One of the lovely things about working in events is that you get to visit some wonderful places and meet a variety of interesting people. Last Thursday, after over a year of planning and having our dates bumped twice, we finally got to deliver a much-anticipated stewardship event at the House of Lords.

All of our invitees had philanthropically supported Sussex in the past so to express our thanks we invited them to an exclusive reception and behind the scenes tour at the House of Lords. Experiential events are very much in demand these days, with events professionals around the world constantly striving to find experiences and venues for their guests that they wouldn’t normally have access to.

We put a cap on attendance at 150 to ensure that DARO staff would have an opportunity to speak to all of those attending, and were thrilled that the event sold out quickly. It is perhaps unsurprising, given the exclusivity of the event, that on the night almost everybody who had booked a place turned up.

For those readers that might not be aware, there’s airport-style security at the House of Lords, and combined with a rainy day, anti-Brexit protesters outside, and a team of security staff that had clearly had enough by 6pm, it took some time to get all of our guests into the venue. But once inside, any delay was forgotten. The grandeur of the room, the breathtaking views of the Thames, the London Eye and other landmarks, combined with the delicious canapés served by incredibly professional staff all wooed our esteemed guests, and in no time at all the atmosphere was buzzing.

We were thrilled that people had made the effort to come from as far afield as the US, Canada, Germany and Greece, and our Development and Alumni Relations colleagues did a marvellous job stewarding them all.

Guest speakers included our own VC, as well as two incredible Sussex students; Eman Elharmee, a Master’s student in receipt of the Cate Haste Scholarship and Rebecca Atkinson, a PhD scholar, both of whom are supported very generously by individual donors.

Following the drinks reception, our guests were divided into small groups to embark on a tour of the Houses of Lords and Commons.

Cameras weren’t allowed on the tours, sadly, so there are no images to share. As a substitute, here are 10 facts about the Houses of Parliament that we learnt on the night:

1. There are 100 staircases, more than 1,000 rooms and three miles of passages.
2. There are 650 MPs elected to the House of Commons – 502 of them are men and 148 are women.
3. Despite there being 650 MPs, the chamber has only 427 seats, if it gets busy you may have to stand or sit on someone’s lap! MPs can use prayer cards to reserve seats in the chamber. These prayer cards are dated and must be obtained personally by the Member who wishes to use them from an on duty attendant before the House meets.
4. While the House of Commons has a defined 650-seat membership, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed. Currently there are around 782 peers (members) of which 207 are women. Most hereditary peers – people who inherited their title – were removed from the House of Lords in 1999 but there are still around 90 hereditary peers making up the membership.
5. Clapping is frowned upon in the House of Commons and doesn’t really happen. The last big around of applause was for Sir Robert Rogers when he retired as the clerk of the House of Commons. Before that Tony Blair received a round of applause as he stood down from Prime Minister and left the Chamber for the final time.
6. When a new law or a bill is proposed, it is tied up in green ribbon and then sent by hand through the central lobby down the corridor from the House of Commons to the House of Lords.
7. In the central lobby the windows have large metal grilles on them. These were originally from the Ladies’ Gallery in the House of Commons, put there so that MPs were not distracted by the sight of their female counterparts as they worked. In 1908, two suffragettes chained themselves to one of the grilles in protest and after much campaigning the grilles was removed from the gallery. They were placed in the central lobby in 1917.
8. The members lobby houses four bronze statues of David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher. Maggie, standing opposite from Churchill had received a small bunch of flowers on her statue on the day of our visit, clearly from a secret admirer! The feet of Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George, which flank the Commons doors, have been eroded by generations of MPs rubbing them for luck.
9. The Houses of Parliament have their own post office, gym and pub as well as gift shop.
10. And finally, it’s illegal to die inside the Palace of Westminster!

If you know of any extra special or quirky venues in London or Sussex that you’d recommend for future events, or if you have any personal connections that may be able to help us deliver ‘money can’t buy’ experiences, please do get in touch. We are always open to new ideas.
You can reach the Events Team at mailto:Events@sussex.ac.uk.