Westminster venues are getting ready to invite people back on site for in-person show-rounds and events. In the meantime, there is plenty of inspiration to help you get ahead in your planning and remind you of the wonderful venues on your doorstep. We’ve pulled together all the virtual tours of event venues in the area in one handy list.
There are plenty of other venues in Westminster just waiting to be discovered. View the full list here.
Regent’s Conferences & Events reports an uplift in enquiries for summer parties as outside space becomes increasingly appealing and confidence grows among vaccine progress and new of the reopening roadmap.
The London venue, named ‘Best Outdoor Space’ at the 2019 Academic Venue Awards, is seeing enquiries coming in for outdoor events for as many as 1,500 guests. Throughout the turbulence of the changing regulations, the outdoors has consistently been given precedence for both social gatherings and business events, and naturally, demand for expansive outside space appears to be on the rise.
Offering four acres of landscaped private grounds in Regent’s Park, the venue presents a solution for large-scale events unlike any other in London. Regent’s embodies a country feel in the centre of the city, comprising of pristine lawns and lush foliage with an elegant, ivory-lined marquee in the summer months for parties of up to 1,200 guests.
The venue’s show-stopping York Lawns have hosted an array of unique summer events, as well as classically British garden parties, either in the main gardens, or tucked away in a more intimate Secret Garden. Innovative catering, first-class customer service and impeccably kept grounds have all helped attract a wide variety of creative events to the York Lawns, from wellness retreats and petting zoos to bootcamps and funfairs. Entertainment spans from garden games like croquet, giant Jenga and boules; to new activities including archery and a 25-metre inflatable assault course for an unforgettable experience.
To create fresh and exciting experiences for guests, the venue’s award-winning caterers offers street food stalls catering for choices ranging from a New York dirty mac bar and an outdoor pizza oven bar, to a traditional hog roast. With innovative BBQ options, organisers can choose from Caribbean, American, Moroccan or British cuisines, including fun extras like a pick ‘n’ mix sweet shop, gin bar and an ice cream trike.
Lincoln’s Inn is preparing to welcome back guests from 12 April for safe hybrid events. The venue’s Ashworth Centre now offers hybrid meeting solutions in a COVID-secure environment.
To help you re-connect with clients, colleagues and peers, the venue is offering use of its meeting rooms with hybrid facilities from just £90 + VAT per hour.
Subject to conditions and availability, the offer is available to book as of now, for events taking place after 12 April. Please get in touch with the team for more information at [email protected].
The QEII Centre sets the scene for filming in central London, catering perfectly for the most intimate of filming projects, down to the finest detail, and here’s why…
As a team of event professionals with extensive combined experience, QEII understands that it’s all about the detail. Filming crews and directors, rightly so, are very particular about lighting, angles, positions, timing and sound to encapsulate a vision for a story. The QEII Centre offers a platform for such creativity and precision, and with over 30 years of experience of running themed events for real guests, the venue is no stranger to responding to a brief and helping to create a believable backdrop.
With 32 varying sized and styled spaces to choose from, it’s no surprise that the centre – the largest dedicated conference and events space in central London – is a popular location for film crews looking for flexibility. Having featured as one of the locations for the BBC series The Capture in 2019 and more recently as a location for political thriller Roadkill starring Hugh Laurie, the team has become well versed in effectively managing all manner of filming projects.
Thanks to strong partnerships with reputable location libraries and an exclusive agreement with Location Collective, QEII continues to forge new relationships with top broadcasting and production companies for the seamless delivery of filming projects.
Ranging from suites holding up to 1,300 people, to smaller spaces lending themselves to interrogation room scenes, educational set-ups and promotional shoots, the venue offers spaces for many styles of film shoots.
Whether an advert, TV show or film, state-of-the-art facilities, versatile spaces and stunning backdrops, such as the stunning views of Westminster and Big Ben from the sixth floor, allow visions to become reality. A combination of internal and external spaces are available so, whether it is the lawn, a large reception area, rooms from 40sqm to 1,375sqm or an iconic view that is required, there are an array of facilities that can meet your brief. The blank canvas spaces are easily transformed and suitable for both modern and period sets.
Beyond the team’s confidence in a satisfying end product, they ensure the whole filming process and experience behind the scenes is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. For those requiring crew catering, QEII Taste, the venue’s in-house team are there to keep them fuelled with delectable refreshments, energising breakfasts and filling lunches throughout the day. The AV team, QEII Live, are also on hand to assist location managers. If required, sound, lighting, studio cameras and design and build camera platforms can be provided, as well as helping with bandwidth requirements and IPTV.
If your next filming project needs a home, whether journeying back in the past with an 18th century period drama, or travelling forwards for a futuristic, modern portrayal, consider working with The QEII Centre.
Following the rapid development of virtual and hybrid events over the past 12 months, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace explores the emerging hybrid trends in the events industry for the year ahead.
So, what is a hybrid event?
A hybrid event incorporates both a physical in-person event with a virtual online audience.
This isn’t a new concept however… Prior to 2020, it’s likely you had already attended a few without realising. Take the popular non-profit TED as an example. What started as an annual conference in the 1990’s became a “viral video phenomenon” and now encompasses a huge platform of hybrid events including TED Talks, TEDx and the TED-Ed series – all with aim of spreading ideas far beyond the room they are presented in.
The global pandemic has certainly thrown a few spanners in the works for event profs who are still running events. There’s increased demand for the best technology for every virtual event element, as well as the COVID-safe considerations for any in-person gatherings.
Over the coming months, the London venue expects the following hybrid event trends:
Broadway House, as part of Make Venues, has announced upgrades in the business’ virtual conferencing, hybrid and digital event technology at the London venue.
The upgrades are focused predominantly on video conferencing, hybrid events, and the capture and broadcast, and have been designed to complement the growing number of businesses looking to return to live events, but also reach growing ‘out of the room’ audiences.
The investments include installations of fixed 4K commercial LFD display systems (up to 98”), PTZ cameras for both ‘display’ and ‘presenter views’, microphone arrays that will pick up sound throughout meeting rooms, digital signal processing, including Automatic Echo Cancellation, and ceiling speakers, all of which can be easily used by moderators and organisers through a simple ‘plug and play’ process. As well as permanent installations in larger rooms, there will also be mobile units offering similar technology that can be quickly moved between smaller rooms.
The new digital event technology will be available across the group’s venues, with more exciting investments on their way.
Church House Westminster has become a temporary asymptomatic coronavirus testing centre for central London.
The coronavirus test for people without symptoms takes less than five minutes and uses the Innova SARS-CoV-2-Antigen lateral flow device which means you will receive your results within an hour.
The symptom-free coronavirus testing centre is open seven days a week. You do not need to book in order to get a free test and you do not have to be a Westminster resident.
For more information, please visit the website of Westminster City Council.
Head of Reactive Sales at Church House Westminster, Vedrana Dancerelle, commented: “Covid-19 testing is a vital tool for protecting people and communities and finding asymptomatic cases can help to control the spread of the virus. As a Covid-secure venue in Westminster, we are delighted to host the asymptomatic testing site, which enables those who need to go to work, and may not display Covid-19 symptoms, an opportunity to protect themselves and others easily by accessing an asymptomatic coronavirus testing centre”.
Filming and other essential meetings taking place at Covid-secure venue Church House Westminster can also make use of this asymptomatic coronavirus testing facility when visiting the events venue.
For more information, give the team a call on 020 7390 1590 to discuss your event.
After the government announced their roadmap detailing the easing of lockdown over the next few months, 116 Pall Mall have put together their own venue reopening roadmap based on each key date, giving clients clarity on when they’ll be able to return to the building.
Just like the government roadmap, this will be a phased approach and has full details on exactly what clients can return for, including meeting and working for members, weddings, events, meeting rooms and restaurants.
They’re even opening up their stunning outside terrace and garden to the public for dining for the first time on the 12 April, to coincide with the government’s plans that allow outdoor dining to take place for up to six people. Just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street, you can take a well-deserved break from shopping (which also opens up on the 12 April) and enjoy a delicious lunch in their beautiful secluded garden.
The Terrace at 116 will be open Monday – Friday lunchtimes, with plans to open into the evening for drinks over the summer months. Find out about The Terrace at 116 and make your booking ahead of the popular London venue reopening.
All the key dates, booking information and opening details can be found on the 116 reopening roadmap, which will be updated accordingly if the government makes any changes.
As we look forward to the year ahead, we’re celebrating our favourite good deeds from venues across Westminster who have been helping others and offering their time, resources and generosity throughout the pandemic.
Lincoln’s Inn: opportunity in the midst of chaos
Working in an industry that’s main purpose is to ‘serve’ people, the furloughed hospitality team at Lincoln’s Inn did not rest on their laurels over lockdown. A huge proportion of the front of house and kitchen team assisted with the national effort by providing support for those in need, be it registering to become NHS First Responders, shopping for the vulnerable, volunteering at food banks or cooking for the homeless.
The venue’s Sous Chef, Aaron McLaughlin took this one step further by baking cakes for his local pharmacy and selling homemade sourdough bread and donating the money to a charity close to his heart, SSAFA, helping vulnerable veterans during lockdown. His charitable effort did not stop there as he raised £2400 for the same charity by running the virtual London marathon, and £650 for ‘Support our Paras’ by running 2.6 miles each day for 10 days carrying 26kg. His dedication to these charities elevated him to celebrity status as he was interviewed by Sky News talking about how the pandemic has affected charity fundraising.
Regent’s Conferences & Events’ dream wedding gift to emergency service heroes
Regent’s Conferences & Events gifted a local Wembley emergency services couple a dream wedding worth £20k, following a campaign to recognise the UK’s incredible key workers. The wedding venue was keen to give something back after thousands of couples have been faced with inimitable disruption this year when trying to plan their dream days. After hundreds of humbling accounts from couples around the country, Regent’s faced the difficult decision of choosing just one winner. A final shortlist of four worthy couples culminated in the decision to offer the wedding to paramedic Paige and police officer Rob, and 100 guests of their choice.
As part of the package, Paige and Rob will have grounds and marquee hire at the picturesque London venue with use of a secret garden, and three course wedding menu with drinks for up to 100 guests. The three runner up couples were also offered a complimentary wedding planning service throughout their engagement process as a thank you for their hard work as remarkable key workers.
The QEII Centre’s PPE donations to St Thomas’s Hospital
During lockdown last year, and while the world was still getting to grips with dealing with COVID, the team at The QEII Centre stepped up to help their local hospital. Due to the lack of personal protective equipment available for frontline NHS staff, the QEII Taste team donated all their hand sanitiser gels and gloves to the key workers at St Thomas’s Hospital in Westminster. QEII Taste were supported by Compass Group colleagues in the initiative to arrange the safe collection and delivery of the essential resources.
IET London: Savoy Place’s respite for emergency workers
While the venue was temporarily closed for events last year, IET London: Savoy Place partially reopened its doors as a respite area for emergency workers. Adhering to necessary social distancing measures, Savoy Place welcomed emergency workers, including the Metropolitan Police, ambulance and fire services from around London to seek relief throughout working hours. The initiative, coordinated by Northbank, offered sanctuary to those still heroically patrolling the London streets during lockdown, with a comfortable place to sit, have a drink, sanitise their hands and use the private facilities. Up to six workers were permitted at any one time between the hours of 10:15am-3:45pm Monday to Friday. With wellness a key focus, the aim was to help relieve the enormous strain on many emergency workers through a small gesture of appreciation for the work they do to keep London safe.
Broad Sanctuary Green, the lawn situated at the front of London’s QEII Centre, has been renamed United Nations Green in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN).
The renaming of the space, which can be hired for events at the Westminster venue, was made on Monday 11 January 2021 as a permanent tribute to 75 years of the UN’s work.
Sunday 10 January 2021 was the 75th anniversary of the first meeting of the UN General Assembly at Westminster Central Hall in London. The date was celebrated with a virtual commemorative event, bringing together the UN Secretary António Guterres, Lord Ahmad, and civil society
The commemorative event marked the UK’s role in the founding of the UN, which has negotiated 172 peace settlements that have ended conflicts and over 300 international treaties from human rights conventions to agreements on the use of outer space, the arms trade and the oceans.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “In the midst of a second world war that was far from won, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt – later joined by leaders of China, France, the-then Soviet Union and other allied powers – courageously set out a vision to free the world of fear and want, through cooperation. This vision became the United Nations and, on this very day 75 years ago, the first meeting of the UN General Assembly was held in London.
“At this time of new global turmoil, I am honoured to virtually visit the United Kingdom to mark that occasion, renew our cause of overcoming global challenges together, and celebrate a country that was instrumental in creating the United Nations and which remains, today, a crucial member state, not least in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow.”
Over the course of its 34-year history, the QEII Centre has hosted many high-profile international events, including The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018 and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2019.
Chief executive of the QEII Centre, Mark Taylor, said: “The renaming of Broad Sanctuary Green to United Nations Green is a wonderful tribute to the UN’s work over the last 75 years and is synergistic with The QEII Centre’s business of welcoming and hosting delegates from around the world for global and national events.”
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