Elevated events beyond the rooftops

With the sun finally coming out and the summer months stretching out ahead of us, the time to take advantage of the longer days and lighter hours is here. Rooftop venues make for delightful events, they offer a different viewpoint on the city and create great talking points. Escaping from the bustling streets below to ascend and unwind in the fresh air provides a perfect setting for making new connections and creating lasting memories. Usually characterful and always a draw card, we wanted to highlight some of our favourite spots to host a sky-high event.?

Laurel’s on the Roof is a beautiful rooftop bar, situated on the 8th floor of the Mondrian Shoreditch in East London. Inspired by 1970s LA and their fabulous pool parties in the Hollywood Hills, the venue boasts 360-degree of the London skyline, stunning indoor space, and an outdoor balcony. It even has its own swimming pool! Buzzy and beautiful with escapism at its core, this venue will definitely bring a touch of retro glamour to your event.?

Similarly, The Treehouse Hotel is home to a hidden gem of a rooftop bar, The Nest. Available for semi-private spaces or a full buyout, this space invites you to take a perch at the top of the hotel for a more intimate space with stunning surroundings. Boasting an indoor lounge filled to the brim with leafy green foliage and natural materials, surrounded by a cosy outdoor wraparound terrace where guests can enjoy cocktails and bites made from locally-sourced ingredients, this is a playful venue where great memories can be made.

We recently supported a brilliant customer appreciation event up on the rooftop of One Hundred Shoreditch with panoramic views of London. With guests enjoying the chance to be outside, the space was flooded with light for a great discussion with Alastair Campbell.

Another venue we have been loving is Forza Wine - suitable for smaller, intimate groups and boasting a small private meeting space, you can take your boardroom meeting to new heights over the light Italian dishes, with menu created by chef Michael Lavery (formerly of Michelin-starred Italian, The River Café) and a cold glass of one of their many beautiful bottles. Set atop Market Peckham, this space not only provides a more relaxed approach to guest entertainment, it also happens to be 12 steps away from our offices at JD Marketing!

And to finish off, a new one into the mix for us this year, the roof garden at Pantechnicon. Billed as a ‘botanical-filled hideaway’, this special venue is full of light with a gorgeous outdoor terrace for up to 120 guests. Combine the peaceful setting with the Japanese-inspired menu and carefully crafted cocktails from their masterful mixologists, this garden provides a perfect atmosphere to unwind and help your guests feel at home.

These venues are bound to create a great setting, so the next step is thinking through how you can contextualise them to help your brand shine throughout the event, elevating the guest experience to heights even beyond these roofs.?

Think about how you want your guests to feel, what you want them to remember, and use your chosen venue as a springboard to get you there. If you want the event to be remembered for great conversations, maybe think about a guest speaker who can apply your key themes to their story. If it’s brand presence, think about creative ways you can use your branding to enhance the space - beautiful flowers in your colour palettes, cocktails named and themed around the company, or even a curated playlist to set the mood around your key values. And don’t forget the process either side of the ‘moment’ - the guest journey starts when they are invited and doesn’t end until follow up and beyond, so consistency and maintaining the execution throughout all these steps is going to make all the difference.?

Whether you are looking to put on an internal end-of-quarter networking drinks, invite your customers to hear about your latest and greatest, or create new connections with prospects, you can be certain that the best relationships are often built over a cold glass of white with beautiful views. Add a pinch of differentiation, whatever this looks like for your brand, and you will be well on the way to making impactful, lasting experiences for your guests.?

Thinking about hosting a rooftop event? We would love to help bring your brand to life above the clouds! Reach out to us at [email protected] or give us a ring on 020 8297 5388.?