Ambassador's PA's Networking Event
Halkin Hotel, Belgravia, London, May 2006
On a mild May evening in London’s exclusive Belgravia, a very focused group of personal assistants were brought together in style. Ambassador’s and high commissioner’s personal assistants are literally in a world of their own focusing on their country of origin's international affairs. The three hour networking event was the culmination of 3 months of planning, researching, sourcing, convincing and understanding the needs of this group of personal assistants on the phone and face to face meetings at the many embassies and high commissions in London. A venue is always key in attracting any target marke so the perfect venue for such a particular group was The Halkin Hotel, situated in the heart of Belgravia, London.
This five star boutique and intimate yet stylish hotel agreed to host the event and provided mouth watering canapés by their Michelin-starred Thai restaurant- Nahm. Champagne was the obvious choice and Louis Roederer, appreciating the value of this group, offered a consistent flow of bubbly throughout the evening.
Networking events can seem rather daunting especially when one arrives alone, so the ultimate luxurious distraction was to have Jo Malone on board to give guests hand and arm massages throughout the event. This proved to not only be a very relaxing experience but a great talking point if not an ice breaker for many PA's as they began networking.
In order to retain excitement, following a speech by Fusion Promotions who produced the event, a prize draw was announced. In keeping with the luxury feel of the evening, guests could win either a night for two with breakfast at The Halkin or a gift box containing candles, scents and perfumes from Jo Malone. All those who attended also left with a goody bag and were invited for a complimentary lunch at Nahm.
"We are the little worker ants backstage. Therefore the opportunities to meet our peers are rare. So thanks to Fusion Promotions Ltd, whose Events Manager Peter da Silva took this wonderful initiative to organize networking events for PAs, we finally have the chance to exchange views in beautiful surroundings and to meet people we would hardly have an opportunity to meet. It is also very useful to meet Personal Assistants not only from the diplomatic world but also from private firms". (Prize winner- Patricia Jeanneret of the Swiss Embassy in Interview with Executary News, Issue July 2006)
