GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND DOGS DINNER GALA EVENT
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association were planning to host a Gala Dinner Event to celebrate the opening of the new Guide Dogs Breeding Centre in Tachbrook, Leamington Spa and to invite high level sponsors along to preview the new state of the art facilities and pledge support for the new building and upcoming projects. We were working with the Corporate Partnerships Team based just outside London, as well as the facilities team at the new breeding centre.
The client wanted to create a real wow factor in the room, creating a suitably formal and professional atmosphere, but within a relaxed and comfortable environment conducive to socialising, networking and most importantly, donating! We were also on a tight budget – the charity needed to ensure every penny allocated to the event was well spent and added real value. We worked with the client’s ideas and came up with a scheme incorporating striking black and white with an accent of the Guide Dog corporate colour, teal blue.
The difficulty was the structure of the building: the event was to be held in an unfinished room which was effectively still a building site: its ultimate use is yet to be determined. There was only a concrete screed floor, no ceiling – just service cables and gangways, and no electricity supply. We needed to supply everything from the floor, ceiling, lighting, furniture and decoration. With the help of The Perfect Marquee Company, we created the feeling of an internal marquee by using drapes and voiles: this created its own difficulties as we were not able to attach any fixings to the walls or ceiling!
Using just three colours throughout, we had created a striking and dramatic venue. The low level lighting was enhanced by fairy lights hung across the ceiling drapes, intertwined with black organza. Being an event for Guide Dogs, we were keen to emphasise the importance of the five senses: so we focused on textures and finishes that appealed to hearing, touch, taste and smell. We were really pleased with the results and thoroughly enjoyed the event which Guide Dogs kindly invited us to as a thank you!
The client was completely blown away by the 24 hour transformation. The testimonial speaks for itself: ‘I knew from very early on at our first meeting that Dovetail Design would be perfect for the project and I had every confidence in the ideas and suggestions for our high level corporate event. On the night of the event, I saw the venue and it was better than perfect – more stunning than what I had ever imagined. Both Kyla and Helen were fantastic to work with, they took care of every single detail and I will definitely be working on similar projects with them next year, and in future. I have absolutely no complaints.’
Lisa O’Neill
National Corporate Account Executive
Corporate Partnerships Team
Dovetail Design is a full-service interior and exterior design consultancy based in Warwickshire, the West Midlands and London. Dovetail has an established reputation for creating and delivering stunning and innovative interior designs and garden designs, coupled with outstanding customer service. Specialising in marquee events, Dovetail also creates bespoke and inspiring designs which reflect the mood or theme of your wedding or special occasion perfectly.