Exhibitor Spotlight: Searcys at the Gherkin

Partner of The Meetings Show’s Tomorrow’s Talent initiative, Searcys at The Gherkin is one of London’s premier event venues, enjoying arguable the best views anywhere in the city. Ahead of exhibiting at The Meetings Show, Egla Dedushaj, head of sales, tells us more about the venue’s newest spaces and plans for the rest of the year.

What makes Searcys at The Gherkin a great venue for meetings and events?

Searcys has been operating the top four floors of The Gherkin since 2004. In this time, we have established ourselves as a world-class space for events due to our venue space, our team, and our food and drink.

Searcys at The Gherkin stands out as a great venue due to the incredible views which create an instant ‘wow’ factor for guests, the versatility of the space which allows our clients’ events needs to be met with ease and the sleek, and impressive contemporary design of the interior of the venue.

Our team are highly-trained and enthusiastic individuals who work exceptionally well together to ensure that every event we hold exceeds the clients’ expectations. The third key area in which we shine is through our catering offering. Our chefs, led by our head chef Shawn Rowlands, have created menus which offer seasonal British fare reimagined with a modern twist. Delivered with care and attention, never slipping in quality, our food makes our events show stopping.

Can you tell us about the different event spaces you have to offer?

In 2018, Searcys at The Gherkin’s private dining rooms underwent an extensive redesign. The five rooms are aptly named after clouds: Alto, Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulus and Nimbus and offer spectacular views of the capital. Designed with flexibility in mind, the rooms provide a space for small, targeted conferences for 18 delegates or larger parties of up to 60 guests. Able to adapt to suit the size and style of any event, the interconnecting rooms are as practical as they are eye-catching.

Facing west, Level 39 captures arguably London’s most beautiful sunsets to the right of Tower 42 in summer. The orange sky illuminates the city, creating a magical, romantic atmosphere for weddings and private events. Once the sun sets guests can enjoy London’s nightlights luminating the city – a truly spectacular sight.

Once guests climb up the sleek granite staircase, Level 40 opens up to offer not only a breath-taking 360-degree view, but a glass overhead dome. The dome is the only curved glass in The Gherkin with an uninterrupted view. The skyline transformation from day-to-night is certainly a majestic moment.

Level 39 and 40 can be hired exclusively and are ideal for celebratory events for up to 260 guests.

Are there any exciting new developments you can share with us?

This summer we’re launching The Glasshouse at The Gherkin. Created in partnership with Perrier-Jouët Champagne, the space will be transformed into a luscious botanical glasshouse for our much-anticipated summer pop up from 15 July until 1 September.

Bringing nature to life in the heart of the city, the entire Iris bar on Level 40 will become an oasis of ivy and greenery, the perfect summer bar in which to watch the sun set over the Thames. Guests can hire out the entire floor for exclusive summer events for up to 260 people or book the Table of Tastes private dining experience at Level 38. The Glasshouse pop up is an ideal setting for meetings, corporate entertainment and summer parties.

The Table of Tastes is a pocket version of The Glasshouse, located in one of The Gherkin’s private dining rooms. The Table of Tastes by Perrier-Jouët is a unique installation featured in the centre of the room showcasing an array of bright, tropical flowers, leaves and botanicals inspired by the tasting notes of different Perrier-Jouët cuveés.

Do you have any top tips for other places to visit or things to do in the local area?

The City of London has many great attractions for people to see and explore. We’re lucky to have Monument, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London right on our doorstep. The Barbican is a fantastic place to visit for performing arts or if you’d prefer to go shopping, then Leadenhall Market and Old Spitalfields Market are only a short walk away from The Gherkin. You can also get the Olympic Park within 30 minutes.

Searcys partnered with The Meetings Show to support the new Tomorrow’s Talent initiative – why do you think it’s important to support and celebrate up and coming talent in the industry?

As a longstanding brand within the hospitality and events industry, our purpose is to promote event management through lifelong learning. We want to encourage and support people to embark on a career path in this exciting industry and the Tomorrow’s Talent initiative will help us to support this. What better way to celebrate and showcase an industry than the employers themselves supporting future leaders. We are pleased to be able to successfully inspire the next generation of event managers – ensuring a bright future for the nation’s event industry.

What are you most looking forward to about The Meetings Show this year?
The Meetings Show is a great way for us to gain wonderful new relationships and spread the word about our venue. Being involved in The Meetings Show will provide us with great opportunities to reach larger and a more diverse range of audiences.