Guildhall Evening Banquet in Honour of the South African President

I was very privileged to attend a Banquet in honour of His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa , President of the Republic of South Africa.

Hosted at the Guildhall by The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir Nicholas Lyons . The evening reception and banquet celebrated the historic ties between the #UK and #SouthAfrica as part of The President's State Visit to the UK and is the first to be hosted by His Majesty King Charles III.

This was an evening of many firsts. It was the first State reception at the Guildhall in 5 years and my first "white tie" event.?Everyone looked very smart in their full evening wear, complete with black tail coats. The ladies were stunning in their floor-length evening dresses.?

The pomp and ceremony, the ceremonial trumpeters, and the Master of Ceremonies made for a wonderful experience fantastically complemented with a duck starter, a middle course of rainbow trout and for mains, succulent, pink lamb chops.?How that is managed for a crowd of over 550 guests is remarkable! Spier Wine Estate Retail Wine Center and Nederburg Wines were among the #SouthAfricanWines enjoyed.

It was great to see so many familiar faces and spend the evening in great company.

The orchestra delivered an amazing rendition of our beautiful national anthem, the noise of networking filled the air and the majestic Proteas, the South African National Flower, adorned our tables and reached high above the guests in magnificent vases.

The audience included many South African business leaders, past Lord Mayors and many others with links to our beautiful country

Protea Flower - Symbolises transformation, diversity, courage and hope.

This was a night of entertainment at its best. The subtle symbolism of the Protea flowers didn't go unnoticed and echoed the evening's theme of transformation, diversity and hope for a long-term, fruitful partnership between the UK and South Africa.