Ballymore: Lunar New Year Client Reception at Capston Sales Gallery

Who, where and when

Ballymore, the property developer, hosted a Lunar New Year reception for an important Chinese client audience at its Capston Sales Gallery in London on 11 February 2026, from 6pm to 9pm. The evening combined a standing reception, speeches and a lion dance. Pearl Lemon Catering was booked for the canapés, drinks and catering staff.

The constraint: a gallery, not a kitchen

The gallery runs over three floors and has only a small ground-floor kitchenette: a fridge, a sink and a microwave, with no oven or freezer. A slow lift linked the floors, so every run between the kitchenette and the guests had to be planned rather than improvised. The interiors are premium, and the building is where Ballymore sells homes, so it had to look immaculate during and after the evening.

Who did what

• Ballymore: the venue, the guest list, the speeches and the lion dance, which it arranged itself.
• Pearl Lemon Catering: the menu and drinks list, and a two-person hospitality team. One person ran a fixed bar; the other provided circulating service, timed around the speeches and performance.

Menu and drinks, built around the building

With no oven, the menu was built on cold canapés that could be passed by hand, including vegan and gluten-free options. Drinks were Prosecco, white wine, water and a signature Lunar New Year serve offered in alcoholic and alcohol-free versions. Red wine was deliberately left off to avoid permanent stains on the gallery’s finishes.

The guest estimate moved several times: from about 35, to around 45, with 50 discussed later. These were planning figures, and quantities and staffing were checked again at each change. No final attendance figure is published here.

Outcome

Pearl Lemon catered the reception while Ballymore ran the wider programme. Two days later, on 13 February, Ballymore’s marketing and events team wrote to thank us. They praised the two catering staff for being organised, for an efficient pack-down and for the care taken to leave the gallery clean.

Planning a showroom or sales-gallery reception

• Share the venue’s kitchen facilities early; they decide the menu.
• Map lifts, stairs and the route between preparation area and guests.
• Choose drinks that will not damage the interiors.
• Give the caterer the running order so service pauses for speeches or performances.
• Expect guest numbers to move, and agree when the final figure is needed.

Hosting a reception in a showroom or gallery? send us your brief with the venue facilities and guest estimate, or book a call.