Event joined the team at the London wine-tasting attraction and venue on a hectic day, with a product launch, dinner and several private tours due to take place.
10:45 Wandering into the venue's Bar Blue I am greeted by Dowaine Griffiths, senior events manager, who gives me a full rundown of the day's activities. We go upstairs to the head office, situated directly beneath the rattling Victorian railway arches of London Bridge, and Dowaine shows me where the three-strong events team sits.
11:00 The venue is a hive of activity as it prepares to host a product launch for a technology brand - all kept hush hush until the big reveal - taking place in numerous event spaces for up to 200 guests. Also, a dinner will be hosted in the Gallery for another client, as well as two private wine tours. Dowaine, who came to the venue three years ago from Live Nation, takes me to the boardroom where three guys from Firebird Events are constructing a set for the evening's tech launch. The space, which can seat 70 people, contains flight cases, wooden panelling and equipment ready to be set up.
11:20 After some friendly banter with the Firebird Events team, Dowaine says Vinopolis has built a good rapport with its suppliers, including Metro Broadcast and Vinum Caterers. He adds that the venue's general assistants (GAs), including two full-time members I meet - Alex and Oscar - are crucial to keeping the interior spick and span during times of event installations.
In total, fifteen GAs work at the venue.
11:45 Dowaine tells me that the set-up for the launch in the Grand Hall began at 6am. The biggest challenge for the event, he says, has been the need for extra internet connection points, which the venue has co-ordinated. Technicians, standing on three-metre-high scaffolding, are busy attaching wires to the brick walls, and Jack, an in-house tech guru, is sat on the floor surrounded by cables and pliers galore.
12:05 Steve Catling from Avenue Events discusses the set-up with Dowaine, ahead of a meeting at 1.30pm before the final run-through this afternoon. Avenue and Vinopolis have been working on the event since last November. Steve explains that the de-rig tomorrow will take about five hours.
12:35 The venue is also preparing for the 80-guest dinner in the Gallery, a contemporary blank canvas space, which is the next event space on our tour. As we step inside the room the light changes from a soft blue hue to stark white light, as another technical expert, Jo, trials a series of lighting effects for the evening's festivities.
12:55 Vinopolis is home to a number of bars and restaurants, including Wine Wharf, Brew Wharf and Cantina Restaurant. Outside, as we approach Del Mercato, an Italian piazza, I can't help but notice an abundance of vibrantly coloured umbrellas suspended above our heads. This decor has remained since Procter & Gamble took over the venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Dowaine hasn't ruled out other clients using this quirkily dressed space.
13:05 As my time wraps up with Dowaine, we bump into Vinopolis wine experts Melanie Reeves and Chris Penwarden. They organise 50-60 mini events here each year, as well as teaching qualifications in wine tasting. I then say goodbye to Dowaine, who, with a busy afternoon ahead, disappears off on a quick coffee run to keep everyone going.