Case Study: The London Dungeon VIP Promo Event

23 May 2018

Well my lovelies, what a night full of gin making, scares, laughter, more gin and of course pork pies we had! Ok, I’ll stop pretending I’m Mrs Lovett (though secretly I’ve always wanted to have a small cameo in The London Dungeon). The Merlin Events team hosted just over 120 guests in The London Dungeon last night to showcase it as a corporate or private event space – the VIP Experience if you will!

On a hot summer’s evening, you may argue that the last place you’d want to go is into the dark depths of The London Dungeon. The South Bank sunset was a beautiful shade of pink…however our eager guests arrived with looks of trepidation and fear on their faces! I of course tried to put them at ease by letting them know there would be PLENTY of gin on arrival and after the tour! In case you don’t know what The London Dungeon is… it’s a mix of immersive theatre, jumps, scares, amazing lighting effects and a script full of twists and turns. The beauty of this London events venue is that the entertainment is already in place. Around 10 live shows that will leave your guests feeling weak at the knees and having to top up their energy supplies with plenty of pub grub in the Victorian Tavern afterwards!

However, Rosie  (Events Manager at Merlin Events) and I wanted to create a more interactive VIP Experience using all our event spaces within The London Dungeon. The evening started out with a photo opportunity in our stocks for every guest group! Then, guests were welcomed to enter our Gin Palace to construct their own gin cocktails choosing from a selection of gin, tonic and many an unusual garnish! This went down well as all our guests got involved and made a drink suited to their taste. If you’re not a gin lover (like myself) fear not! We had plenty of prosecco on the go for those poppets who suffer from the old ‘Mother’s ruin’.

Next…it was time for bravery from our guests as they embarked on our live tour through London’s gruesome and dark history. They met infamous villains and traitors such as Mrs Lovett, Sweeney Todd, Jack the Ripper and many more. We also had some filming going on during the tour and even our videographers had to have steady hands and not let the show rattle them.

After enjoying/ enduring the tour and infamous drop ride (let me tell you there were some EXPRESSIONS on our guests’ faces in their ride photos) our guests were certainly ready for some more gin, wine, beer, coca cola, pretty much anything they could get their hands on! There was even more entertainment provided in the form of a violinist, mind reader and Tarot Card reader! We hope no one’s future was looking too perilous… Food by Dish catered for our wonderful guests, providing them with plenty of pub grub, bar snacks and dessert canapes. Continuing on with our Victorian theming, the menu was as follows (This’ll get your mouths watering lovelies!)

Sharing Boards

served with selection of British artisan breads
Mini Melton Mowbray pork pies
Cold cuts of British meat – Honey roast ham, salt beef, wild boar and venison salami
Scottish smoked salmon
Farmhouse cheddar and onion quiches
Selection of British cheeses with pickled onions, pickled walnuts and piccalilli

Bowl Food

Smoked chicken caesar, focaccia croute and radicchio salad
Goats cheese, spinach and red onion salad with puff pastry shards (V) (This was my favourite!)
Steak and ale pie, creamy mash, East End liquor

Dessert Canapés

Salted chocolate brownies
Treacle Tarts with Cornish clotted cream

We had some fantastic feedback and really enjoyed hosting everyone who came!

Thank you very much for the invitation to attend the London Dungeon Experience last night. We had a really great time, the interactive walk through was a lot of fun and kept us on our toes! We wanted to make special mention of Mrs. Lovett who was by far our favourite. She was very funny and wonderful in character. I would also like to recommend Alex Crow, the walking Magician, who really impressed our table, twice!

Having been slightly scared of what the night would entail before going I have been bragging about how much fun it was to my colleagues all day today!

Samantha Kenny (Events Executive at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society)

The London Dungeon is definitely a  great space for work groups who want to do something different and fun together, an office Christmas party or a private event! Read more about this wonderfully unique venue here. You can view all the photos from the event here!

Not sure which of our venues is right for you? Have a chat with our team and request a callback here.

Written by Dorothy (Events Marketing Manager at Merlin Events)