By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 26 October 2026

Table set for the creators dinner at the Lloyd, with a lilac welcome card, flowers, wine glasses and folded napkins

Creators spend most of their days behind a screen, so an evening to meet in person is special. Mix & Mingle was an exclusive creators meetup organized by Stylink. The guests gathered at the Lloyd on Amsterdam’s eastern docks. The building opened in 1921 as a hotel for emigrants and is now The Hoxton, Lloyd. I photographed the creators dinner at the Lloyd from start to finish.

Evenings like this fall under my business photography in Amsterdam. There, an event is about the people and the atmosphere as much as the program.

Where
The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam
When
November, evening
Session
Event Photoshoot
Light
Warm lamps, candles and string lights

Before the Doors Open

I arrived before the guests to photograph the room as the organizers had set it. A long table waited with lilac flowers and printed menus. Glasses stood lined up on marble, bottles lay on ice, and a small gift bag sat on every chair. Those first frames matter to an organizer. After all, they show the care that went into the evening before it fills up.

The Lloyd itself did half the work, too: velvet armchairs, a tall backlit bar, globe lights and a corner full of books and lamps.

Welcome sign for the Mix & Mingle creators meetup by Stylink beside the empty dining room at the Lloyd
Mix & Mingle by Stylink, an exclusive creators meetup
Long dinner table under a ring of string lights at the Lloyd, set and waiting before the guests arrive
Empty dining room with tables set in white and wood, a ring of lights glowing beneath the ceiling
Long wooden table set with plates, glasses and lilac flowers for the creators dinner, string lights above
Lilac and white flowers in a glass vase beside wine glasses on a candlelit table set for the creators dinner
Printed lilac menu on a white plate with silver cutlery, a small gift bag waiting on the chair below
Champagne being poured into a row of glasses lined up on a marble bar under warm pendant lamps
Tall backlit shelves of bottles behind the bar at the Lloyd, a glowing lamp on the counter in front
Lamp and a vase of dried flowers on a stack of art books on a marble table in the hotel lounge
Lounge corner with an orange sofa, a low table and framed art on a wood-paneled wall, quiet before the guests arrive
Velvet armchairs around a low table with a candle on a patterned rug in the lounge of the Lloyd
Two mustard velvet chairs beside a small table with a lamp and a white sculpture in a quiet corner
Bottles of sparkling wine on crushed ice in a steel bar trough, ready for the creators meetup
Server holding two dishes of shellfish on crushed ice, appetizers ready for the dinner guests
Rows of wine glasses on a metal rack under a globe chandelier in the bar of the Lloyd, ready for the evening
Two cocktails in coupe glasses behind a glass panel, lit by a yellow ceramic lamp at the Lloyd
Bartender behind a long bar lit by glowing globe lamps, shelves of bottles and plants in the background

Arrivals at the Creators Meetup

Then the doors opened. Creators greeted each other with hugs and handshakes, a glass in hand. At events like this I work quietly, so people stay themselves. There is no lining up and no stopping conversations, just moments as they happen.

Three guests laughing together as they arrive in the dining room, a ring of lights overhead
Guest in a white coat shaking hands with another guest at the Lloyd before the creators dinner
Two guests greeting each other with a handshake beside a marble bar lined with glasses of champagne
Guests hugging as they arrive in the hotel lounge, coats still on and glasses in hand, the evening just beginning
Smiling guest in a blazer talking with another guest at the bar of the Lloyd, a glass of champagne in hand
Guests relaxing in the lounge of the Lloyd beneath tall windows, a model sailing ship displayed by the bar
Two guests in cream and white fluffy jackets sharing drinks on a sofa by candlelight in the hotel lounge
Lounge at the Lloyd seen from above, with globe lights, a bar of bottles and creators gathered on the sofas
Guest in a white halter top smiling from a dark booth, a phone and a drink on the table beside her
Guest in black leaning on the bar and looking aside, rows of glasses racked behind her in the warm light

Shaking Cocktails at the Bar

Before dinner, the bar turned into a workshop. With a bartender’s help, the guests shook their own cocktails and laughed as they went. Then they toasted with coupes that caught the light. Moments like these make event photos feel alive: hands moving, faces lit from below, real fun.

Creators shaking their own cocktails at a long lit bar at the Lloyd before dinner, shakers raised and glasses ready
Three guests concentrating on their cocktail shakers at the bar, one in a white fluffy jacket
Bartender showing two guests how to mix a drink at the bar under a globe chandelier, bottles lined up in front
Guests gathered along the bar with glasses of champagne, a painting hanging on the wall above
Guests at the bar working on their cocktails during the workshop, the counter glowing from below and shakers in hand
Bartender in the foreground as guests laugh across the bar during the cocktail workshop, glasses lined up between them
Two guests smiling at the bar with their drinks, a lamp glowing softly behind them in the dim room
Two pale cocktails in coupe glasses standing side by side on the bar in the warm, low light of the Lloyd
Two coupe glasses raised for a toast above the bar, the room glowing softly behind the clinking glasses
Guests at the bar beside a glowing globe lamp, bottles and shakers lined up on the counter

The Creators Dinner Under the Lights

At the long table, the creators dinner at the Lloyd found its rhythm. Conversations kept going under a ring of string lights. Meanwhile, soup and small dishes came and went, and phones came out to film the food. Later, a speech at the head of the table was recorded from every angle. In low light I let the lamps and candles shape the frames. That way, the photos keep the warmth everyone felt in the room.

Long table of creators at dinner seen from the end, a ring of string lights glowing above them
Creators seated along the dinner table at the Lloyd, flowers and candles between the plates
Guests standing and sitting around the dinner table at the Lloyd as the evening begins, string lights overhead
Guests passing dishes across the dinner table at the Lloyd, laughing as the plates are shared
Three guests deep in conversation at the creators dinner, a water bottle and glasses between them
Guest looking at her phone at the dinner table at the Lloyd, a lilac menu and a candle beside her plate
Two guests in animated conversation across the dinner table at the Lloyd, glasses of wine in front of them
Smiling guest at the creators dinner, candlelight on her face and a glass of wine in front of her
Two guests laughing together at the creators dinner, flowers and wine glasses blurred in the foreground
Bowls of creamy soup with a swirl of cream and herbs, lined up for the dinner at the Lloyd
Plated starter of grilled vegetables and greens on a white plate at a candlelit table, cutlery set beside it
Guest holding a coupe glass at the dinner table, plates of food in front of her and a phone out to film
Guest standing to speak at the head of the dinner table as creators film the moment on their phones
Guest in white smiling at the end of the dinner table while another guest films her on a phone

The Last Frame

The evening ended the way it began: with the building. Guests drifted out through the hotel’s arched corridor. Outside, the Lloyd’s brick tower glowed against the night sky.

Guest in a leopard-print top at the table among candles and flowers, a quiet smile at the end of the evening
Three guests in white walking out through the arched, lit corridor of the Lloyd at the end of the night
Brick tower of the Lloyd lit up at night, a street lamp and leafy branches framing the entrance
The Lloyd, opened in 1921 as a hotel for emigrants

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