Mills & Reeve is part of SCG Legal – a global network of independent law firms in 82 countries, of which Mills & Reeve are the only English member. Every year, SCG Legal organise the Midyear Meeting; a two day conference followed by a finale dinner which is held in a different member’s country. This is a once in a generation opportunity and, for 2018, it was London’s turn. The finale dinner took place at London’s Westminster Abbey and, as an approved supplier to the venue, White Light was approached to provide the technical support.

The event was organised by Mills & Reeve’s Business Development Advisor Christine Joyce, who comments: “The purpose of the dinner is to celebrate the close of the yearly Midyear Meeting. There were 160 important guests attending the banquet and we wanted to impress these by incorporating a traditional ‘English style’. A couple of years ago, the final banquet was held in the Vatican in Rome with private tours of the Sistine Chapel. We wanted Westminster Abbey to be just as, if not more, special”.

For Christine and the Mills & Reeve team, Westminster Abbey was their first choice location when hosting in the capital. She comments: “We didn’t actually know you could hold a corporate event at Westminster Abbey until we enquired. When we discovered the venue was available, we jumped at the chance – the history and instant recognition of a place such as this is something that was too good to miss. Knowing WL’s reputation for supplying events in some of London’s most historic venues, we immediately approached them to supply the dinner. We spent months planning and coordinating the event with WL’s Project Managers Emily Woolnough and Phil Gladman, fully confident that we had picked the best experts and professionals to work with”.

Phil comments: “Our role was to supply audio and lighting support across the evening to ensure the guests had the most engaging experience possible. Our on-site crew were also there to support the entire eventand assist Christine and her team with any queries they had”.

The invited guests arrived in the Chapter House for a drinks reception. They then went into the Abbey itself for a tour, during which time WL had to transform the Cloister space for the main dinner and alter the lighting spec of the room. WL also had to create panelling in order to discretely hide away the catering and AV crew who were manning the event.

Phil comments: “With an event like this, it’s what you don’t see that’s just as important as what’s on show. The brief was to celebrate the magnificent surroundings of Westminster Abbey and ensure that these were the main focus – something which we did. We also supplied the PA system for the after dinner speeches”.

Christine comments: “We were absolutely delighted with the success of this year’s finale dinner – something which WL were integral in helping to deliver. Their delivery of the project was seamless and played a major part in what was an exquisite finale. My sincere thanks goes to Emily, Phil and the entire team”.