Paul Smith Associates
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Eat to the Beat rules the waves at naming ceremony for P&O’s new flagship Britannia

Chesham, Bucks: March 12, 2015: Event caterers Eat to the Beat played their part in maritime history keeping the crew behind the scenes shipshape for the launch of Britain’s biggest ever cruise liner.

P&O Cruises’ vessel Britannia was officially named at a ceremony at Ocean Terminal, Southampton, on Tuesday March 10.

The naming ceremony was orchestrated by Chicago-based experiential communications agency Under the Radar which chose Eat to the Beat to take care of its large technical crew responsible for all aspects of the build-up to the spectacular event. The assignment involved a ten-strong team from Eat to the Beat providing meals and refreshments for several hundred technicians, talent and press over the five days leading up to the launch, the day itself and Wednesday’s take-down.

The naming celebration took place on a specially constructed stage on the Southampton dock adjacent to the Britannia berth. More than 1,500 guests including dignitaries, politicians, business leaders, travel industry executives as well as a host of celebrities attended. The ceremony, hosted by Rob Brydon, the Welsh actor, comedian and singer, was also viewed by a global online audience.

The Britannia is P&O’s new flagship, replacing the Oriana. Costing £500million, she will carry 4,324 passengers and 1,398 crew. The 330 metre long ship, which has 13 restaurants, four swimming pools and a 936-seat theatre, was built in Italy. It sets off on its maiden voyage on March 14.

Britannia boasts Britain’s largest floating art collection, containing more than 8,000 artworks. The multi-million-pound art collection represents a new approach by P&O Cruises with works chosen to complement and enhance the interior design giving the feel of a luxury hotel.

P&O Cruises has assembled the cream of British culinary talent. The new ship’s Food Heroes includes an unprecedented line up of the country’s celebrity chefs. Popular TV chef, James Martin, is developing The Cookery Club, the first cookery school on board a British cruise ship. Passengers will be able to participate in a hands-on class with guest chefs on board in a state-of-the-art cookery school.

The Britannia ceremony is not the first time that Eat to the Beat has been asked to support a ship naming ceremony for Under the Radar. The Chicago organisation, renowned for producing and staging events for the world’s leading cruise companies, also used Eat to the Beat’s catering services for the Southampton launch of Princess Cruises' Royal Princess by the Duchess of Cambridge in June 2013.

About Global Infusion Group
Originally launched in 1984 as Eat to the Beat – an artist, production and crew catering business specialising in backstage catering services for music, entertainment, film and TV industries – the company has catered many of the biggest names in the entertainment world. Eat to the Beat provides backstage catering support for international tours, major festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading, concert venues and TV and film locations.

Additional divisions were added to the Eat to the Beat brand as the business evolved and diversified and now includes a bespoke corporate & private party planning, catering and event design division (GIG…fyi) in 1988; global sport and automotive event catering (GIG SPORT) in 2002 and a logistics and brand support division to promote predominantly food and drink products (…e2B…) since 1997. All divisions trade under the umbrella of Global Infusion Group which has its UK headquarters in Chesham, Bucks.

GIG has established international offices in California, United States, Qatar, Middle East and Shanghai, China catering across Asia and the Far East. It is soon to open a branch in Brazil to service the South American market. The group employs around 170 full-time staff world-wide supported by up to 3,000 freelance professional specialists to support the hundreds of global events and functions it works at each year. For more information about GIG visit: www.globalinfusiongroup.com

About Under the Radar
Founded in 1989, Under the Radar is a Chicago-based producer of global consumer and corporate experiential marketing events that provide audiences with an immersive brand experience. Its core competencies include communication and event marketing strategy, creative development, production execution and project management services. For more information about Under the Radar, visit: www.utrexp.com

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
12th March 2015