The Client

The Drinks Trust is one of the UK drinks industry's most important charitable organisations, established in 1886. Their annual gala is the flagship fundraising event of the year - a night that brings together 240 of the industry's most influential figures to celebrate, recognise, and raise vital funds for the people who make the drinks world turn.

The stakes were high. The venue was Claridges.

 

The Challenge

The Drinks Trust needed a single trusted partner to take complete ownership of the evening - from the first design sketch to the last note of the night. With 240 guests, a celebrity host, a full awards ceremony, live entertainment, and the backdrop of one of London's most iconic ballrooms, there was no margin for error and no room for a patchwork of suppliers. Every element had to feel cohesive, considered, and calibrated to the prestige of the occasion.

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The theme - An Evening of Elegance - pointed unmistakably to one aesthetic: art deco. Glamorous, geometric, and gold.

 

What We Delivered

Good Life Events provided end-to-end production across every discipline for the event.

 

Concept & Creative Direction: We developed the full visual identity for the evening around an art deco design language - deep forest green, champagne gold, and the bold graphic geometry of the 1920s. This ran consistently across every touchpoint of the night, from the printed brochures to the stage screens to the awards themselves.

 

Decor & Floristry: The ballroom was dressed with dramatic statement floral installations - towering arrangements of copper orchids, pampas grass, tropical palm, dark foliage, and dried botanicals flanking the stage on both sides. Each dining table featured its own lush botanical centrepiece, and the entrance to the event was marked by a branded gold plinth arrangement that set the tone the moment guests arrived at Claridges' iconic foyer. Every floral element was designed to complement the art deco architecture of the room without competing with it.

 

Print & Collateral: We designed and produced the full suite of printed materials for the evening - including the art deco event brochures in deep green with gold foil typography, individual dinner menus, table numbers, and place cards. Every guest found a beautifully finished brochure and menu card at their setting, reinforcing the premium character of the evening before the first course arrived. The design carried the same graphic motifs - sunburst rays, elegant script, geometric borders — that ran throughout the venue.

 

AV, Sound & Lighting: We specified and delivered the complete technical package for the ballroom. A multi-screen AV setup displayed fully branded art deco presentation slides throughout the awards programme, including speaker name cards and sponsor branding - all designed in-house to match the event's visual identity. The sound system was engineered for both the precision of a speeches-and-awards format and the energy of a live band performance. Lighting was used to shift the atmosphere from an elegant dining environment through to a warm, celebratory glow for the awards and an electric stage wash for the band.

 

Live Band: We sourced and supplied the live band for the evening's entertainment - a tight, high-energy act that performed under the Claridges chandeliers with a full stage setup, bringing the night to life after the awards with exactly the right energy for the room.

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Graham Norton took to the stage as host, working the room with effortless warmth and sharp wit. Alongside him, co-host Jan Burrell helped guide the awards programme through categories spanning Fundraiser of the Year, Fundraising Event of the Year, Special Achievement, Develop Student of the Year, RAP Gold Standard, and Business Partner of the Year - with sponsors including Louis Roederer, Wineflow, Hillsbrand Glory, Louis Jadot, Decanter, and Diageo.

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240 guests in black tie filled Claridges' magnificent ballroom. The Venetian glass chandeliers threw warm light across tables laid with gold-rimmed chargers, crisp white linen, and the green-and-gold print collateral we had produced. Floral towers flanked the stage. The screens carried our branded art deco graphics. And when the last award had been presented, the band took over.

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The Results

The Drinks Trust Gala 2025 was, by every measure, an exceptional evening. The full-service approach - one team, one creative vision, complete ownership of every element - meant the client could focus entirely on their guests and their cause, confident that every detail had been resolved. The consistency of the art deco identity across decor, print, AV graphics, and awards gave the evening a coherence that felt genuinely considered rather than assembled.

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It's the kind of event that demonstrates what happens when an experienced production team is trusted with the whole picture.