Category: Investments & Renovation

Central Hall Westminster commits portion of £1.3m profit to charity

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In December 2015, Central Hall Westminster announced record profits for its 2014/15 financial year, ending August 2015, resulting in £1.3m being invested in facility improvements, visitor services and charitable organisations.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Central Hall is committed to using substantial profits to develop the building as a visitor attraction and venue, as well as supporting the work of the Methodist Church, which owns the building. In this way, support is provided to a number of local charities including the St. Vincent’s Family Project, a registered charity that operates within Central Hall Westminster.

Speaking of the venue’s performance, Paul Souther, managing director, said: “2014/15 was an exceptionally strong year for the business and we have generated some fantastic profit. This would be a welcome result in any business situation, but it is made all the more rewarding by knowing that every penny is being used to make the building better for visitors and to support important charity work.”

The St. Vincent’s Family Project aims to support young families especially where there are difficulties. It addresses the issues of parenting, child welfare and social exclusion by providing services for parents, carers and children.

British Academy’s new Library launches for event bookings

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{10-11} Carlton House Terrace, home of the British Academy, is delighted with the addition of the Lee Library to its room collection. Situated on the ground floor, in the South West Corner of the venue overlooking The Mall, this impressive event space has high ceilings and large windows allowing an abundance of natural daylight to flood in. With book-lined walls filled with academic literature dating back to 1902, this inspiring space is designed to allow your creativity to flourish.

The new event space can accommodate up to 60 people theatre style, 100 people for a stand-up reception and up to 60 people for a sit-down dinner. The room has the added advantage of adjoining the Reading Room giving the spaces much more flexibility and capacity. Delegates can enjoy the use of complimentary wifi and audio visual services are available on request.

The new Library is licensed for civil marriage ceremonies and civil partnerships, with full wheelchair accessibility and guide dogs allowed.

Explore The Library here and for further information email [email protected] or call 020 7969 5224.

{10-11} Carlton House Terrace was built during the late 1820s and early 1830s on land previously occupied by Carlton House, the residence of the Prince Regent, who became George IV. The neoclassical terrace was conceived by architect John Nash with two aims in mind: to provide good views of St James’s Park for residents and to provide an impressive backdrop to both the Royal Park and the Mall.

As soon as it was finished, Carlton House Terrace became one of the most fashionable addresses in London. {10-11} was home to the Ridley and Guinness families, and also William Gladstone, Prime Minister, who occasionally held Cabinet meetings there. Although it was damaged during World War II, much of the interior of Number 10 has survived from the early years of the 20th century. Both 10 and 11 have benefited from recent refurbishment.

Broadway House invests in presentation tech with 95-inch Samsung LED

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EEF Venues at Broadway House in Westminster has invested in a 95-inch Samsung ME95C LED display in its Council Chamber room to enhance visual communication for meetings, conferences and training sessions. The world’s first 95-inch large format display in brilliant FHD delivers rich, dynamic and impactful content.

The advantages to delegates are many, as Amanda Sutton, venue manager for Broadway House, explains: “Unlike projected images in a darkened room, this digital signage presentation tool retains picture quality with broad colour ratios, deep blacks and sharp images, even in bright light.

“Content shown on the display screen has virtually no distortion. Images aren’t blurred when the screen is touched. The presenter isn’t dazzled by light from a projector, nor does the presenter throw a shadow on the screen. The reduced light scatter and reduced reflection make the content easier to read, increasing audience concentration and productivity. Another bonus is that the presentation area is free from machinery and cables.”

Broadway House is a six-storey Edwardian building at the heart of Westminster, making it a very popular choice for ministerial meetings and press conferences. It is directly opposite St James’s Park tube station, and a 10-minute walk from Victoria, Waterloo and Charing Cross, so it couldn’t be any more convenient for city meetings.

To enquire about holding an event at Broadway House, click here.

{10-11} Carlton House Terrace to open new event space The Library

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{10-11} Carlton House Terrace is currently undergoing exciting summer refurbishments, with the creation of a new event space, The Library. This room will pair perfectly with the Reading Room adjacent and will feature book lined walls with bright windows overlooking the Mall, St James’s Park and Horse Guards Parade. Events held here will take on an air of royal and parliamentary London, ideal for meetings of up 30, dinners of up to 60 and receptions up to 100 guests, available to hire from mid September 2015.

The Wolfson Room, our largest event space, is undergoing a major refurbishment to remove the currently fixed stage, lectern and screen and replace with sleek, custom-made portable options, providing modern audio visual equipment for conferences and corporate events, accommodating up to 140 in theatre style seating. Upon removal of the equipment, the room will lend itself perfectly to dinners of up to 100 and evening receptions of up to 200. The floor to ceiling windows along the room offer spectacular views of the Royal Park, the Mall, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye.

To celebrate these new and improved facilities, the team are planning an evening party for early October where regular and prospective event organisers will be able to view their upgraded facilities and join them for some delicious food and drink.

If you’d like to register your interest in attending this event, please email [email protected] and further information will be sent soon.

Westminster spotlight: Covent Garden & Temple

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LFMSet in the heart of the West End are Covent Garden and Temple, the ultimate destinations for exquisite dining, thirst-quenching cocktails and a buzzing atmosphere. Amongst the array of quaint cafés and eclectic shops are some truly unmissable venues. Here are our top five picks:

London Film Museum is host to a fantastic selection of motion picture memorabilia. Located just off Russell Street the museum is steeped in iconic history and is now home to the James Bond Exhibition. Showcasing the epic 50 year history of the Bond franchise, stepping into the venue is like entering your own 007 experience.

The incredible location is available to hire for a multitude of events, from receptions to special celebrations. The event team has over 25 years’ experience and will manage your event from start to finish and with the essence of Bond all around you, your party will truly have a ‘license to kill’.

Just a short walk from Covent Garden station, and fresh from an extensive refurbishment, is the London Transport Museum. The museum is quintessentially ‘London’ and showcases the institutions that have become the transport life lines throughout the capital. If you’re looking to propel an event to new heights then the museum’s galleries are available for exclusive hire, offering a unique location for your event to really take-off. The galleries can hold up to 500 guests for a drinks reception or 180 for a seated dinner. Juxtaposed against the modern event space is LTMthe venue’s Grade II listed exterior, along with the cast iron pillars of the Victorian Flower Market, making the London Transport Museum a perfect marriage of traditional and contemporary.

A stroll along embankment is The IET London: Savoy Place. After a refurbishment the venue is preparing to reopen its doors this autumn, offering plenty of options for anyone searching for an exciting events venue. Setting itself apart from the competition, the venue offers cutting edge IT, energy efficiency and wireless connectivity throughout making it a premier venue for events and meetings. Not to be overlooked however is the venue’s stunning new rooftop terrace offering panoramic views over the river and beyond.

IET-SavoyAlthough The IET London doesn’t reopen its doors until the autumn, advance bookings can be made on their website.

Meander a little further down the Thames and the HQS Wellington is hard to miss. Combining a maritime atmosphere with a static location opens this venue up to a vast array of event opportunities. Built in 1934 and with six years of wartime service, that saw the rescue over 450 merchant navy men, HQS Wellington comes with an undeniable sense of history and intrigue. The event team offers a selection of packages alongside a bespoke service allowing you to entirely tailor your event. With the Quarter Deck accommodating up to 220 guests or the Committee Room available for a more intimate feel there is something for everyone at HST_M_T_FQS Wellington.

Stepping back onto dry land and past the lions of Trafalgar Square is St Martin-in-the-Fields, a central London location offering historic architecture and cultured surroundings. The venue is one of London’s landmark churches and is enriched by its musical tradition, a unique combination that allows it to stand out from the rest. Dating as far back as the 18th Century, and with historic links to Henry VIII, the venue presents an exhilarating link to the past. Offering competitive events packages and spectacular historic surroundings, St Martin-in-the-Fields is well worth a visit.

Covent Garden is a treasure trove of unique, exciting and superb event venues. Whether you’re hosting a large-scale conference or a small and intimate breakfast meeting there’s bound to be something to suit!

Cavendish rolls out free superfast broadband

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Cavendish Conference Centre is now able to offer its delegates free superfast broadband throughout its Oxford Circus site. The centre can offer synchronised upload and download speeds of 50mgb, scalable beyond that on request, with industry leading SLAs. Internally the lines are backed up with two alternative business quality ADSL lines with separate providers for full resilience.

This is an investment into the centre’s facilities, designed to improve the on-site experience for all delegates using the facilities for meetings, training events, conferences and team building. With 8 rooms available in the centre for capacities up to 250, Cavendish has something to suit every professional conference & event organiser.

Recruitment now open for the all new IET London: Savoy Place

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IET Venues are pleased to announce that they are now taking applications for the phased recruitment for their all-new IET London: Savoy Place following its 2-year £30m refurbishment. Starting in March and April 2015, these core roles including Operations Manager, AV Manager, Venue Administrator, Diary & Events Co-ordinator and Business Development Executive will be critical in shaping the final preparations of the building ready for its reopening in October 2015, as well as building the wider team.

IET London: Savoy Place has been home to the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) for over 100 years, as well as serving as the flagship venue within the IET Venues group. The venue plays host to over 70,000 visitors and members a year attending a wide range of conferences and events; most recently ‘Qatar House’ for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the ‘Global Grand Engineering Challenges’ summit with Bill Gates and will.i.am. Since its closure in July 2013, the building has been transformed throughout with flexibility, energy efficiency, cutting-edge IT, AV and wireless connectivity at the core.

Key improvements to the new venue include:

Cutting-edge IT, AV and wireless connectivity throughout

High-end facilities for event filming, live-streaming and production

An enlarged Riverside Suite overlooking the Thames +25% capacity

Brand new second lecture theatre in the centre of the building

Reorganisation of the rooms within the building – ensuring ‘premium space’ occupies the front and the infamous views across the Thames, with offices and secondary space towards the back

2 x state of the art boardrooms with HD video conferencing, relay screens and filming and streaming functionality

The Heritage Library – now converted into a premium meeting and dinner space with 2 private balconies overlooking the Thames

The Faraday Centre – bringing together all member / engineering services into 1 dynamic space including a digital Knowledge Centre, Kelvin Café, Brainstorming Room and large Members’ Lounge

Reconfigured reception / communal areas with 2 new passenger lift shafts to improve customer flow throughout the building

Enhanced accessibility features including a ‘sesame lift’ at the front of the building – enabling the stone steps to retract automatically for wheelchair access

A series of engineering exhibits throughout the building including a digital chandelier in reception, 100 objects which changed the world display, 2 x large video walls and ‘celebrating engineers’ sculptures down each stairwell

 

Current vacancies:

Diary & Events Co-ordinator and Business Development Executive

Interested applicants should contact Clare Davies ([email protected] / 0207 344 5708)

Closing date: 2 February

 

Operations Manager, AV Manager, Venue Administrator

Interested applicants should contact Sean Spencer [email protected]

Closing date: 2 February

New suppliers, new venues as The Westminster Collection prepares for its 2015 events programme

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The Westminster Collection (TWC), London’s venue marketing consortium, is delighted to welcome a selection of new venues and suppliers to membership.

Accomplished event photographer Karolina Krasuska specialises in music, event and editorial photography and has over 10 years’ experience in the field, with established long-term relationships with clients that include Toni & Guy, Pernod Ricard UK and IFC. Renowned for her contemporary, edgy style and ability to capture the energy of an event, she has covered London Fashion Week for seven years and she also worked with TWC at its Destination Westminster venue showcase in October 2014, which was held at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

Mobile bar specialist The Bar Bazaar provides high quality event bars, reception desks, food service stations and all manner of stylish event bar solutions to venues and clients including The Brit Awards, the V&A and Jimmy Choo. The bars are custom built offering bespoke finishes and layouts and they can be branded thanks to the company’s exceptional in-house production facilities.

The Event Hire Company provides exclusive furniture, kitchen equipment and accessories for hire to both the private and public sectors and has experience of a wide variety of events, including corporate hospitality, weddings, exhibitions and conferences. The team is expert in providing a wealth of knowledge and seamless pre- to post-event service to a client portfolio that includes Team GB, The City of London, John Lewis, BBC and ITV. The Event Hire Company was also a supplier to Destination Westminster at BAFTA and enjoys established relationships with a number of venues within TWC membership.

New to the collection’s portfolio of venues is St James Theatre, the first newly-built theatre complex in Central London in 30 years. Located just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, it plays host to cabaret, comedy, music and theatre with current shows including the critically acclaimed Bad Jews.

The theatre is a perfect venue for product launches, private screenings and for more intimate creative workshops. It’s only a few minutes from Victoria station and boasts an intimate 312-seat theatre available for daytime events and a flexible 100-seat studio, a wonderful live entertainment space that lends itself to becoming a flexible and self-contained corporate events venue. The St. James Bar and Brasserie and the Carrara Restaurant offer a range of stylish, informal dining options.

Another recent re-joiner of TWC, after a break from membership, is the award-winning QEII Centre, newly refurbished as part of a £12 million rebranding and renovation project. The iconic venue, which sits opposite Westminster Abbey, is boldly re-establishing its wow factor within the global events industry, now offering a more modern and stylish environment for the 400+ national and international events that are hosted there each year. It provides the ideal central London location for high profile conferences, conventions, exhibitions and corporate events with impressive capacity for up to 2,500 delegates.

Karin Parkinson, TWC board director and Central Hall Westminster’s facilities and administration manager, said: “We wish a very warm welcome to our new venues and partners, who have already shown real eagerness and commitment to becoming active members of The Westminster Collection’s network of venues and suppliers. Through our energetic 2015 marketing communications programme, we look forward to assisting in bringing their services to the attention of prospective new clients.”

TWC will shortly look forward to the opportunity to promote its member venues to events professionals at International Confex in London on 18-19 February 2015. Sales and marketing representatives from more than 20 of its 41 venues will be present at TWC stand CF57 to meet and greet show visitors across the two days of the event, ready to talk event planners through the collection’s eclectic portfolio of central London venues.

TWC’s 2015 events programme includes International Confex (18-19 Feb), Embassy Event Expo and The Meetings Show (7-9 July) together with its own annual venue showcase (Sept 2015) and a newly-revamped series of venue familiarisation trips for buyers.

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The first TWC fam trip of the year takes place at St James Theatre on Weds 25th February, 08:30-10:30am. Any event planner wishing to attend this exclusive event can email [email protected] to request a place.

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QEII Centre unveils spectacular new look at launch event

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The QEII Centre opened its doors to clients, event agencies, buyers and media at its official, invitation-only launch party on Thursday 13th November.

With walls flooded in icy blue lighting, candle-lit lanterns buried in mounds of fluffy white snow and an ice sculpture etched with an iconic Big Ben scene, guests to the QEII Centre were welcomed into a winter wonderland inspired foyer for champagne, served from a twinkling pop-up bar. It was a wow-factor moment for those who hadn’t yet experienced the new-look entrance, now bright and spacious, with raised ceilings, sleek airport style check-in desks, multiple ultra-wide 29-inch screens, a concierge desk, a video wall made up of nine ultra-slim bezel 55-inch screens and the new Sanctuary executive lounge.

True to the wintery theme, two friendly huskies stole much of the limelight, until QEII Centre chief executive Mark Taylor took to the podium to introduce the official launch of a rebranding project 18 months in the making.

The centre then turned up the heat as guests shimmied upstairs into the tropical themed Pickwick Suite to the sizzling sounds of Cuban band Kandela mi Son and the energetic moves of ultra-glam, feather-clad Samba dancers from Brazilian Fantasy.

Cocktails, canapés, delicious bowl food and a dessert station by Leith’s fuelled guests for some action on the sparkly gold dancefloor. Hot dishes served included ‘tequila and lime confit salmon, black bean, coriander rice’ and ‘pumpkin tortellini and roast artichoke velouté’, while desserts included ‘mojito macarons’ and ‘pineapple cake with vanilla buttercream’.

Speaking of The QEII Centre’s re-launch event and the process of evolving this iconic brand, Taylor said:

“It’s a proud moment as we officially launch the spectacular new look we’ve achieved through the first two phases of our £12 million capital investment programme at the QEII Centre. We’ve been ‘quietly evolving’ over the past 18 months and beneath our new look we have been building and strengthening our business to bring to you a centre of excellence. This re-launch event is just one of many milestones in the delivery of our new vision.

“Following a strategic audit we developed our comprehensive building master plan; one that expressly complements the original finishes and strengths of the building’s architecture and provides practical and innovative solutions to improve our visitors’ total experience.

“We’re sexier, trendier and more confident than we’ve ever been before thanks to the installation of cutting-edge technology and luxury fixtures and fittings. The welcome has been reenergised too, with a new concierge team, a bright and spacious new foyer and a more discrete day-to-day security presence. We wanted to break down the barriers to the welcome.

“In branding terms, we have not only rebranded in a contemporary design to reflect our vision going forward, but we have also altered our name to simply ‘QEII Centre’ to reflect the diversity of our event portfolio and capabilities. We’re always a centre for conferences, but also for exhibitions, fashion shows, product launches, banquets, awards presentations and more. A focal point for knowledge and for fine service.

“The QEII was built as a beacon of British excellence, craftsmanship and technology and we are determined to return the centre to its former standing as London’s finest multi-purpose events facility.”

The bold new brand identity is reflective of the change that has taken place within The QEII Centre. Colin Green, creative director at Wildfire, the integrated creative agency responsible for the centre’s new branding, said:

“We wanted to establish the venue as a go-to destination, where clients are continually delighted and expectations are always exceeded; a place to be bold, to challenge perceptions, in the boundless pursuit of perfection. Moving forward the QEII Centre will firmly establish itself as London’s finest specialist events venue, becoming renowned for delivering professional, award-winning events that put the needs of the client at the heart of their philosophy.

“Wildfire are particularly proud of watching this iconic venue begin to realise its true potential. There is further change on the horizon, so watch this space.”

Suppliers to the re-launch event included in-house caterer Leith’s, event management company Wonderland Events, creative communications consultancy Custard Communications, Instagram photobooth creator Social Playground and talented band Kandela mi Son.

Follow news of the venue’s new look on twitter @QEIICentre using hashtag #QEIILookAtMe and on Instagram @qeiicentre

Explore the hireable events spaces available at the centre by visiting www.qeiicentre.london.

 

InterContinental London Westminster becomes Conrad London St James

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The inspired luxury of Conrad Hotels & Resorts has arrived in Westminster, central London, following a franchise agreement with Supreme Hotels LLP. The 256 guest room hotel just joined the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of 23 existing Conrad hotels and resorts worldwide, including Dublin, Dubai, Istanbul, and Portugal. Conrad London St James is located between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

John T.A. Vanderslice, global head, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, said, “Conrad creates inspired experiences for our guests in the world’s gateway cities and most sought after leisure destinations. London continues to be a political, cultural, and economic powerhouse in the world, which makes it a natural destination for international travellers. We look forward to introducing Conrad London St James to the city of London.”

Shiraz Boghani, Chairman of Supreme Hotels LLP, part of the Splendid Hospitality Group, said, “It is supremely exciting to be announcing our second involvement with Hilton Worldwide in as many weeks! The Conrad brand with its focus on individually tailored luxury is perfect for our central London location in Westminster.”

Conrad Hotels & Resorts are known for their luxurious environments that are conducive to connecting with others. Effortlessly blending a historic 19th century building with locally inspired style and design, Conrad London St James is offering the next enhancement in intuitive, personalised service to accommodate the luxury traveller.

Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, Europe & Africa, Hilton Worldwide, said, “London’s attractiveness as a tourism destination grows each year, contributing over £11bn annually to the U.K. economy. With rising international and domestic arrivals, and a thriving business environment, travellers can now experience the Conrad brand in a prime city centre location.”

The six-floor hotel features 256 beautiful rooms, including 42 premium rooms and luxurious suites including a discreet penthouse. All rooms reflect the hotel’s contemporary design, offering king-sized or twin beds, relaxing bathtubs, walk-in showers, free Wi-Fi, a media hub, a dedicated Club Lounge, and the latest in in-room technology.

The hotel’s restaurant reflects the style of its prestigious address, buzzing as an energetic destination to meet for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The bar brings a sense of charm and sophistication to the traditional British pub and offers carefully selected local ales, stylish cocktails, and British wines.

Conrad London St James will include a 24 hour business centre, seven fully equipped Conrad meeting rooms as well as the Whitehall Suite which can accommodate up to 300 guests.

The hotel is poised to become the destination of a new generation of smart luxury travellers for whom life, business and pleasure seamlessly intersect. Conrad London St James will offer the popular Conrad Concierge mobile app, which gives global luxury travellers the ability to customize details of their hotel stay before, during, and after each visit via a smartphone or tablet. Whether it’s pre-selecting bath amenities or checking-in while in-transit from the airport, guests can access a variety of features at any Conrad hotel or resort worldwide by using the app.

Conrad London St James is situated at 28 Broadway, London SW1H 9JS. The hotel is participating in Hilton HHonors®, the only guest rewards program that allows members to earn Points & Miles® for the same stay and redeem points for free nights with No Blackout Dates at more than 4,100 hotels worldwide.