– EVENT INVITATION –
I may have mentioned this before on my blog, but last Christmas I ran the social media accounts for a innovative project called Bobblehat. It was a live advent calendar in the heart of Wimbledon that include 24 individual events that ranged from visiting Santa’s Grotto in a prison cell to two opera singers performing, down the aisles in a supermarket. It was so much fun to be a part of and it was recently recognised and nominated at the Time & Leisure’s Food & Culture Awards.
Having previously been to a Time & Leisure event, it was great to meet up with some familiar faces from the magazine, including the editors for the various areas that it covers.
Will, a good friend from university was the brains behind this project alongside his friend Matt. Sam, my partner helped out too along with a little PR work from another friend of Will’s. As a small team, we were going up against some big dogs within the industry, amongst many that had been around for a number of years. It was amazing just to be nominated but I also got to go to the event to cover it on my blog.
We arrived at Hurlingham Club, pretty much on the dot at 12pm as we were VIPs and therefore able to take advantage of the tasting sessions within the venue. Hurlingham Club was an impressive sight to say the least. Super swanky with freshly cut lawns and tennis courts as far as the eye could see. It was a perfectly picturesque setting and upon further inspection, membership for the club is not only closed, but it’s waiting list is also full, pending review. #notsurprised
Picking up our name badges and a glass of fizz (the OJ option was there but it was my day off so…), we entered the main hall. The room was stunning with Time & Leisure’s magazines displayed with pride on every table. The glass ceiling was a sight to behold and let in all of the natural light and the last of the Summer sunshine.
We made our way into another area of the room where the tasting sessions were being held. I expected a lot more brands and companies but I suppose they were limited on space. However, those that were there were all too gracious handing out samples of wine, cheese and other delicacies. We missed out on the prosecco cart which we only saw after the awards ceremony and not surprisingly, it was drunk dry.
After stuffing ourselves with food and drink, as one should do at a Food & Culture Awards show, we took our seats for the ceremony to begin. By this point, both myself and Will were feeling the nerves. I had high hopes that Bobblehat would win but just to be nominated for me, was enough. The presenter told us that each category had commended and highly commended titles too. Those who won those titles, got a framed certificate.
After a few awards, it came to ours. We held our breath as we heard the commended named – and we were one of them! Yes we may not have won, but to be commended was incredible seeing as though there were 10 in our category. Will was happy, I was happy and we got ourselves a picture in front of the press board for the memories.
Having the opportunity to work on Bobblehat was something that I will forever be thankful to Will for. He enabled me to do something that I love on a professional level and it was a great feeling when so many people over the 24 days, came along to experience a little festive magic.
I hope that this isn’t the end of Bobblehat and that Will decides to take it on again or something similar because I’d definitely be on board.
I’d also like to thank Time & Leisure for inviting me not only as a nominee but as a blogger to review the event. We had so much fun, were looked after by the array of tasting stalls, aswell as music from Camilla Mathias and flamenco dancing by Lourdes Fernandez.
Check out Time & Leisure‘s website to explore more of what South West London and Surrey have to offer. Have you heard of Time & Leisure before? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – I was partly invited to this event as a blogger in return for providing social media coverage. All words are my own.
