It’s summer, it must be time for a party – and entertaining at one of the big London summer shows is one way to add fun, conversation starters and a dash of cool to client entertaining or showcasing your brand.
Most popular with corporates is the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the world’s oldest open submission exhibition. The exhibition itself has been sponsored for 18 years by Insight Investment and the firm’s CEO Abdallah Nauphal sees the theme Making Space ‘reflects the importance of remaining open to ideas and being ready to accept new information into existing frameworks, perhaps allowing the creation of something new’,
The Show’s opening night is a highlight of London’s social calendar and the first opportunity to buy the art featured. Last year’s party was sponsored by Burberry which used the occasion to announce the winner of the Thomas Burberry Prize for Print. The party was without a sponsor this year, but the Summer Exhibition remains hugely popular with London’s corporate audiences, with firms such as HSBC, EY, FTI Consulting and Charles Stanley all holding private evenings.
Something about the eclectic and colourful mix of drawing, painting, architecture and sculpture in the beautiful central location; together with the chance to count ‘sold’ spots, guess famous artists and potentially buy something, make it a massive draw, even though it is hard to differentiate between them all.
For one-off glamour, the Serpentine Summer Party which celebrates its annual Goldman Sach’s sponsored Pavilion, is hard to beat. A night in Hyde Park with a strong fashion element and an international VVIP guest list, collaborators and supporters included BMW and a range of drinks brands including Casa Dragones Tequila, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Ruinart and Whispering Angel.
The tradition of parties continues throughout summer at the Pavilion, with corporates hosting their summer gatherings or sponsoring philanthropic summits. Strategic advisory firm Highgate hosted their summer party there, entertaining 200 guests. Earlier this summer, Impetus hosted their annual Impetus Futures Summer party, where they gathered the next generation of private equity leaders for an evening of networking and fundraising.
The V&A summer party coincided with the Naomi in Fashion exhibition, honouring the supermodel’s 40 year career in fashion. The exhibition is sponsored by Hugo Boss; the opening night saw Naomi wearing a custom-made white leather gown designed together with image architect Law Roach, who also attended the event wearing BOSS. A BOSS grey wool ensemble, part of the Fall/Winter 2023 #BeYourOwnBOSS campaign, was also on display.