Altitude London

• 2012-06-12

  The Best Views in London

  We spent the Diamond Jubilee weekend toasting Her Majesty from the dizzy heights of the 29th floor at Altitude. The streets of London were decked out in full bunting finery, with crowds celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s sixty year reign with four days of patriotism, pomp and ceremony.

  Our jubilee weekend highlight had to be the spectacular river pageant, for which we secured prime viewing positions, from the tallest riverside building on the Thames. We weren’t the only ones checking out the views from the Millbank Tower, either - much of the footage shown on the BBC’s coverage of the day was shot from our roof!

  Photographer Henry Stuart captured this amazing panoramic photograph of the pageant. The picture shows the moment the royal barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, passed the iconic London Eye as it travelled through the heart of London.

  

  The pageant is believed to be the most spectacular in 350 years, with 1,000 boats taking part in the cruise along the river Thames. Over a million people watched from the riverbanks, despite facing some very British weather conditions!

  

• 2012-05-28

  Altitude Jubilee Packages: As Seen on TV

  Our Jubilee packages featured on ITV’s This Morning today, where they were chosen as a top destination for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

  

  Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield discussed their favourite Jubilee events with Jenni Falconer on the famous This Morning couch. Jenni gave her top tips for Jubilee weekend, choosing Altitude as one of her favourite London destinations for its jaw dropping panoramic views across the river. A short film of Altitude 360° Black was shown, allowing viewers to see our 28^th floor which will host the Street Party in the Sky.

  If you missed the programme click here to watch on ITVPlayer.

  

  The Street Party features entertainment from DJ Izzy Lawrence, with a street party atmosphere high in the sky at the top of Westminster’s Millbank Tower. Guests will also enjoy a celebratory picnic box for two, whilst a cash bar will be available throughout the day so you’ll be able to toast Her Majesty in the appropriate fashion!

  

  Entrance to the Altitude 360° Black Street Party is priced at £50 per person. For more information or to make a booking please visit our website.

  

  Taking full advantage of our prime position, Altitude London will transform five of its Millbank Tower venues into spellbinding viewing platforms for the day. On offer are a range of packages to suit an assortment of tastes and budgets, from day to evening events.

  MILLBANK PAGEANT STREET PARTY
  

  Come and celebrate at the foot of the Millbank Tower - the go to destination to watch this once in a lifetime event.
   

  • Open bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments
  • All day barbeque
  • Pimm’s Stations
  • Crabbies Stations
  • Rock and Roll band
  • Jubilee Merchandise

  THE RIVER ROOM (JUBILEE BRUNCH - 2^ND FLOOR)

  The patriotic brunch is the ideal way to relax on a Sunday morning, with entertainment by the world renowned Regent String Quartet. The quartet trained at the Royal Academy of Music, and will perform a broad range of classical and contemporary pieces throughout the day.

  As you enjoy the music you’ll feast on a mouth-watering menu, the Jubilee brunch is the perfect way to enjoy the sights of the flotilla passing by.

  
  

  

  ALTITUDE 360° (THE JUBILEE ULTIMATE HAMPER EXPERIENCE - 29^THFLOOR)

  Altitude 360° is situated on the 29^th floor and commands stunning views over all of London and her prominent landmarks.  The dramatic venue is to host an elite viewing platform, where private table booths will host parties of up to 10 guests to watch the pageant in a setting which epitomises luxury and decadence.

  THE VIEW STUDIOS (THE ULTIMATE DIAMOND JUBILEE EXPERIENCE - 6^TH FLOOR)

  Luxury venue The View Studios will host our most exclusive viewing platform for the day. The View Studios offer unparalleled views of the river Thames, enabling guests to enjoy jaw-dropping views of the flotilla throughout the day. The studios are situated on the sixth floor of the Millbank Tower, and are to offer guests a deluxe day befitting their superior position. 

  

  EVENING EVENTS:

  Diamond Jubilee Banquet at Altitude 360°

  The Diamond Jubilee banquet is the perfect way to commemorate a momentous day in the nation’s history. As you indulge in a gourmet banquet in the sky you’ll enjoy panoramic views of Her Majesty’s London from Altitude 360°, at the top of the Millbank Tower.  

  Focusing on the best of British ingredients, prepared by our chefs, the Jubilee banquet is the ideal way to round off your Jubilee celebrations.

  

  Jubilee Dinner on the River - The River Room

  After a long day of Diamond Jubilee celebrations, come and relax with a divine three course dinner at the River Room. The prestigious riverside venue offers the ideal place to mark the end of a momentous day in the nation’s history.

  

  Diamond Jubilee at THE LONDON SKY BAR – ONE NIGHT ONLY 
  Sunday 3^rd June

  THE LONDON SKY BAR offers the ideal place to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. Located on the 29th floor of the Millbank Tower, THE LONDON SKY BAR offers guests a one-of-a-kind elevated experience.

  Set against the beautiful panoramic backdrop of London’s most famous landmarks, THE LONDON SKY BAR is the best place to see unparalleled views of the River Thames and the city below. For one night only London’s finest bar in the sky will be open in honour of Her Majesty’s Jubilee.

  JUBILEE DAY TO NIGHT STREET PARTY 

  What are you doing on the evening of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant? Celebrate Her Majesty’s 60 year reign late into the evening with Altitude London. Come and celebrate at the foot of the Millbank Tower as the sun sets over London.

  

  For more information please visit www.altitudelondon.com/jubilee

  
  

• 2012-05-17

  Connection Crew Launch at Altitude

  Connection Crew, a Community Interest Company and Social Enterprise supplying manual labour to the Event Industry, chose Altitude for a very special launch party last night.

  

  The 8^th of May saw the company launch their ‘Connection CSR account’ at Altitude 360° Black, our 28^th floor venue at the top of the Millbank Tower. Guests enjoyed panoramic views over the capital from the chic, contemporary venue as they celebrated the launch of the CSR account.  

  Connection Crew is the leading Social Enterprise in their industry in Europe and the only Social Enterprise operating as a crewing company. The ground-breaking Connection CSR Account has been designed to provide CCCIC’s clients with tangible recognition of the social impact that they have helped to affect through their business dealings with them.

  

  The Connection CSR Account will empower CCCIC’s clients to derive a commercial commodity from the social impact that has resulted from their business relations.  This will significantly enhance account holders’ CSR transparency and accountability when tendering for new business opportunities.

  

• 2012-05-16

  Moshi Monsters Arrive at Altitude

  A recent event for entertainment company Mind Candy transformed our ground floor venue, the Millbank Media Centre. The event was attended by 150 specially invited guests, and a fair few little monsters put in an appearance too! 

  

  The event made full use of the versatile ground floor venue, which encompasses a 280 seat auditorium and adjacent reception space.

  

  The day began with a welcome reception. Guests arrived to the sound of Moshi Monsters hits, and the sights of Moshi music videos played on the venues plasma screens. Guests gathered to enjoy teas, coffees and a sandwich lunch.

  Guests then journeyed into the auditorium for a presentation hosted by Michael Acton Smith, founder of Moshi Monsters. Taking guests through the progression of the company and Moshi Monsters’ plans for the future, Michael Acton Smith made full use of the state-of-the-art venue. Throughout the day the adjacent reception space made an ideal setting for breaks. 

  

  The event concluded with a drinks reception at the foot of the Millbank Tower. Guests enjoyed a variety of divine evening snacks, prepared by our in-house chefs. Choices included cocktail sausages in honey, parmesan fried courgettes with tomato relish and rosemary and smoked sea salt wedges.

  Moshi Monsters is a social network aimed at children between the ages of 7 to 12. In the game the player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox. These can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and home decor. Developed in 2007 by Mind Candy, Moshi Monsters is currently reportedly played by one in three British children. 

  

• 2012-05-04

  WIRED Test Lab comes to Altitude London

  A two day event held by BP brought members of the technology and marketing industries together to enjoy a conference on the future of the digital world at Altitude 360° Black this week.

  

  The first day included an evening networking event and presentation at the top of the Millbank Tower.  One very popular initiative was the use of NFC (near field communication) digital business card devices provided by Poken, which allowed delegates to easily collect contact details from other delegates. 

  A selection of bowl food was served, including traditional fish and chips, Cumberland sausage and creamy mash with a jus and goat’s cheese, fig and beetroot salad with rocket and a honey dressing.

  On the following day the 28^th floor venue was used to hold a conference, in which a series of presentations were given on future technology.  Altitude 360° was used throughout the event to provide break out spaces. Lounge furniture created a relaxed feel on the 29^th floor, as guests enjoyed panoramic views across the capital.

  During the evening Altitude 360° Black made an ideal space for a drinks reception. The event made use of the lighting capabilities of this top floor venue, adding green backlights to make the venue’s colossal wraparound bar a focal point.  

  BRITAIN’S £16 COMPUTER 
  Raspberry Pi

  

  FULLY COMPUTERISED TELESCOPE 
  Celestron SkyProdigy™ 130 Telescope

   

  AERODYNAMIC SHELTER
  Senz Umbrella

  

  MINIMALLY MODERN BOOMBOX 
  IHome’s iP4

  

  THERAPEUTIC SEATING 
  Freedman Chair

  

  THE PROGRAMMABLE EDUCATIONAL ROBOT   
  Innovati 16-DOF Robitinno

  

  SMOKELESS DELIGHT
  Oglesby and Butler Iolite Wispr

  

  CARDBOARD FOR CRANIUMS
  How packaging is being used for helmets

  

  3D BINOCULARS
  Sony DEV3SDI.YG DEV-3 Digital Recording Binoculars 10x

  

  PLANTS LOVE IT! 
  What’s inside Marmite 

  

• →

  Three Steps to the Perfect Wine List

  A good wine list is more than a list of wines. A good wine list can help to drive profits and margins by influencing what customers order.

  Our wine partner, Bibendum Wines, who chose Altitude 360° as the setting for a wine tasting with a difference at the top of the Millbank Tower, have recently completed research unveiling exactly what is behind a good wine list, and what a really good wine list can achieve.

  

  Step 1 - Understand Local Consumers

  Every area of the country contains consumers with varying spending power, interests and flavour preferences. Bibendum have found that but understanding those differences is the first step to knowing what customers want to drink.

  Step 2 - Use Smart Design to Sell More

  People read wine lists differently to how they would read a book. Their eyes jump round the page as they scan for key words or something that grabs their attention. So, smart design is important in a wine list. A sales focussed wine list can highlight the products that will deliver the best sales result.

  Step 3 - Use the Right Words

  Language is key to the success of a wine list; some words will help sell a wine and others may be off-putting or confusing to your customers.

  Bibendum’s research into consumer tastes led the creation of a Taste Test survey, the UK’s largest ever survey of wine drinkers’ likes, dislikes and buying habits. As part of the survey UK consumers were asked which words would be most likely to make them buy a wine from a wine list.

  Below are the results for consumers from London N1, giving a specific, local insight into the most effective words for a wine list in this area:

  

  

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  A Virtual Stroll around Altitude with Google Places

  A new service from Google is to allow users to see a virtual tour of venues, restaurants and bars. The tour will be similar to the search engine’s current ‘street view’ function, giving visitors to ‘Google Places’ a real sense of the destination they’re viewing.

  As soon as we heard about it we just had to get involved, and quickly invited Google to come up to the top of the Millbank Tower to get started on our virtual tour guide! We’re the first corporate venue to get the Google treatment, which remains in its infancy in London. Currently only a handful of the city’s bars, restaurants and clubs have added the feature.

  Click here to take a virtual stroll through Altitude 360°.

  

  

  The tour is done through a series of photographs, which are uploaded in series to allow those viewing our Google Places page to see Altitude in all its glory.

  

  The tour shows our top floor venue, Altitude 360°, as well as sixth floor venue The View Studios.

  

  The new technology will also enable visitors to see the extent of our 360 degree panoramic views across the capital – perfect for a little virtual sightseeing!

  

• →

  A Very Happy Birthday to Carlton Books

  Carlton Publishing Group celebrated their 20^th birthday with a lavish celebration at Altitude 360° this month. The evening saw Carlton celebrate two decades of innovative publishing at the top of the Millbank Tower.

  

  Guests were greeted with a drinks reception on the 29^th floor of the iconic building, where they enjoyed views of the sunset over London as the party began.  Expert mixologists were on hand preparing two classic cocktails, the Cosmpolitan and the Mojito, starting the evening in style.

  The venue held a showcase of books to be published in the year ahead, from fashion and lifestyle to music, film and sports publishing.

  

  Reprenting the world of sport, four times Olympic Gold Medal winner Sir Matthew Pinsent joined Carlton’s 20th anniversary celebrations to launch London 2012 Olympic Games: The Official Book.

  

  The event also showcased a major release for Carlton Books, Alexander McQueen, which was launched with the preview of two rare items of McQueen clothing, on display for the first time at the event. The items included a printed coat, featuring a colony of blind Native American design, a one-off sample made for the “Dante” collection A/W 1996, as well as a striking brocade jacket from the collection “It’s A Jungle Out There” A/W 1997.

  In addition a major release, Freddie Mercury, was previewed, giving guests the chance to see the original of one of Freddie’s most iconic costumes worn on his last ever concert tour.

  As guests perused the new releases a selection of bowl food was served, including wild and chestnut mushroom risotto, traditional homemade breaded fish and chips and cumberland sausage with creamy mash – before the cutting of a very special book themed birthday cake.

  

  The event was the second at Altitude for Carlton Books, who recently used sister venue Altitude 360° Black for the launch of Dressing Marilyn, a new book by Andrew Hansford on the late style muse.

  Carlton Publishing Group is a leading publisher of illustrated reference, biography, leisure, art and entertainment books under Carlton, Andre Deutsch, Prion and Goodman Imprints.

  

• 2012-05-03

  Must Have Jubilee Souvenirs

  This year will mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, which can mean only one thing – a great big party is in order. A jubilee party is the sort of party we love, the sort of party that requires bunting, cake and patriotism. There’ll be little flags, sunshine and merriment, and of course there will be merchandise.

  

  Preparations for our jubilee parties and packages are in full swing. We’re celebrating on all five floors with everything from a street party in the sky to a lavish private dining experience on the sixth floor. There’s just one thing we’re still looking for, though… our souvenirs!

  Queen Elizabeth II’s celebration is set to be a momentous day in British history, so we all want a little something to remember it by. But we’re not sure about plates emblazoned with the faces of the Royal Family. We’re equally disinterested in tea towels and postcards. We’re looking for something a little more special this summer…

  So we’ve compiled a list of the most imaginative, creative and fun jubilee souvenirs. These are the things we want and need. The must haves. Well we’ve got to have something to remember the day by, haven’t we?

  V&A Royal Playing Cards – We can only presume these are the cards used by the Royal Family, when playing Royal Poker, Royal Snap and other such royal card games. We’ve deemed them so worthy they are the commemorative gift of choice for those celebrating with us at the Ultimate Diamond Jubilee Experience in the View Studios this summer.

  ‘It Gives Me Great Pleasure’ Scarf – Souvenirs get stylish with this scarf designed by digital print innovator Laura Berens. 

  

  Queen Elizabeth II Scarf – If the above isn’t patriotic enough for your liking, this one should do nicely. The scarf features a print of a photograph taken by Cecil Beaton, who attended Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on 2 June 1953 to capture this iconic image.

  Diamond Jubilee Cushion – Souvenir cushions are naff, right? Not this one. The navy jubilee cushion features a cool, contemporary design showing a graphical interpretation of the young Queen and Her Majesty as she appears today side by side. Très chic.

  

  Royal Mail Mirror – A first class mirror (‘scuse the pun). The mirror features a funky padded design of stamps from throughout Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

  Personalised Silhouette Mirror -  Perfect for the egotistical, this mirror will immortalise your silhouette in reflective form. Mirror mirror on the wall…

  

  Coin Mirror – It’s your face…on a coin! If you want to get deep you could say this questions the very essence of our being: what is more important, ‘the reflection of your very self’ or ‘the coin you reflect on’. Or you could just say it’s a nice mirror.

  Handmade Jubilee Decorations – A classy take on the original bunting, these wooden heart decorations are pretty and patriotic.

  Jubilee Tea Cosies – A most incredibly British way of keeping your tea hot. 

  

  Jubilee Framed Prints – This stylish collection of London themed prints is the perfect interior design feature for the 21^st century royalist.

  

  Keep Calm and Reign On Mug – Because it wouldn’t be an event if someone didn’t put a humorous spin on the ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ logo in its honour.

  For more information on our Jubilee Celebrations please click here:

  altitudelondon.com/jubilee

  phone: 0845 500 2929

  email: events@altitudelondon.com

• 2012-05-02

  Site Visits are Out of this World at Altitude

  Altitude hosted a site visit with a difference for Virgin Galactic recently. On show was Altitude 360˚ Black, the sleek monochromatic event space which encapsulates the entire 28^th floor of the Millbank Tower. And she got all dressed up for the occasion!

  Guests exited the lifts to the sound of the atmospheric Virgin Galactic music coming from the venue’s state of the art sound system. The music was accompanied by a clip from the launch of Virgin Galactic, which played throughout the venue on our huge plasma screens. In keeping with the colour scheme of the brand, the space was cloaked in blue light creating an otherworldly effect. 

  

  

  Guests then entered the venue to find that the space had been customised with Virgin branding. The massive 360 degree windows of the contemporary venue were used to great effect, with vinyls putting a Virgin twist on the panoramic views of London. The vinyls showed a woman in flight, an iconic image of the Virgin Galactic brand.

  

  The other side of the huge venue were used as a blank canvas by our window doodlers. The artists used views of Westminster as the backdrop of their illustrations, which focussed on a timeline of the growth of Virgin. Starting with Virgin Records the doodlers added another prestigious addition to each window, including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains, Virgin Money and Virgin Radio amongst their artistry. The timeline ended with an artist’s impression of the launch of Virgin Galactic, including a Virgin branded spaceship for 2012.In addition the huge wraparound bar of the venue displayed further branding, with Virgin Galactic icons repeated behind the bar.

  

  

  

  In addition the huge wraparound bar of the venue displayed further branding, with Virgin Galactic icons repeated behind the bar.

  

  Following a tour of the venue and some delicious breakfast pastries our guests were invited to look down to the river, where their next surprise awaited. A speedboat from London RIB Voyages was ready and waiting at Millbank Pier, right outside our front door! The boat was arranged to take our guests on a spin up the Thames, but it wasn’t just for fun. The trip was arranged to show just how fast we could get VIP guests from Battersea Heliport to their lavish party at Altitude. And in style, too!