Event exclusively reported in January that Vinopolis, the south London wine-based visitor attraction and venue, is to close on 31 December. Almost 200 members of staff will lose their jobs as part of the shutdown, while the space, which also includes a restaurant, is to be converted into large retail premises.
Events in 2015 carried on as normal, and Vinopolis is currently hosting a range of festive packages based in a ‘Scandinavian wonderland’ as part of its ‘Final ever Christmas’ campaign.
Bristolians in particular were intrigued by our story in March on Beagle Street’s unique PR stunt. The online life insurance provider distributed hundreds of £10 notes folded into origami dogs around the city, one week after doing the same in London.
The campaign, which was led by Beagle Street's in-house team and PR agency The Academy, was devised to highlight that the average person overpays on their life insurance premium by £109 a year.
This was the year Carlsberg embraced experiential, kicking off a series of surprising stunts with a drinkable billboard in London’s Shoreditch in April. Passers-by could head to the interactive poster to pour themselves a half pint of lager for one day only.
Immediately following the campaign, Carlsberg’s senior brand manager, Dharmesh Rana, told Event: "Initial results show that we reached more than 60 million consumers globally via earned PR and more than three million social impressions of the #ProbablytheBest throughout the day. Full evaluation is still to be completed however, based on media coverage alone, ROI was eight times what it cost to develop."
April also saw a giant inflatable version of the Sydney Harbour bridge land on the South Bank - part of breakfast drink Up & Go’s launch onto the UK market. The discernibly Australian activation housed an obstacle course that included hurdles, tunnels, a trampoline bridge and ball pit.
The bouncy installation made its way around a series of university campuses throughout the spring. It also operated as a digital hub complete with chilled Up & Go beverages, beanbags and published race times.
As fantasy fans got excited for the release of Game of Thrones - series four, on Blu-ray and DVD, its creator HBO announced the inception of an experiential dining experience based around the TV show, dubbed All Men Must Dine.
Put together by pop-up specialist The Wandering Chef and hosted at the Andaz Hotel on London’s Liverpool Street, the February event served guests a 13-course banquet comprising poached veal tongue with beetroot, horseradish and oldtown mustard; honey and lemon-glazed quail stuffed with almonds, apricots and sultanas; and flaming suckling pig stuffed with black pudding, apple, rye bread and sage.
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