The Only Way Is Uber

Whether you need a way to the airport, a way back from a festival or want to pop to your friends of a night, it seems as though the new age way of transport is indeed...an Uber!

For those who don’t know, Uber Taxi is an American multinational online taxi dispatch company headquartered in San Francisco, California, and work in all regions in a world. Uber was founded in 2009 and you use the service via an app.

So it’s as simple as this, you download the app, create an account using your email address and billing information and you’re pretty much good to go! Using location services on your phone, your app is able to pick up where you are and all you have to do is put in the postcode of where you need to be. The app will then locate you a nearby driver and give you an estimated time until arrival.

As event planners, we find we are in often need of a taxi. Going to and from venues and meetings with clients, especially when they are in the central London area in the day as the congestion charge can be pricey as well as parking and public transport is no help when you have a lot to carry! Uber has been our favoured way of transport due to the efficiency of the drivers, the quick and easy way to book a cab on the move and also the competitive prices that they offer!

Below are our top 5 reasons why we think you should use an Uber to get to and from all the best events this summer!

1. Safety - Uber provide you with the make and number plate of the taxi and also a picture of your driver (which does give you that extra bit of security...and helps the prevention of the embarrassment of trying to get into a strangers car asking them to get you to wireless as quick as they can) We encourage you to always share these details if you are alone.

2. Reassurance - The app provides you with a live map where you can track the car to see where abouts they are...So there is no excuse to leave them outside waiting! This gives you control and reassurance before the taxi has even reached you.

3. Convenience - There is no need to have to make an extra stop to a cashpoint on your journey if you don’t have cash; Uber is linked to your debit card using paypal and once you are at your destination you can hop out and the payment comes out automatically! Wait! It gets better - if you’re riding with a friend, the app also gives you the option to split the fair with the ease of a click! Simple, fast and effective

4. Professionalism - At Uber drivers earn their reputation - At the end of your journey you will be asked to rate your driver out of 5 stars…this is to do with his performance, attitude, driving and overall experience in the ride (that means having a clean and pleasant smelling car!). This is a way for Uber to keep track on their drivers and the experiences they are providing. If the driver has a high rating it means they are consistent in their work, however a regular low rating driver will be flagged up to Uber and handled with.

5. Discount - Last but not least, the reason we think you should sign up and use Uber this summer, is because you can earn your first free ride from Serenity London Events! We have teamed up with Uber and are offering you a free ride up to £15 using our code SLEUBER15. We hope that you enjoy using Uber and have your first free ride on us!

Our Summer Event Essentials

As we enter June and we are seeing more sunshine we know for sure the ‘summer’ event and festival season is about to begin. We all have an event to attend or coordinate every weekend and we rush around finding outfits to wear or ensuring everything is in place as we might need to be in two places at once! So I thought I would share a few of my summer essentials that will be with me everywhere I go this summer.

My 1st must have item is my chargeable phone case. Having two phones during June, July and August is not enough to ensure you are always reachable or can contact someone if need be. This does mean the Lumee cases may have to come off at some point of the evening but I just find it is so much easier than carrying your charger and looking for a port to use; if that is even an option at the events venue. I purchased mine from https://www.iphonepro.co.uk/ however you can find cheaper on Amazon, but I recommend you check the power capacity levels when doing so.

My makeup go to is Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H (thanks to @madeupbyisa) and MAC Lightful-C-Tinted-Cream. I have found a combination of the two lasts all day and they feel very light on the skin. Using a small amount is enough for the perfect coverage and lightweight summer look.

I tend to avoid carrying a great amount of makeup with me however I ensure I have Vichy AQUALIA THERMAL lip balm and my favourite Matte lipstick which is either MAC Whirl or Maybelline Nude Thrill Vivid Matte.

A good sized secure bag is essential. On a busy day of setting up, travelling or attending events I ensure my bags have zips. Somehow it gives me peace of mind when out and about or working and avoids my ‘WHERES MY!’ moments. Mango, PLT and Next are currently my favourite high street brands at the moment for bags.

As a Londoner from birth I have been blessed with witnessing 4 seasons of weather in one day. So during the days I am attending outdoor events I ensure I carry a compact rain mac. For anyone visiting the wonderful City of London this summer I advise you do the same. Even though I am always hopeful, you never know when you will need it and they truly take up very little space. I brought my most recent one from http://www.millets.co.uk/.

Finally as an event organiser comfy shoes is a must during work hours. Puma have been doing uber comfy and cute trainers. For heels I have purchased a few pairs from Zara, reasonably prices and you can be in them all night with no pain. Sandals are always exciting to buy and I have brought a few from Aldo, Topshop and Missguided.

If you have any summer event essentials please share with us!

S x

Ps. keep an eye out on our blog for our events calendar and recommendations.

Cruz Bueno | 19th May 2016

On the 19th May both Serenity Directors had the pleasure of attending the Cruz Bueno fashion show for the launch of 3 new collections.

The British based, Portuguese Born brand was in founded in 2011 by the Creative and Artistic Director & Head Designer Lucas Cruz Bueno.

After attending one show we were able to see that Lucas is a talented designer with great attention to detail in both his clothing and events.

The venue complimented the show perfectly; the high selling’s created an element of space and movement, the simplistic art on entrance and the wall embellishments gave the venue a touch of design and colour but not too much that over powered the show, the large fire places gave the feeling of structure and elegance and the large white walls complimented by your ‘fashion show’ white benches and bright lights allowed the collections to truly POP.
Each seat had a brochure about the brand, a hand out illustrating the run of the show and acknowledgement to those involved, a complimentary bottle of FIGI water (My favourite) and a very charming and creative pendent of the Cruz Bueno Logo (for those who do not know the logo is a combination of Greek writing, Grecian patterns and Lucas’s face LOVE!)
I also must say compliments to the DJ, we did shazamed the whole show. The music was powerful and our favourite song of the evening had to be Retrograde by James Blake.

The show opened with the first of two women’s collection the ‘Red Label’, this label truly is Pret-A-Porter and displayed stunning oversize jackets that I suggested all fashion lovers purchase! Quality and style that can be worn all year round.

The White label for menswear shortly followed. Texture, Movement, Layers and Pattern are the words I would describe the collection. The daring collection would be worn by a confident and expressive gentleman that appreciates the art of clothing.

My favourite part of the show had to be the beginning of the final collection, which was opened by a short piece of contemporary ballet. The dancer was stunning and carried the clothing extremely well while performing; the unexpected had the audience in shock and delight.

The final collection was my favourite of the three; I felt there was something for every type of fashion loving lady. The range of materials used deserves a round of applause in its self and the colours where seasonless!

At the end of the event I had to tell Lucas that my summer wardrobe must have every single bralet showcased in the third collection! To what he responded ‘I am glad, the collection was made for cool girls like you’ Thank you Lucas for making the night!
Once the show had finished the guests where welcomed into an old style library for drinks.

A clever touch to this section of the evening was the 6 models placed in a circle in the center of the room standing still like Apollos’ beautiful Grecian ladies. This tied in very well with the logo both in representing wholeness, fluidity and revolution as well as strength and beauty.