Interactive Corporate Wine tastings for Teams and Clients | Hogan Lovells: A 100+ Guest Interactive Tasting
- Elizabeth Hawthornthwaite
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
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 Lovells is a good example of how this works in practice.
What makes a corporate wine event actually work
Hosting in an office, especially at scale, can be difficult.
The room can feel formal. Guests don’t always know what to expect. Energy can dip quickly.
My job is to manage that from the moment people walk in.
That means:
giving the event a clear structure
creating an easy way for guests to engage
keeping things flowing without it feceling forced
making sure it still feels polished and appropriate for the setting
The goal is simple: people relax, start talking, and stay longer than they expected to.
Hogan Lovells: a 100+ guest interactive tasting
For Hogan Lovells, we ran one of my go-to formats — a blind tasting designed for large groups.
Three wines. No labels.
Guests taste and guess the price point:
£10
£50
£100
It sounds simple, but it works every time.
It removes pressure, levels the room, and gives everyone something to say — whether they know wine or not.
And importantly, it scales well.
With over 100 guests, you need something that creates natural movement and repeat engagement.
Keeping the room moving
Large events often stall because there’s no focal point.
Here, the tasting station became exactly that.
People came back more than once. They brought colleagues over. They compared answers.
You don’t have to force conversation — it happens on its own.
Adding a touch of theatre (without overdoing it)
We added a simple prize element.
If guests guessed correctly, they picked a card:
Queens won a bottle
Jacks won a private tasting
One guest won a Jeroboam of rosé
It gave the room a lift, but still felt appropriate for a law firm setting.
That balance matters.
Why clients come back
Most of my clients are law firms and professional services businesses.
They’re not looking for something loud or gimmicky.
They want something that:
reflects well on them
works for a mixed group of people
feels organised and considered
runs smoothly without them needing to manage it
That’s where I come in.
Planning something similar
I host corporate wine tastings for 20 to 200+ guests, usually in offices or private spaces, across London and the UK.
If you’re planning:
a client evening
a team event
an office reception
I’ll help you shape something that feels right for your audience and easy to deliver on the day.
Elizabeth Hawthornthwaite x
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