Tag: conference venues westminster

QEII to create new banqueting floor with stunning city skyline views

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The QEII Centre is continuing its £12 million refurbishment and rebranding project this summer by transforming its 6th floor into an open-plan banqueting space with breath-taking views of Westminster and the London city skyline.

Work has commenced and will be complete by September, when the renovated space will be revealed at a dazzling dinner to celebrate QEII’s 30th birthday.

QEII’s ongoing programme of refurbishments is focused on improving the customer experience and opening up the venue to a wider variety of events including banqueting, awards ceremonies, cocktail parties, product launches and other corporate and private special events.

The renovation of the 6th floor will give event planners greater flexibility for how they wish to use the space, with a retractable wall opening up what is now the Mountbatten room into one large, open-plan floor with a stunning glazed elevation providing dramatic views out towards the Thames, capturing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and the Shard.

The 6th floor refurbishment, which has been designed by architects AHMM, the 2015 winners of the RIBA Sterling prize, comes as QEII celebrates its 30th year at the heart of the UK’s event industry, contributing £122 million to the economy annually.

QEII’s in-house catering team, QEII Taste by Leith’s, has recently appointed Jean Michel Viala as its new head chef.

For more information about the QEII Centre visit www.qeiicentre.london

Event buyers enjoyed business breakfast at Victory Services Club

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On Friday, 15 July, member venue Victory Services Club (VSC) showcased its newly refurbished El Alamein & Trafalgar Suite to event buyers, industry professionals and fellow member venues, at a breakfast networking event.

Guests enjoyed delicious breakfast samples prepared by the venue’s executive chef and a chilled glass of prosecco while they networked with other attendees and explored the new and improved events space.

Rosa Davies, events manager at VSC commented on the event: “After investing £1.5 million into the new space and adjoining state-of-the-art banqueting kitchen, we were very proud to share the new rooms with fellow event professionals and would like to thank all those who attended. It was a pleasure to host you and we look forward to seeing you at the many more TWC events in the future.”

And the winner is…

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Awards season is now in full swing throughout the industry and our member venues have been getting in on the action.

Congratulations to member, RIBA Venues which was voted the Best UK Conference Venue for 300 to 900 delegates at the Conference Awards 2016, which recognise and reward excellence in the UK events industry.   The judges picked RIBA Venues, with its conference facilities and auditorium for up to 400 delegates, due to the impressive approach and strong commitment to customer service and flexible food concepts.

The QEII Centre was also recognised at the Conference Awards 2016, receiving a mark of excellence in the Best Conference Venue Customer Service Over 600 Delegates category.

Cavendish Conference Centre achieved finalist status in the Best Conference Venue Customer Service Up to 600 Delegates category and One Great George Street were also named as finalists in the Best Conference Venue Up to 300 Delegates category.

In other awards news, we’re proud to have members Denis Hickey of Cavendish Venues, Stuart Drummond and Steven Mann of the QEII Centre and Stephanie Gadd of Victory Services Club shortlisted for a prestigious miaList award.

Run by The Meetings Industry Association the miaList celebrates individuals from the meetings, hospitality and events industry who go above and beyond the call of duty. We wish them the best of luck for the lunch on Friday, 16 September when the winners will be announced.

#EventProfs come and see us at The Meetings Show!

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#EventProfs heading to The Meetings Show next week? Why not head to Westminster while you’re there?

Come and visit The Westminster Collection at stand J502 and discover our collection of unique Westminster venues.

We have a venue for every event from intimate and quirky meeting spaces to large-scale iconic landmarks all located in one of London’s most recognisable areas.

Register to attend for free here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

QEII Centre to inspire Londoners with #SparkSesh workshops

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Westminster’s QEII Centre is looking to get Londoners inspired this summer by hosting a series of creative #SparkSesh workshops.

Part of QEII’s 30th birthday celebrations, the 90-minute fun and interactive events will cover storytelling, introspective reflection, creative vision and how to get ahead in all aspects of life.

The first #SparkSesh, ‘Stories That Move People To Action’, will take place on Tuesday 28 June at 6pm.

Run in partnership with London-based creative agency Just Add Water, the session will use film clips and popular media as part of interactive activities to show attendees what makes a great story and how storytelling can be used to influence other people’s way of thinking.

Roopi Woodall, marketing manager at QEII Centre said: “If you’re feeling like you’re at a bit of a creative stand-still or struggling to get ahead in life, #SparkSesh could be what you need to start feeling reinvigorated and seeing life from a new perspective. The events will be positive, insightful and memorable – you’d be surprised how much can change in just an hour and a half of creative thinking.”

The following three #SparkSesh events will take place in September. Monday 12 September will be all about creativity, Thursday 15 September will be looking at why people do what they do and on Tuesday 20 September the final session will look ahead to articulating the future.

Ian McKechnie from Just Add Water added: “These workshops will help attendees to think in new and exciting ways, put their ideas across more powerfully and get what they want in life. The first #SparkSesh focusing on storytelling is perfect for anyone who wants to be more engaging and connect with people on a more emotional level. Facts can only take you so far, but stories are a far more powerful way of influencing outcomes.”

Victory Services Club launches the Trafalgar & El Alamein Suite

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The Victory Services Club will be launching the newly refurbished Trafalgar & El Alamein Suite in July 2016.

This flexible event space, which has a capacity for up to 250 guests is adorned with stylish décor, fine furnishings and classic lighting, creating a sophisticated atmosphere for guests to enjoy.

The suite really does provide the ideal event room for conferences, meetings, receptions and more.

To find out more information, please contact the Events team today on 0207 616 8305 or email: [email protected]

8 Northumberland Avenue secures Caterer’s best places to work title

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8 Northumberland Avenue of Northumberland Events has been named as one of the best places to work in hospitality by The Caterer.

Committed to providing a positive and productive working environment, the venue has established core values to unify employees in a shared understanding of how to interact and behave. This in-turn has created a co-operative, respectful and productive working environment which helps employees feel part of the business and motivates them to deliver great service.

Each department worked together to develop these core values, captured in a framework called the 31 Practices. A representative from each division was an ambassador for the values, which include: ‘We cheer each other on and remember to say thank you’, and ‘We use positive body language and words’.

The other initiative is the company’s investment in Insights Discovery Profiling – a tool designed to improve self-awareness and development and to support interaction among colleagues.

Most recently the venue introduced a Share incentive plan, the company says it is aware people spend a lot of time at work and it is ‘committed to creating the best environment for employees to enable them to love what they do and in turn deliver excellence’.

To find out more about 8 Northumberland Avenue click here.

Central Hall Westminster launches new virtual reality experience in China

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Central Hall Westminster announced the launch of its new virtual reality (VR) experience during a week-long visit to China.

It was showcased at the IT&CM Exhibition Shanghai, the Department of Commerce in Zhejiang Province and at a meeting with the team at Alibaba HQ Hangzhou.

Central Hall’s new virtual reality technology aims to showcase the venue’s versatility and range of event spaces to both international and UK buyers. The VR experience not only enables viewers to get a 360 degree view of the event spaces on offer throughout the central London venue in a virtual show-round, but also features a variety of live events scenarios as a fully immersive viewing experience. VR live events include the BBC’s New Year’s Bryan Adam’s concert 2015, amongst other high profile events.

Paul Southern, Managing Director at Central Hall Westminster, said: “This has been an exciting development for us at Central Hall. Our ability to harness this technology and connect the venue to the most remote places in China, and indeed anywhere else in the world we take it, is an extraordinary advance within our sales process. We anticipate that this will help to strengthen our position within the Chinese market as we continue to develop relationships in this sector.”

Maria Schuett, Head of Marketing at Central Hall Westminster, added: “The objective is to support our clients to conceptualise their ideas within our flexible event spaces, not replace the physical experience. The new virtual reality package, showcasing various layouts, productions and visual settings, adds a new dimension to those earlier discussions with clients.”

The VR experience has been created by Trek Wireless, creators of interactive digital assets for the retail and hospitality industries that work seamlessly across PC, tablet, mobile and VR devices. For further information about Central Hall’s virtual reality offering please visit https://www.c-h-w.com/vr.

RIBA Venues to host launch of new low sugar Prosecco Thomson & Scott Skinny Prosecco

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RIBA Venues, the conference and events arm of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), based at 66 Portland Place in London, today announces it has won the contract to host the launch of new low-calorie Prosecco brand, Thomson & Scott Skinny.

Thomson & Scott Founder, Amanda Thomson has single-handedly created a portfolio of sparkling wine for people who like to enjoy Champagne and Prosecco but with the benefit of no or low added sugar. Thomson & Scott Skinny Prosecco will be showcased at a special event at RIBA Venues on 19th April to mark its UK launch. The Thomson & Scott Skinny range will also be added to RIBA Venues’ preferred supplier list and wine list, the first meeting and events venue to do so.

RIBA Venues’ Head of Venues, Stephanie Ellrott, says: “I was really excited when I met Amanda with her skinny drinks concept, which is a great idea and would suit a number of the events we host here at RIBA Venues.

“We look forward to welcoming Amanda and her team for the launch tasting and building a lasting partnership as the first venue to offer this product to the events industry.”

Amanda Thomson says: “RIBA Venues is exactly the kind of smart, innovative and stylish partner with whom I’m looking to collaborate.  I couldn’t think of a more beautiful venue to host what I believe is an elegant, new approach to drinking Champagne and sparkling wine.”

Welcome Regent’s Conferences & Events

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The Westminster Collection is proud to introduce our newest member venue Regent’s Conferences & Events.

Just a few short minutes from Baker Street Station and located within 11 acres of private grounds in Regent’s Park, the venue offers capacities of up to 370 for conferences as well as vast opportunities for outdoor events such as team building or barbeques.

Chairman of the collection Robin Parker commented on the new member venue: “We are delighted to welcome Regent’s Conferences & Events to our collection and look forward to involving them in all our activities. We are in the middle of a really exciting period for the collection and it is the perfect time for our new member to immerse themselves in everything we have coming up. To welcome a venue with such impressive outdoor space is fantastic and I know they will be a real asset to the collection.”

If you are reading this on behalf of a Westminster venue and are interested in becoming part of the collection please contact [email protected]