Most teams spend a good chunk of the year looking at each other through a screen. So when London finally strings together a run of warm evenings, it feels like a missed opportunity to mark it in the same meeting room you sit in every other week. A summer get-together outdoors, with decent food and a bit of room to breathe, usually does more for how a team feels than any number of structured exercises. That is the simple case for a rooftop BBQ or a corporate away day on the terrace. People loosen up, talk to colleagues they rarely see, and head home feeling like they were part of something.
Here is how to think about putting one together, and why the right spot in central London makes the whole thing easier.
There is something about being outdoors that changes how people behave at a work event. The setting is less formal than a sit-down dinner, so conversation comes more easily and nobody feels stuck next to the same two people all night. Teams that work across different floors or different departments actually mix. Newer starters get a chance to put faces to names.
It also sends a quiet signal. Taking everyone somewhere proper for the afternoon or evening, rather than ordering pizzas to the office, tells people their work over the year mattered. You do not need a grand reason. The end of a busy quarter, a project finally shipping, or simply the fact that it is July and the sun is out are all reason enough.
The best summer team events tend to follow a loose shape rather than a packed agenda. A little structure at the start gives people something to gather around, and then the evening is left to find its own rhythm.
A format that works well looks something like this:
If you are running a full away day, the working part sits comfortably earlier in the day. You can book a meeting room for the sessions that need focus, then move up to the terrace once the laptops are shut. Splitting the day like this keeps the serious conversations productive and gives everyone something to look forward to. There is more on the daytime meetings side if you want to plan both halves in one go.
A BBQ is the easy part to get right and the easy part to get wrong. The trick is food that is generous and good, not just a tray of burnt sausages. Our rooftop summer party menus are built for sharing and for grazing across the evening.
The Classic BBQ starts from £115 per guest and includes a welcome cocktail, three hours of unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks, and a dessert station to finish. Expect Scottish Angus beef burgers, hickory barbecue chicken, a proper spicy bean burger for anyone going meat-free, and sides like charred asparagus and corn on the cob. If you want to give the menu more of a theme, you can upgrade from £16 per person to an Indian BBQ, with lamb seekh kebabs and murgh malai tikka, or a Spanish Feast built around paella and tiger prawns.
For a lighter touch, or a daytime away day rather than an evening party, there is also an alfresco dining package from £99 plus VAT per person. It swaps the grill for a sharing-style spread of charcuterie, fresh salads and tapas brought to the table, with the same three hours of unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks. The timings are flexible, so it works just as well for a long lunch on the terrace as it does in the evening.
It is worth knowing where the food comes from too. Searcys, who run the kitchen here, build menus around seasonal British produce that is responsibly sourced, from free-range eggs to British-reared meat, working with a roster of trusted suppliers you can look through here. If a sustainable summer party matters to your team, that side of things is already taken care of rather than bolted on.
The hardest part of any team event is often just getting everyone to the same place at the same time. This is where a central location does a lot of quiet work, especially if your people commute in from different directions.
30 Euston Square sits in NW1, a short walk from Euston, Euston Square and Warren Street, with St Pancras International and King’s Cross just up the road. For a mixed group, some travelling across London and some arriving by train from further out, that is about as convenient as it gets. There is a step-free entrance on Euston Road, and anyone coming a long way can stay over in one of the 41 bedrooms on site, with rates from £167.50 plus VAT including breakfast.
British weather being what it is, there is a sensible backup. The terrace is comfortable for a team of up to around 90, and the adjoining State Rooms on the fifth floor give you indoor space for up to 230 if the forecast turns or your numbers grow. Either way, the party carries on.
A team event should not add to your workload, and the point of bringing people together is lost if you spend the whole evening troubleshooting. The terrace comes set up with giant Jenga, giant Connect 4 and table football, so there is something to do beyond standing and chatting. If you want to go further, the team can arrange a DJ, a live singer or a photobooth through their entertainment partner.
Mostly, it helps to have people who have done this many times before handling the moving parts, so you can enjoy the day you organised. If a rooftop BBQ or summer away day sounds like the right way to thank your team this year, get in touch and we can talk through dates, numbers and what would suit your group.
Step into an endless summer escape
Join us at 30 Euston Square for an evening of drinks, delicious food and live music.
