The Custard Factory Spaces is no stranger to hosting events for some of the world’s largest brands. The first quarter of 2011 was no different as several of the venues spaces at the Custard Factory played host to 550 delegates as part of a brand awareness campaign for global telecommunications company, Vodafone.

Chosen for its ability to create an experience with a difference, the Custard Factory transformed 18 of its venues and spaces into fully branded workspaces for Vodafone’s staff and numerous competition winners as they prepare to take up the opportunity to travel across the world and work for a wide range of charities.

Branded with Vodafone’s highly distinguished corporate colour red, the Custard Factory was transformed into an  interactive workspace which featured a large AV production, stage, set and sound, visual boards, corporate branding and numerous plasma screens.

With special host Gok Wan, the event was designed to motivate attendees on the programme and create awareness around the ‘World of Difference’ campaign.

Each guest was greeted with tea/coffee and pastries and was given a Vodafone branded bag which included a new phone and £25 phone credit. Bespoke lunches were created by the Custard Factory Spaces experienced caterers with an ‘Around the world’ theme in mind. French, Indian, Halal and Greek dishes were individually delivered to rooms where guests were grouped by which Country they would be visiting.

The Vodafone activity was a full site event which utilised The Old Library for registration, Space 2 as a conference venue and 13 rooms from within Zellig as workspaces, all of which were designed and branded to meet Vodafone’s specific needs.

2010 saw a wealth of fictional superheroes hit the big screen, and following this trend November saw The Old Library play host to a unique awards ceremony for real life heroes who carry out a great deal of unrecognised selfless work on a daily basis.

Organised on behalf of leading fast fit retailer HiQ, Connect PR asked The Old Library events team to organise an awards ceremony for some of Britain’s most deserving community heroes. The events team were asked to keep the event professional yet family friendly as many of the attendees would be there to support the finalists.

The event was held under a stunning vaulted ceiling and sky lights, with seating set out for 100 guests. The room was decorated in white, blue and black, HiQ’s branded colours. Lighting and pop ups were also strategically placed around the venue to enhance the mood of the event.

Food was prepared by the Old Library’s in house caterer who served a selection of tantalising canapés. The music for the evening was also tailored to the theming of the event with all of the tracks relating to ‘heroes’ in some way.

Winter 2010 saw the launch of a once in a life time competition on Birmingham based radio station, Galaxy FM,  giving listeners the opportunity to win tickets to see chart topping acts Tinchy Strider, Roll Deep and The Wanted at exclusive VIP gig. This gig was to be held at the Old Library which over the years has seen names such as Amy Winehouse and Judge Jules all visit and perform at the venue.

A large scale set was designed and built specifically for the event, making the most of the venues unique acoustic qualities. Branding was also heavily featured throughout the interior and exterior of the Old Library and surrounding Custard Factory venue.

An extended bar was created for 350 guests serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

In addition to the main space, both the attached Study and Green House located within the Custard Factory were utilised for a green room and dressing rooms for the acts, giving them both privacy and security away from the hundreds of screaming fans.

Galaxy FM were thoroughly impressed with the smooth running of the event and a good time was had by all; guests and acts alike. This isn’t the first time that Galaxy has used the Old Library for a VIP gig as previously Girls Aloud have performed at the historic venue. Galaxy has vowed to return soon with another fantastic line up for fans.

As an unseasonable heat wave took the UK by storm last month, The Old Library also felt the seasons change as the 18^th century historic venue was turned into a desert oasis.

Far from the usual stylish weddings and lavish product launches, the Old Library had its main hall turned into a desert getaway featuring 6ft palm trees, surf simulator, fruity cocktails and an authentic Caribbean BBQ all in aid to celebrate Reed Recruitments 50^th birthday.

Geraldine Kelly at Reed Recruitment said: “The Hawaiian night was fantastic. The venue looked great and everyone had a really good time. I’m really pleased with how the atmosphere was created in the Old Library and how quickly it all came together.

“The event was run really well and the food and drinks provided were amazing, it really helped to celebrate Reed’s 50th Birthday in style.”

Emily Righton, Events Manager at the Old Library said: ““Reed’s 50^th Anniversary provided us with an exciting and unique opportunity, allowing us to really get the creative juices flowing.

“Over the years we have been asked to plan some truly unique events, however the Hawaiian party really let us have some fun.

“Reed were wonderful to work with. They were incredibly open minded and embraced all of our suggestions whole heartedly.”

Whether you want a desert oasis or a Christmas wonderland featuring an Ice Rink, the Old Library ensures that all its client needs are catered for.

In October 2010, it seemed as if Easter had come six months early as the Custard Factory played host to a supplier and sales event for confectionary giant, Mars.

The Old Library was approached by Mars to create a large scale motivational and sales event for 120 guests who were both a mixture of Mars staff and other large retail brands such as Tesco’s and Spar. The event was a large AV production designed by Big Cat Group’s partnered AV company, Aventeq, featuring bespoke branded stage set, M&M product coloured lighting, plasmas in each breakout room and complete technical support.

Branding was of the utmost importance for this event. The Old Library events team designed a unique branded theme for the event, utilising Mars’ colours and logos. Table linens and room lighting were rainbow coloured, representing the popular sweet range M & M and each table featured an individual, handmade table centre created from Mars sweet wrappers. The wrappers were carefully stuck onto the walls of 10” fish bowls which then had tea-light candles carefully positioned inside to create a glowing ‘product bowl’ which enhanced mood lighting for the event.

As part of the motivation segment of the event, Mars brought in Mary Portas from the highly popular BBC 2 programme, Mary Queen of Shops. Mary delivered a powerful and thought provoking session on the power and importance of branding.

The catering of the event was provided by the Old Library’s onsite chef who devised a deluxe cold buffet menu. In addition to this, she also created a selection of cupcakes made from Mars products, which were then placed into individual goody bags for guests to take home with them.

A variety of breakout rooms were utilised throughout the afternoon session, enabling delegates to gain an indepth insight into particular products. Each room was designed with a specific mood in mind including a corner shop and a cinema. This was done to enhance visitors experiences within the event.

The client was incredibly impressed with the creative edge that the Old Library events team provided their guests with. They felt that the Custard Factory and Old Library were a perfect choice for this particular event which demanded a unique and alternative venue, differing greatly from the many over used conference spaces located in city centres.

May 2010 saw a flurry of activity down at the Old Library as the historic venue hosted an exclusive invite-only event for Conservative MP’s, providing them a place to gather and support their leader, and now elected Prime Minister, David Cameron as he took the stand on a live televised debate.

The Old Library was chosen by the Conservative Party as they felt it suited the essence of their event; “Unique, beautiful, flexible and functional”.

To accommodate guests, large hi-definition screens were installed alongside tiered seating units, further enabling party members to watch the debate in a relaxing and friendly environment with their colleagues. To further lift the mood of the event and to add some extra fun features, candyfloss and popcorn machines were also installed.

Once the televised debate had been completed, David Cameron was whisked away from the University of Birmingham and brought to the Old Library to the delight of staff and guests. Having spent some time greeting and mixing with party members, Cameron then proceeded to deliver a motivational speech to supporters which continued to strengthen the incredibly buzz and atmosphere which had developed in the Old Library throughout the day.

Feedback from the client was extremely positive and the Old Library events team even received a letter of thanks from the Prime Minister himself, congratulating them on their professionalism and running of the event.