The problem with a lot of networking events is that they make the guests do all the work. They’re the ones expected to engage and keep the energy up. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Last night, I hosted a blind wine challenge for 70-80 people on a rooftop in London. One tasting table. Six places. The format was simple: guests had to rank wines from least expensive to most expensive, tasting blind. We had Jam Shed vs Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2010, and Casillero

Most networking events don’t fail because people don’t attend. They fail because nothing in the room makes it easy for people to connect. That was the focus behind this client networking event hosted with Rostrum at Stem + Stem for 40 guests. The evening brought together a mix of existing clients, new relationships, and people who had only briefly met before. Rather than a formal presentation or structured agenda, the event was designed to encourage natural conversatio

There is something particularly special about working with returning clients. Last year, I had the pleasure of creating a rooftop Wine Safari for Bank of New York. This year, we took things in a different direction with something more intimate: a team wine tasting designed to bring together colleagues from across the world after a busy day in the office. With 25 guests joining from different countries and backgrounds, this wasn’t simply about drinking wine. It was about

What Makes a Good Networking Event? Lessons from a Taylor Wessing Wine Series Most client events are pleasant. Very few are memorable. The problem isn't effort or budget — it's that the same familiar formats rarely give guests a reason to properly engage with each other, or with the firm hosting them. People arrive, exchange pleasantries, drink something perfectly nice, and leave without having had a single conversation they'll remember on Monday morning. One of the most

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a daytime Women in Property networking event at Stem + Stem with guests from Cynergy Bank — and honestly, the daytime format felt like such a refreshing change. From 2:30pm to 5pm, the space was filled with conversation, laughter, and the kind of energy that only happens when a room full of ambitious, engaged women come together in the right environment. With 45 guests attending, the afternoon quickly became far more than a standard ne

When it comes to corporate events, the wine isn’t the point. It’s what happens around it. At Elizabeth & Wine, I design corporate wine tastings that make people feel comfortable, engaged, and able to connect quickly — whether that’s clients meeting for the first time or teams coming together after a long day of meetings. These are not technical tastings. They’re structured, well-paced experiences that work in real corporate environments. A recent event with Hogan Lovell

What does a Wine Safari in a London office look like? Well, a bit like this. Six wines. Three live vocalists. 150 people moving around the room. No seating plan. No “stand here and listen”. Just people exploring, tasting, and figuring it out as they went. Last month we got to work with monday.com for their International Women’s Day event… We built three stations, each with its own energy. Bright, expressive whites with Clara Pople’s looping, layered sounds. Deepe

Why did the Freshfields International Women’s Day event work so well? I’ve been thinking about this since hosting it last month, because on paper it could have gone the other way. A corporate setting.A seated tasting.Guests arriving not quite sure what to expect. That combination can easily feel formal or a bit intimidating. So the focus from the start was on shifting the tone. Welcoming people in with something cold and sparkling straight away (a Grand Cru Champa

We hosted a special tasting last month to celebrate Ropes & Gray LLP marking 15 years in London, and it reminded me why I love building events around a story. They were originally founded in Boston, and this year they opened new offices in Paris and Milan. So instead of choosing “nice wines,” we built the tasting around their journey: - An English sparkling to honour London - A French 2010 vintage to nod to Paris - An Italian 2010 vintage for Milan 2010 is, of cour

This was a series of smaller, more considered tastings — built around a clear story. Taylor Wessing were celebrating 15 years in London, alongside the opening of two new offices in Paris and Milan. So the wines needed to do more than just taste good. They needed to connect the dots. An English sparkling to represent London. A French wine. An Italian wine. And a 15-year-old bottle to mark the milestone.

Last week, I spent a wonderful but wet afternoon at @RidgeViewWineUK. Just 23 minutes on the train from London Bridge