Corporate Anniversary Party

For my client’s 30th anniversary, the ambition was clear: think bigger, bolder, and beyond the expected. The brief was simple—“80s, 80s, 80s”—but rather than defaulting to nostalgic clichés, I delved deeper into the cultural fabric of the decade, exploring its television, music, art, and design movements to build a fully immersive, multi-dimensional experience.

With 600 guests in attendance—the largest event in the company’s history—it was essential to design an environment rich in diversity, energy, and continuous engagement. A single dance floor and bar would not suffice; the experience needed to unfold as a curated journey.

Tobacco Dock, newly launched as a public venue at the time, provided the scale and architectural variety required to realise this vision. Its multiple interconnected spaces allowed us to create a series of distinct yet cohesive 80s-inspired environments under one roof.

The journey began in an elegant welcome lounge inspired by the glamour of 1980s hotel bars, setting a sophisticated tone for arrival drinks and dining. Guests then explored a collection of design-led activations, including a fully realised “Cheers” pub—mirroring the iconic American sitcom—serving craft beers, nostalgic bar snacks, and featuring a working jukebox.

The ‘Only Fools’ Theatre recreated the instantly recognisable living room from the beloved British series, transformed into an intimate performance space hosting a curated lineup of 80s-inspired entertainment, from magicians and comedians to vocalists—all compered by a charismatic East London host channeling Rodney.

No 80s immersion would be complete without an arcade. We designed and built a fully operational bowling alley and installed vintage, working arcade machines, including the legendary Zoltar fortune teller, creating a playful, high-energy environment layered with authentic detail.

The evening culminated in the “secret” Leopard Disco Room—an exuberant, high-impact space drenched in leopard print, pink accents, metallic drapery, and mirrored disco balls—where guests danced late into the night.

The result was not a themed party, but a fully conceived experiential destination—rich in cultural references, meticulously detailed, and operationally complex—created exclusively to celebrate a milestone anniversary with imagination and scale.