The guests arrived at half past six, to glasses of pink champagne and an array of tempting canapés, including filo cups of lamb tagine with apricots and pine kernels, ham hock bubble and squeak cakes with wholegrain mustard dip, crayfish croquettes, and savoury rosemary shortbreads with Somerset brie, honey and black truffle.
Then came the awards for the special guests: Kate Robertson of Havas Worldwide; Elizabeth Fagan, Marketing Director for Boots; and Amanda Berry, the CEO of BAFTA. They were honoured for their achievements, as well as for being role models to up and coming talent. After the speeches, a performance by artist Ashley Roberts brought the celebrations to a triumphant close.
A select group of the guests then went on to join a dinner at the State Apartments in the palace itself, hosted by Advertising Week, Mashable, and Hearst Magazines in honour of The Marketing Society.
After canapés in the dramatic setting of the King’s Gallery, where artist Jon Batiste staged a ‘Love Riot’, the guests entered the adjoining Cupola and King’s Drawing Rooms for their dinner. The meal commenced with a spring vegetable salad, with slow poached radish, golden beetroot and carrots, followed by a roast rump of West Country lamb, served with parmentier potato, asparagus and lamb jus. Finally a trio of apple desserts rounded off the meal, apple trifle with a macadamia nut topping, green apple sorbet with vanilla custard centre and apple frangipane tart.