photo galleries
Click on the thumbnail to view the full-size image:

Fifteen: 19th May 2008 Schmooze & Booze strayed a little bit further North than usual for our 15th event, which was held at Clerkenwell House on Hatton Wall. The venue was undeniably fancy, having just emerged from a refurbishment, and the cocktail list was exemplary. Our special guest this time was Mario from www.someoneoncetoldme.com
Fourteen: 15th April 2008 There's something about The Apostle - maybe it's the fishbowl-sized wine glasses - that always makes Schmoozes there that extra bit fun. Perhaps it's just as well our first-choice venue, Jamies in Bishopsgate, flaked out on us. The pub was packed out, with only a few brave (or antisocial) types daring to seek out the chairs round the corner. For everyone else, the allure of the bar was too strong. Such was the camaraderie on show that the "Survivor's Photo" for some reason turned into the "Pirates Photo". "Say ARRRRRRR!" commanded our resident photographer Nick. Several dozen reporters and PRs happily complied.
Thirteen: 10th March 2008 Ah, the terrible storm that never was. Schmooze and Booze 13, on March 10, was blighted by predictions of torrential rain, which kept away many regulars from the outskirts of London. There was also a slight issue with the name - many assumed that the 13 stood for the date. Hopefully, no one turned up at Fleet Place three days late, though. Anyway, those who did make it were treated to a corker of a venue from the team who brought us S&B favourite The Apostle. The beginning of our collaboration with Press Gazette was celebrated with big banners and free copies of the magazine, and hopefully there will be more goodies to come...
Twelve: 7th February 2008 The twelfth Schmooze and Booze might well be referred to in future as the 'Dirty Dozen', as it was enlivened by the sound of jaws dropping at some of the racier exhibits on display at Amora, the 'London Academy of Sex and Relationships'. The West End venue meant entry was a little more regimented than usual, so apologies to anyone who had to queue to get in. Luckily, once inside, guests were treated to free cocktails and shooters courtesy of Inspirit, plus dozens of Schmoozers walked away with free three-month trial memberships to the dating website of event sponsors Stag and Dove. Although we hope that most people enjoyed the change of pace involved in a bustling Soho venue, traditionalists can be reassured that next month's event will be more low-key and informal. If you're featured in any of the photos below, please email Helen with your name at the usual address (this will help correct captioning when the photos go in Press Gazette).
Eleven: 26nd November 2007 Perhaps it was pre-festive spirit, or perhaps it was the relatively cheap bar prices at the Apostle, but this was definitely one of our more buzzing events. With the help of our sponsors, journalism.co.uk, Schmooze and Booze Strikes Back attracted around 250 of the capital's most sociable media workers for a night on Ludgate Hill. The first things that greeted them were journalism.co.uk's massive banners, and guests also helped themselves to the complimentary sticky notes on offer. (See the pictures for some wilful misuse of them!) There was a great mix of people, from national newspaper journalists to fashion PRs, undercover documentary makers to finance writers, and almost every other media sector in between.
Ten: 22nd October 2007 Schmooze and Booze Goes West: There was no denying that winter had arrived when we turned up at Apartment 195 on October 22. It was pouring with rain, but inside the King's Road bar everything was cosy and welcoming, and there were even several portraits of Her Majesty watching over the assembled media types. The cosy vibe was helped by the fact that the numbers were deliberately restricted to 130, giving everyone a good chance to mingle. All in all, our first trip 'out West' was a roaring success, although next month should see us returning to the City. [ | ]
Nine: 20th August 2007 The first rule of being photographed should be: don't let the snapper catch you near a chocolate fountain. This is something that I (and many other guests at Schmooze and Booze's big birthday bash on August 20, 2007) now recognise. Still, open-mouthed chocolate-smeared photos are a small price to pay for having enjoyed - dare I say it? - the best Schmooze and Booze so far. It was our biggest event yet, with 330 guests turning up at The Livery, near St Paul's, for a heady mix of Bompas & Parr's organic fruit jellies, food&drink towers' chocolate fountain, and a round of Networking Bingo sponsored by Gorkana.com. Happy birthday, Schmooze & Booze! [ | ]
Eight: 16th July 2007 Even the best laid plans.... There was a minor hiccough early on at S&B8 when we realised the promised bouncer wasn't turning up. Luckily, Julien was wearing a dark suit and white shirt and was more than happy to stand next to the door looking menacing (he even had one iPod headphone in, for extra authenticity). Happily, there wasn't too much of a crush in the entrance hall as hacks, flacks and hangers-on queued up for their Gorkana-sponsored name badges and free Frangelico Schmoozers, courtesy of the lovely Jo at Inspirit. [ | ]
Seven: 4th June 2007 What's the opposite of a rain dance? Whatever it is, Helen wishes she knew how to do it because there was an anxious period when it looked like the Big Summer Party was going to be ruined by rain. Thankfully, the sun came out and the outdoor area of The Garden pub in Islington – and its barbecue – came into its own. The crowd were our usual mixture of hacks, flacks and hangers-on, and as the patio heaters were fired up, contacts were made and gossip exchanged. The barbecue also went down a storm - in fact, perhaps it was slightly too popular, leading one disgruntled guest to remark, 'What is this, queues and booze?' Still, never say we don't listen to feedback, because this time round the drinks were cheaper and the music quieter. One lucky attendee even achieved the ultimate prize of being photographed with not one, but two Helen Lewises. [ | ]
Six: 27th April 2007 On Friday, April 27, a new chapter in Schmooze and Booze's history began with the first ever News and Booze. This journalists-only event at the Frontline Club in Paddington attracted around 100 hacks from all sectors, who lived up to the classic image of the breed by arriving late and immediately getting stuck into the red wine. Most attendees agreed there was a more focused atmosphere than previous Schmoozes, and the experiment was generally judged to be a success. Helen had forgotten the Haribo, but one of our two resident photographers, Nick Scott, saved the day with a run to the cornershop. By the way, comments have now been enabled, so feel free to share your thoughts on the venue, the atmosphere, the drink prices, and how terrifyingly unphotogenic Helen is. [ | ]
Five: 13th March 2007 What can we say? A great venue in the heart of the City, another awesome sponsor in the shape of Gorkana.com, 250 lovely people, plenty of drinks and even somewhere comfy to sit. What more could you ask for on a Tuesday night? We listened to the feedback from the last event - generally along the lines of 'it was nice to have a dance but the venue was too clubby' and came up with The Apostle on Ludgate Hill. (And it was so nice, we might even go back.) Then Helen made a horrible error by forgetting the Haribo - but luckily it didn't matter as there were tapas platters and unfeasibly large wine glasses. [ ]
Four: 10th January 2007 More than 150 people cast aside the post-Christmas blues to party with us at The Soho Lounge for S&B4. There were journalists from the BBC, MTV, Daily Mail, Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Mirror, Evening Standard, The London Paper, Financial Times, Telegraph, First Magazine, Diplo, Emap and Conde Nast plus freelancers from sectors as diverse as food and fashion. They mingled with representatives of top PR agencies such as Good Relations, Munro Forster, Phipps and Lewis, and a host of film-makers, writers and budding politicians. Some things remained reassuringly the same - there was a fishbowl full of children's sweets on the bar - but we abandoned the humiliatingly amateur name labels in favour of swanky badges provided by our sponsors at www.imageloft.co.uk, the Image Library for journalists. (If you're interested in finding out more about their online image library - which groups together high res images in Interiors, Fashion, Food & Drink and Health & Beauty for journalists to download for their articles - just click the link to their website.) Image Loft also provided us with some fantastic prizes: a meal for two at a Conran restaurant was won by Peter Cardwell of the BBC, and bottles of champagne went to freelance journalist Shanna Schreuder and Sophie Glover from Premier PR. Congratulations! We hope to see you at the next event in March, but in the meantime we're always interested in feedback, so if you attended and have an opinion on the event or the venue, just email... [ ]
Three: 21st November 2006 Bigger and better than before, Schmooze & Booze Three was held on a rainy Tuesday in November downstairs at the Southwark Rooms. More than a hundred Bright Young People turned up, perhaps attracted by the fur-draped walls and comfy sofas - plus the promise, as always, of badges and E number-rich confectionery. The night flew by in a whirl of socialising and sambuca, with attendees from all the usual media suspects, plus a healthy smattering of photographers, designers, budding politicians and film-makers. It was nice to see a few familiar faces from past Schmoozes, plus 50 or so first timers. Extra kudos to those of who stayed until we took the 'Survivors' Photo' at the end of the night. [ ]
Two: 12th October 2006 Schmooze and Booze: Parte The Seconde took place on Thursday, October 12 at the Angelic pub in Islington. It was bigger and better than the first, but still featured the same humiliatingly amateur name badges and gaudy confectionery. After advertising on Gorkana, our mailing and guest lists expanded and diversified. Journalists from a range of newspapers, magazines and TV stations attended, as well as assorted PRs, publishers, scriptwriters, designers and politicos. [ ]
One: August 2006 The first Schmooze and Booze was held on Wednesday, August 23rd at the Commercial Tavern in the East End. Forty or so young hacks, politicos, meeja types and assorted hangers-on drank, chatted and ate brightly coloured children's sweets... [ ]

Design by Matthew Hasteley :: The photo used in the logo is courtesy of Nick Scott

Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com