Gala in Your Parlour
A virtual charity action dinner for the John King Brain Tumour Foundation
When trustee of the John King Brain Tumour Foundation and Verizon CEO, Ronan Dunne, came to one of our virtual lockdown dinners it became the inspiration for a new way to fund-raise, leading to Gala in Your Parlour.
In October 2020, the John King Brain Tumour Foundation, in partnership with Forgather, hosted their first-ever virtual auction dinner to raise money for vital equipment at St George’s Hospital.
With exquisite food delivered to doorsteps from Michelin-starred John Williams MBE, restaurateur and celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE and ‘the king of popups’ Jimmy Garcia, over 100 people from around the world logged on to enjoy a four-course meal together in small groups, from the comfort of their own homes. There were live auctions, musical interludes and celebrity guest appearances from the likes of Harry Hill and Gloria Hunniford.
Forgather provided consultation on the event agenda and logistics, and paired the charity up with our go-to catering provider. We also identified and stress-tested the virtual event platform, looked after speakers and managed the event and tech production, alongside the live auction technology providers.
Proud moments:
Helping the charity to raise £72,000, to buy a much-needed surgical microscope for St George’s Hospital.
Providing guests the full experience of a night out, in a virtual setting – delicious food, wine, entertainment and conversation with old and new friends.
Identifying the right event technology for the job – we used burgeoning startup Airmeet’s technology, which allowed the best combination of main stage broadcast content, intimate conversations between guests, and table hopping to allow for serendipitous connections.
Praise
“With 2020 curtailing our usual fundraising efforts, we needed a new way to bring people together, and raise vital funds for a new surgical microscope for St George’s Hospital. We were introduced to Forgather, who worked with us to find the right technology to run a virtual live auction dinner to replace our usual live banquet fundraiser. Forgather managed the production on the night and also connected us with their catering partner Jimmy Garcia Catering, to ship gourmet meals around the country to all of our guests. The feedback we’ve had from guests has been brilliant, and we are delighted to have raised over £72,000 at what became known as #GalaInYourParlour! This event was a real labour of love from many collaborators, and we are grateful to Forgather for their contribution in making the event a success which we hope to repeat next year!”
- Laura King, Chair, John King Brain Tumour Foundation
Want to support the John King Brain Tumour Foundation? Make a donation, or click here to sponsor your own pair of "hands" sculpture from renowned artist Emma Rodgers.
