Cocktails in OUR city!

The YOURgb team were thoroughly looking forward to their Thursday night at Cocktails in the City for two reasons; firstly we were invited to try all of Edinburgh’s newest and best cocktails (in the city!), and it was also the opportunity to visit the amazing venue, Mansfield Traquair!

Mansfield Traquair is spectacular! Based in the heart of Edinburgh, with a blend of historic architecture and modern design, it really offers a perfect platform to host a variety of events!  As we walked into the grand space, we were immediately drawn to the painted arched ceiling, simply stunning!  There was an amazing buzz at the event, with great music, and you could really feel the hustle and bustle in the atmosphere of all the eager attendees busying to see what was hot in the Edinburgh cocktail bar scene.

On arrival we were presented with a booklet for the night, detailing all of the bars that were exhibiting, along with two tokens so we could enjoy some of the drinks they had on offer. It was a really fun and welcoming environment, with an array of Edinburgh’s local bar industry to talk to.

Fourteen of Edinburgh’s hottest bars were showcasing their finest cocktails, including Treacle, The Jolly Botanist and Harvey Nichols, as well as intimate and interactive tasting sessions, and talks from industry experts. We were really excited to see what the independent bars had on offer, including quirky giveaways and flaming cocktails! 

A few things we particularly enjoyed were Treacle’s Chambord cocktail, served in mini Chambord bottles, which were yours to keep!  Whistle Stop Barber Shop was also a stand out, tying up with Cheynes salon - Saz was delighted to have her hair done!

Our favourite drink though was, ‘The Dunnet Fling,’ superbly made by the 56 North mixologists, made with Rock Rose Gin, Grand Marnier, Maraschino, Blood Orange and Lemon with a rosemary sprig, it definitely helped us enjoy our night!

 

The look and feel the bars were going for certainly matched the inspired venue, a cool, quirky, cavernous space - a unique and beautiful place, a perfect venue for formal dinners to weddings and quirky evenings like this!

This year, Cocktails in the City was spread over two nights and it really had everything; from an alcoholic ice cream vending machine to having your haircut whilst enjoying an espresso martini – what more could you ask for?!

As a venue we would highly recommend Mansfield Traquair, and as a night out, we only wish Cocktails in the City was on every week!

Adam visits The Scotsman Hotel:

@Scotsman_Hotel

The Scotsman Hotel is one of Edinburgh’s best renowned hotels, a 5star, boutique hotel, situated a stones throw from Waverley station. @YOURgb was kindly met by Viktorija Sergejeva, who held brilliant knowledge in hospitality and hotel management.

Now, the Scotsman Hotel is situated on North Bridge, in the middle of The Royal Mile, beautifully balanced between Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town and the stunning Georgian New Town. This hotel will be celebrating its 15^th Anniversary next year as it took over from the Scotsman newspaper building and opened in 2001. In 2006, Sheikh M.B.I Al Jaber purchased the Scotsman for £63 million and is now part of the JJW Hotels & Resorts group.

The Scotsman Hotel has 8 event spaces, varying from a small boardroom with a capacity for 12 guests, up to a 100-seater conference centre. These spaces have all the technology required for meetings and are the perfect starting point for any large-scale conference – great use for breakout rooms.

However, one of the stands out features for this hotel is the private cinema, with a capacity for 46 people. If you want a ‘wow factor’ for your event then look no further. Outside the cinema there is a brilliant reception space with removable walls so your party are able to enjoy pre/mid/post beverages, all in the comfort of their own exclusive space – and with the inclusion of a private bar, this is the perfect space for a unique event.

The Scotsman Hotel’s second stand out feature is the ‘Aveda Spa’, a fully equipped gym with cardio machines and weights room, as well as a pool, steam room and sauna. This hotel really goes that extra yard when it comes to luxury and will, without a doubt, create a brilliant environment for your guests whether that is personal or business; the Scotsman Hotel has the facilities for all.

Lastly, the food at the Scotsman Hotel is also worthy to shout about at The North Bridge Brassiere – a space you are able to rent out exclusively so that you are able to enjoy 5star food and drink for a very modest total. This stunning restaurant specialises in the finest authentic Scottish cuisine and is the ideal spot to entertain guests.

With a depth of history to it, fantastic facilities and a great location this is a brilliant event space. The bedrooms are extremely spacious and welcoming, the event spaces on offer are suitable to delight all of your possible needs. We felt the Scotsman Hotel was a brilliant venue in Edinburgh and well recommended.

No more horsing around…

@GleneaglesHotel

The new Gleneagles Arena…and YOURgb were invited!

It is always a pleasure to visit Gleneagles whatever the occasion, so when the @YOURgb team were invited for a sneak peak of their new event arena, we jumped in the car and shot straight up to check out the exciting new space.

We were welcomed by the warm and friendly Ashley Thomson, Regional Sales Manager for Gleneagles, who was very passionate about showing us around.  As we were guided from the main entrance, Ashley was building the suspense of the new space whilst highlighting the washrooms and drinks reception areas; all elegantly designed from the old equestrian centre.

We then walked in to the vast, impressive 2,500sqm event space!  If you’re looking for the wow factor, look no further!  Watson Bell, Head of Events, a man of great knowledge and enthusiasm for this new space met us in the arena and proudly talked us through the space along with Ashley – no question unanswered!  This place is equipped for any eventuality and the space is also home to four indoor tennis courts, which had been covered with exhibition carpet to allow us to see the potential for the space (whilst also not to ruin the courts!).  There is retractable stadium seating which remains in the arena which really facilitates diverse event set ups.

This £750,000 development is such a great space that it provides the perfect blank canvas for organisers to create something really ambitious, and suitable for conferences, product launches and team building activities.  Plus the access to the arena is perfect for driving in cars for sponsored events or car launches.  Hanging points – an event manager’s dream – and the arena has them!  They don’t just allow for easy rigging but they really facilitate the aesthetics of an event set up not having to use truss towers around the room.  The ceiling itself in the arena is exquisite with wooden panels and really adds to the overall look of the space – Watson had joked it was built to retract…my face was a picture!

Following our show round, we were then treated to afternoon tea in Deseo, a more than delightful end to an exciting afternoon. Thanks to all the team at Gleneagles for the invitation – @YOURgb can’t wait to hold an event in The Gleneagles Arena soon!

Key features include:

-       Car parking for 500 vehicles

-       650 viewing seats, with capacity for additional seating to be brought in

-       Usable floor space of 2,500 square metres

-       Combined reception and retail area

-       Loading bay access doors

-       63 integrated hanging points tested to 500kg

-       200A power supply with MCCB panel with a variety of sockets

-       Complimentary parking facilities for 500

-       LED house lights and oil-fired heating

It’s the ‘George’ Best

@GeorgeEdinburgh:

Adam Simpson attends a site visit at The George Hotel:

After a brilliant 2014, in which The George Hotel won Edinburgh Events Hotel of the Year & Edinburgh Wedding Hotel of the Year at the 2014 Scottish Hotel Awards it was perfect timing for YOURgb to see what this venue had to offer. Adam was kindly showed around this venue by the Conference and Events Manager, who had astounding knowledge of The George Hotel, showing how well equipped their team is.

Situated at the heart of Edinburgh, on George Street – The George Hotel is the perfect venue for accessibility and setting. We all know what it is like to park in the city, it’s not easy, so having two loading bays directly outside of The George Hotel, perfectly situated for offloading guests – a treat for large parties utilising the hotel. The hotel is also placed within a 5-minute walk of Edinburgh’s Waverly Station for those guests that are coming from slightly further afield.

  

Looking into why the George Hotel won such a prestigious award in 2014 was immediately obvious when shown what they had to offer their guests. There is no shortage of rooms, room size or category as The George Hotel host’s 249 bedrooms with 10 categories of room to choose from. There are 8 beautiful event spaces, all uniquely designed to excel in their own specific type of event – ranging from the grand main room of the Kings Hall which has the capacity for 250 guests to the compact Rose Room – seating 8, with an intimate setting and great AV facilities to support important meetings.

Adam explained that his favourite feature of the hotel was The Panorama room. Situated on the 5^th floor, it can host 18 guests (boardroom style), and has a breath-taking balcony overlooking both the Firth of Forth and Edinburgh Castle. With the capabilities to host a BBQ during Edinburgh’s ‘long lasting, warm summers’, this space definitely provides the ‘wow factor’ we so often look for here @YOURgb. This room was a total surprise to Adam and we feel like it is a real hidden gem.  The room is beautifully designed and flexible to host an important board meeting or an intimate dinner.

@YOURgb looks forward to working with such a stunning space and fantastic venue in the near future.