Category: Blog

IET London: Savoy Place’s Riverside Room will begin an £280k upgrade to further enhance the room’s state-of-the-art AV and event offering, in July 2019.

The project will see the installation of two 4k video walls and two 4k LED screens, allowing the room to be used in full landscape format, giving every delegate full visibility.

New cameras will allow speakers or presenters to be filmed from any angle, and live relayed onto all screens in the room. New cutting-edge video mapping software will also be used to compose and manage multiple content across the screens. Meanwhile, enhancements to the audio system will allow for multiple mapping of the sound to different zones within the building, including the roof terrace.

Sean Spencer, Head of IET Venues said: “We’re constantly re-evaluating, upgrading and staying ahead of the game and the significant investment we have secured for this summer is another example of how we are future proofing our venues for our guests.

“We really want to give everyone who uses the venue the best possible experience when attending events and conferences with us. In addition to the AV upgrades, we have also developed new dining and conferencing packages to showcase the investments and further enhance our event offering.”

The Riverside Room at Savoy Place will be open for events from September 2019. Find out more and view new packages here, or learn more about the venue here.

You’re invited!

Wednesday 3 July   6:30pm-9pm

QEII Centre is delighted to invite you to ‘Birdie Island’ for an evening of mini golf, live music, sumptuous cocktails and delicious canapés to celebrate the summer season!

Against the spectacular backdrop of Westminster Abbey, see QEII Centre with its summer glow, find out more about this contemporary Westminster venue, and meet its friendly faces.

Slip on your golf visor, get practising your swing and join us at the central Westminster venue for all the fun, on Wednesday 3 July.

Bring your teams along for some friendly mini golf competition and be in the with the chance of winning some great prizes, too.

To RSVP, please click here.

Westminster Venue Collection is delighted to welcome Lumiére London – The Embassy, to its marketing consortium, bringing its member total to 37.

Running along the western edge of Buckingham Palace Gardens, The Embassy is Lumiére London’s latest venue on the prestigious Grosvenor Place in Belgravia. Its rich history, dating back to the 18^th century, gives the collection of event spaces an obvious personality with a refreshingly contemporary burst of colour and choice of designer furnishings.

With exceptional attention to detail, the spacious ground floor has been lovingly reverted to its original décor with high ceilings, sparkling chandeliers and hand painted walls and mouldings.

The space lends itself to intimate events for up to 75 guests, hosting dinners, meetings, exhibitions, conferences and small weddings. The Embassy’s state-of-the-art AV equipment and high-tech sound system ensures events held at the venue are offered a level of superior quality that is mirrored throughout all its services.

Find out more about Lumiére London here.

Humankind first stepped foot on the Earth’s Moon in 1969 and Saturday 20 July 2019, marks 50 years since this revolutionary moment.

Space exploration has progressed tremendously over the past 50 years, from the launch of the first space station in 1971, to the first tourist venturing into space in 2001. However, none have made quite as big of an impact as the United States’ Apollo 11 crew’s mission to the Moon in the 60s.

The Royal Society
Overlooking The Mall and St James’s Park, The Royal Society archive has over 350 years of scientific development by a Fellowship of the world’s preeminent scientists. From Isaac Newton’s delineation of the laws that govern the movement of celestial bodies in 1665, to the Apollo moon landings in 1969, the historic collections show humanity’s enduring fascination with space and the part that Royal Society’s Fellows have played in advancing knowledge of the universe.

Recently acquired by the venue is the archive of space scientist, Colin Trevor Pilinger FRS (1943-2014). Best known for his development of the European Space Agency’s Beagle 2 Mars lander, Pilinger started his career analysing Apollo lunar samples, looking for evidence of extra-terrestrial life. The featured image here is from one of Pillinger’s 1960s slides, showing a piece of precious moon rock.

The Royal Institution of Great Britain
The Royal Institution has always been dedicated to science, research and innovation. Founded and located at 21 Albemarle Street since 1799, over the last 200 years, its discoveries have changed and shaped the modern world. Here Michael Faraday invented the electric motor, Humphry Davy developed the miners’ safety lamp and James Dewar pioneered the Dewar flask which in today’s society, we use to keep our drinks hot.

Today, the Ri is an independent charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science, offering an exceptionally elegant and versatile events venue; with all revenue generated from room hire supporting the charitable aims. With eight flexible spaces to hire, the Ri has a lot to offer for a whole spectrum of events.

Imperial College London
Imperial College London’s research impact on the world is vast and a total of 14 Imperial academics have been awarded a Nobel Prize, including; Sir Alexander Fleming for his discovery of Penicillin; Dennis Gabor FRS for his invention and development of the holographic method; and in the moon-landing year of 1969, Sir George Porter FRS, who won for his studies into extremely fast chemical reactions.

World leading research in the sciences can be found throughout Imperial College London, with members of staff actively involved in projects addressing some of the World’s biggest challenges of today and tomorrow. The event spaces at Imperial College London reflect this vast array of learning, with over 100 flexible areas, both indoors and outdoors.

IET London: Savoy Place
As the UK flagship of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), IET London: Savoy Place is one of the UK’s leading venues for STEM events (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Guests to the venue can explore some inspirational exhibits; on the first floor, ‘100 ideas that changed the world’ celebrates engineering innovations that have had a significant impact on our lives – from early technologies to recent IET Innovation Award winners. Through the full height of the building’s two staircases sits the ‘Celebrating Engineers’ gallery, which depicts outstanding engineers, past and present.

St Martin-in-the-Fields
Where would science be without the students who developed their love and knowledge of the subject at school? St Martin-in-the-Fields was a great believer in making education accessible and created the Archbishop Tenison School in 1685, providing the first free education for boys in London.

One of the world’s most famous scientists, Sir Isaac Newton lived just down the road from the venue on St Martin’s Lane from 1711-1727, his final years – perhaps a drop-in visit by the local scientist inspired the next generation of budding scientists.

Vue West End
Event professionals are being given the chance to celebrate 50 years since the first manned landing on the moon, with a private screening of the recently released ‘Apollo 11’ documentary at Vue West End. With availability for up to 270 guests, companies can make the most of the event with a canapé reception or presentation around the film showing or begin the event with your own red carpet experience on the famous Leicester Square.

St Martin-in-the-Fields is welcoming its first Business Development Director, Kerry Mutter, to the team.

Kerry joins St Martin’s having spent the last nine years with Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd where she was responsible for creating, developing and growing their events strategy and increasing annual sales by over 1000%.

Kerry’s key responsibilities included managing a wide team from events to general managers as well key relationships with high-profile brands including Disney and Amazon. Her previous roles include working with conference and events sales for a leading caterer and hotel groups. Kerry’s role at St Martin’s will see her developing a portfolio of commercial activities and marketing platforms as part of the senior executive team.

The Royal Society has joined the Meetings Industry Association (mia) – one of the fastest growing associations in the conference, meetings and events sector.

As part of its membership, the Royal Society has secured the mia’s highly acclaimed AIM accreditation. AIM is the UK’s nationally recognised standard for venues and service providers in the meetings, conferences and events industry and has 50 strict criteria that venues must meet to achieve accreditation.

Jane Longhurst, mia chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to welcome The Royal Society as our latest member. Securing AIM accreditation acts as a guarantee to buyers that when they choose The Royal Society, they’re choosing a venue that cares about best practice and actively strives to meet and exceed their expectations. With so many dedicated conference centres and hotels, sporting and academic venues to choose from nationwide, it offers a smart method to quality control their selections that could ultimately save them time, anxiety and reputational risk later down the line.”

BAFTA 195 Piccadilly invites guests to explore its wonderful new pop-up ‘BAFTA Piccadilly’, while undergoing extensive refurbishment.

The venue’s temporary home away from home residence is now next door at 194 Piccadilly.

By choosing BAFTA Piccadilly to host your special event, you are helping support numerous charitable endeavours, which include nurturing new talent, inspiring audiences and celebrating the nation’s heritage across the film, television and games industries.

The ground floor at BAFTA Piccadilly will house a rotating exhibition curated by our in-house archive team, giving an opportunity to share our love of the art form of the moving image, combined with a daytime food and beverage offer. This space can be hired during the evening and is ideal for stand-up receptions, intimate celebrations and product launches.

The lower ground floor at BAFTA Piccadilly is a truly spectacular space, making your experience instantly unforgettable. Featuring an open kitchen as well as projection capabilities, this is perfect for gala dinners, award ceremonies and parties. Housing the BAFTA member’s club by day, this can be hired during evenings and weekends. Why not combine the two? The whole venue can be hired to create a truly unforgettable event for up to 350 guests.

For further information, please contact Georgie Archer at [email protected].

Lincoln’s Inn is now taking bookings in its brand-new conference centre for events from 1 November.

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the Ashworth Centre is named after Mercy Ashworth who was one of the first women to be called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1923. The lecture theatre is ideal for screenings, conferences and talks, and is complete with integrated AV facilities.

The tiered theatre style seating for 158 delegates also retracts, allowing the stylish double height space to be used for receptions as well as a host of other event possibilities. This venue is conveniently located next to a suite of meeting rooms suitable as break out spaces for smaller group sessions.

Cleverly constructed below the eminent Great Hall with a glass roof and natural stream of light, the Ashworth Centre provides a contemporary contrast to the historical nature of the Inn, with new DDR packages available from £65.00pp.

Cavendish Venues has signed the meeting industry association’s #20PercentLess pledge in response to the effect single-use plastics is having on the planet.

Supporting the mia’s strategy to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly operations and share best practice, the venue has joined a number of others in the business meetings and events industry to make a change.Small steps can make a big difference, and can start with removing plastic bottles, pens, stirrers, cups and cutlery from your business.

For more information about making your future events, venue choices and suppliers more sustainable, click here.

Clare Davies, sales and development manager at IET London: Savoy Place, shares her top tips for securing a last-minute venue.

1. Prices with no surprises

Choose a venue that advertises all-inclusive prices, you don’t need the extra stress of discovering hidden costs which are going to take you over budget.

Also, last minute discounts may be available, don’t be afraid to approach a venue, even if it’s little over your budget, negotiate!

2. Facilities under one roof

Look for a venue that offers services and facilities in house e.g. catering, AV and multiple meeting spaces. With everything under one roof, you can save time dealing with just one supplier, especially if a venue offers you one event coordinator to support you from start to finish.

3. Catering options

Don’t dismiss catering options, assuming that there won’t be enough time. With a week to go before the event, you can expect sandwich lunches, fork buffets, bowl food — even three course meal. With less time, finger food, sandwiches and drinks receptions can often be provided.

4. Convenient location

Opt for a city centre venue as they offer good transport links and various options for overnight stays. Plus, some venues have negotiated special rates with nearby hotels.

5. Extra touches to make the event your own

Find a venue that offers the option to personalise your event through digital branding, this way you won’t lose out on branding your event if you haven’t had time to print any.

For more information, please contact [email protected] call 020 7344 5479.