Smart Group, the leading collection of events and hospitality experts, has announced the launch of new stand-out hospitality brand, Smart Experiences, launching its first package at Royal Ascot in June – which will include everything from a Mad Hatters Tea Party to a Friday night curry night.

Currently working alongside Smart Hospitality’s creative director, Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett, Smart Experiences creates corporate and private hospitality packages at some of the UK’s biggest sporting events, for which Smart Group are official partners.

These packages are tailored to each sport – quintessentially British at Wimbledon, hearty meals at Twickenham and even grazing stations at the polo.

Guests will enjoy a completely different experience to the traditional corporate hospitality, as the format of each event will be exclusively designed to cater to its key audience.

Crucially, food will be the focal point of each Smart Experience.

Not only will guests be assured of the quality of the food, as Smart Hospitality will cater for each event, but guests will also have the opportunity to speak with the chefs, designers and creators of all the dishes they taste. 

All food will be exceptionally creative and to the highest standard expected of Smart.

Linking into the legendary headpieces worn at the event, Smart Experiences at Royal Ascot will host a Mad Hatters afternoon tea party, inviting guests to enter into the garden of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, with everything edible from the candy floss trees to the mountains of meringues and huge wobbling jellies.

In addition, there will be green tea pouring cream, edible loofahs with exploded yoghurt and little Queen of Hearts tarts for guests to taste and explore.

The event will have an Alice in Wonderland theme

Upon arrival in The Village at Royal Ascot, Smart Experiences will serve traditional English drinks, including Pimms and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Later in the day, there will be a chance for guests to enjoy an interactive dining experience with dessert and cheese workshops where they can taste tapas-style desserts before delving into the Shorracks Lancashire cheese bomb as it is crumbled into its soft blue cheese.

A first for Ascot, when all other hospitality closes after the racing, Smart Experiences will also be hosting a Friday night curry night including entertainment and a bar to end the evening.

Other Smart Experiences will include a traditionally British afternoon tea by Angela Hartnett at Wimbledon, with food will be served in picnic hampers, as well as a hearty menu starting with Guinness and ending in sticky toffee pudding for rugby fans at Twickenham.

Finally, at Polo in the Park, there will be a grazing menu offered, allowing guests to taste the delicious food throughout the day as well as being able to enjoy it field-side.

Greg Lawson, chief executive of Smart Group said: “Smart Experiences steps away from the usual hospitality that people have grown accustomed to at sporting events. Instead, guests can now spend the day in an environment that has been specifically tailored to their interests – from the food to the entertainment and atmosphere.

“There is nothing generic about any Smart Experience, and it is very exciting to launch something so different into the market, which will elevate each guest’s experience while watching the sport they love.”

All Smart Experiences packages will include tickets to the main sporting event, as well as the exciting food experiences offered throughout.

These premium hospitality packages, for both corporate and private groups, can be found on the official website.