Event: Science Museum Group Director’s Dinner
Date: Wednesday 8 May 2019
Venue: Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery and Illuminate
Number of guests: 375
In-house partners: Moving Venue and White Light
Why did you choose the Science Museum?
The Director’s Annual Dinner is a major event in the Science Museum calendar which allows us to communicate the Science Museum Group’s key messages to our stakeholders and funders. The event is now in its eighth year, and, up until this year has been held in one of our Science Museum galleries.
This year the Director’s Annual Dinner was held in our brand-new event space Illuminate, which is situated on Levels 4 and 5 of the Science Museum. Many of the attendees host their own events so it was a great opportunity to show-case the space.
Please describe the brief of the event, when did it take place? Who was the event for? How many people? Core goals and objectives
On 8 May 2019, The Director’s Dinner welcomed 375 international VIP guests including stakeholders and funders of the group. The evening began with a cocktail and canapé reception in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery followed by a seated dinner in Illuminate.
Key-note speeches were delivered by Professor Fabiola Gianotti, Director General of CERN and Sir Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group. Both explored the importance of scientific curiosity, highlighting the successes of the last year and providing a glimpse into the Science Museum’s upcoming plans.
Which spaces at the museum did you use as part of the event and how did they enhance the experience for your guests?
In order to ignite the guest’s curiosity and bring them closer to the inspirational work of the Science Museum, in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery a team of Science Museum Explainers conducted live science experiments during the cocktail and canapé reception. In Illuminate, the floor-to-ceiling window offered breath-taking views over London, which acted as a beautiful backdrop for the dinner service and a real talking point amongst guests throughout the evening.
What happened throughout the event?
18:45 Guests arrive for a cocktail and canape reception in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery
19:45 First call, guests make their way up to Illuminate for dinner
20.00 Dinner Service begins following keynote speeches
Did you opt for any bespoke catering or AV during the event?
Catering was provided by Illuminate’s in-house catering partner Moving Venue. The three-course meal was both seasonal and sustainable with a vegan starter and an ethically caught fish main course. The dessert, Guinness sponge, caramel pollen, white chocolate and cherry, was a favourite amongst guests and its colouration emphasised the monochromic style of the venue. White Light, Illuminate’s in-house AV partner provided uplighters to enhance the interactive exhibits in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery and a full integrated lighting solution in Illuminate’s installed system for the keynote speeches throughout the evening.
What feedback did you receive from the guests?
Many guests commented that it was great to see another side of the Science Museum and were impressed with the overall look and feel of Illuminate. In particular, there was feedback about the incredible views over London from Level 5 which is a major unique feature of the new venue.
‘The Science Museum’s new dedicated events space Illuminate acted as a fantastic setting for the Director’s Annual Dinner. The impressive views over London, and the look and feel of the space added to the overall success of the event. Both Moving Venue catering and White Light production were extremely flexible with the event requirements and worked simultaneously to create a great event experience for our guests.’ Sir Ian Blatchford – Director & Chief Executive, Science Museum Group
