with a tart but delightful white wine and pineapple Brighton Rocks cocktail, the Sussex Mule providing a limey alter-ego for the local lamb gourmet burger and local gin based Blackdown Bramble setting off the mackerel and capers to perfection.

The new ‘Tea by the Sea Seaside Delights’ menu offers a fun twist on the Brighton seaside location, with a range of sumptuous cakes to choose from, along with quirky candy floss cupcakes, baby toffee apples and small jam doughnuts, all hand made in the hotel’s own kitchens. The sandwich selection also includes the best of Sussex ingredients, with Shoreham crab, cheese made in local dairies and delicious local ham.

To wash it down, guests can choose from a wide selection of teas and coffees or enjoy the new ‘Champagne Tea by the Sea’ cocktail, blending bubbles with Earl Grey infused Sussex Gin, or ‘Hedgerow Fizz’, combining a light sparkling white wine with locally sourced elderflower cordial with a frozen fruit garnish.

Children are also well catered for with the ‘Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea’ offering a three tier loaded stand of their very own, with ham, marmite and jam sandwiches and strawberry jam tarts topped with candy floss, mini Brighton rock and vanilla or milk froth whisked up at the bar.

Hilton Brighton Metropole is donating £1 for every afternoon tea sold to local charities Chestnut Tree House, Rockinghorse and Whitehawk Inn.

Howard Lewis and his team aim to make the Waterhouse Bar & Terrace, which is open daily, a destination which offers the very best in hospitality and style.

www.hilton.com/brightonmet.