Express & Star

Grand Station in Wolverhampton shows off successful events in BBC show featuring Tom Kerridge

The Grand Station in Wolverhampton featured in the BBC's show 'The Hidden world of hospitality' last night, featuring celebrity Tom Kerridge.

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Grand Station, Wolverhampton. Tom and Manni.

The show aired on BBC Two at 8pm, and is available to rewatch on BBC iPlayer.

The episode featured Tom Kerridge visiting the award-winning wedding and events venue in Sun Street, Wolverhampton, ahead of one of their many Christmas parties and their biggest Sikh wedding of the year.

Grand Station, Wolverhampton. Danny, Manni and Tom.

Throughout the episode, both Danny Thompson, head of sales and business development at Grand Station, and Manni, the events manager, feature as they discuss the events they are hosting, including a 600 guest wedding.

Part of the episode sees Danny discussing how the business is trying to venture into the business of African wedding market as he believes he has spotted a gap in the market.

Speaking in the episode, Danny says: "We are trying to find growing areas for our business. It (the African wedding market) has to be a market that we can target."

The venue then hosts an African wedding fair which allows their new events manager for African weddings, Taffy, and suppliers the chance to showcase what they can offer - around 200 guests attended the event.

Grand Station, Wolverhampton.

Speaking after the event, Danny added: "The African wedding fair went well, we managed to secure three bookings which is a big positive from the day.

"The great thing is that the clients mentioned that they are looking at Mondays to Thursdays for their bookings, and these are our quiet days and it can be really successful.

"If we manage to fill the gap in the week of our quiet days, it will be a success - it's just a start but the signs are really good."

Grand Station, Wolverhampton.

Guests that attended the wedding fair at Grand Station were interviewed and they said: "We are really happy that a venue is offering a specific African wedding and we're not just forced to accept something in a box, they are offering us something that we want."

Following the African wedding fair, attention then turned to the big Sikh wedding with 600 guests, and Manni discussed the pre-planning, including picking the decorations, food menu tasting, and on the night before, the work that goes into transforming the venue over-night, from one wedding to another.

The night team worked from dusk till dawn to transform the venue, and it looked like a completely different venue once the transformation was complete.

Tom Kerridge then attended Grand Station on the day of the wedding where he witnessed the staff in full flow, as they made last minute preparations for the huge wedding.

He follows Manni throughout the day, as she organises staff, catering, and everything else in-between.

Grand Station, Wolverhampton.

As Tom walks inside the venue, he said: "I know they had a big function last night and so the guys would have been here making sure that they can get everything ready, it is a big thing to turnaround that.

"Manni's team delivered - the transformation is incredible."

As Tom walked through the venue, watching on as staff prepared food and tables, he added: "It is a tight-run kitchen, but very impressive as they turn out food for 600 guests.

"This building and the people in it never, ever, seem to stop - it is a massive, giant spinning world of hospitality.

"Manni and her team have done an incredible job.

"The wedding was amazing. I've had the best time here.

Grand Station, Wolverhampton. Danny, Manni and Tom.

"This is different every single day, every single event. Everything that they do here is bespoke, and what the guys here do is just incredible, fair play."

Manni, speaking about weddings and running events, added: "I do really love my job, I can't see myself doing anything else. I just love attending all these weddings!"