BAFTA to host collection’s 2014 venue showcase

We’re delighted to announce that The Westminster Collection’s 2014 venue showcase will this year take place at the celebrated home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, in the David Lean Room which overlooks St James’s Church Garden. The date for your diary is Friday 10th October, 8:00am-11:00am.

Eventbrite - Destination Westminster 2014: London Venue Showcase

The breakfast showcase event, which is free to attend, is an opportunity for anyone in the business of booking corporate and private events, meetings and conferences to spend a morning with the sales and marketing teams at more than 45 of central London’s most iconic venues. The Westminster Collection is renowned for its eclectic portfolio of member venues, which encompass everything from historic institutes and societies, colleges, museums and private members clubs, to luxury hotels, concert halls, modern training venues, churches and Thames river boats.

To register your attendance and for all updates about the showcase programme, special showcase incentives and competitions, please click the link below.

Eventbrite - Destination Westminster 2014: London Venue Showcase

Burns Night whisky experience at The Athenaeum

Burns Supper at The Athenaeum Hotel is set to be brimming with tradition and twists. On Saturday 25th January this Mayfair hotel’s monthly whisky social will pay homage to the great Scottish poet with a sumptuous four-course meal created by Martine Nouet.

Robert Burns may have seen Scotch whisky as holding a special symbolic significance for Scotland but that has not stopped France-born Martine Nouet from becoming one of the world’s most famous whisky tasters and commentators in the world. Martine will revisit the traditional Burns Night supper and pair each course with specially selected drams of Balvenie whisky, a mouth-watering single malt sourced in Speyside.

The evening begins at 6.30pm with canapés and cocktails, followed by a four course meal at 7pm – each course paired with a different dram of Balvenie. Adding her own special stamp to the proceedings, Martine will guide guests through the menu and share stories from her world of whisky. Also joining her is Balvenie ambassador Alwynne Gwilt, a.k.a. Miss Whisky, together with The Athenaeum’s very own whisky sommelier, Ivo Silva.

The Athenaeum hosts a whisky social every month, but if you can’t wait that long why not visit their famous Whisky Bar? With over 300 whiskies and counting, they get their hands on every new expression they can, so you can enjoy the widest possible choice. Try the whisky and cheese pairing experience from £15 per course.

Tickets for the Burns Supper are £75 per person and spaces are very limited. To reserve a place please call 0207 640 3311 or email The Athenaeum on [email protected].

Whisky Socials at the Athenaeum

The Athenaeum Hotel is home to one of the biggest collections of whiskies in London, with over 300 varieties and counting. They aim to get their hands on every new expression they can, so that you can enjoy the widest possible choice on their whisky menu.

The bar is warm and welcoming, the perfect place to meet before going out or after returning to the hotel in the evening. It’s surprisingly discreet and full of quiet corners. Tuck yourself away with a paper. Enjoy a quiet romantic moment. The atmosphere is always merry. Not sure where to start or just want to know more? Work your way through the hotel’s extensive menu and read about drams from the Scottish Highlands to Japan, all with the help of their expert Whisky Sommelier.

The Athenaeum Hotel also hosts monthly whisky socials for guests and other whisky enthusiasts in its beautiful Hyde Park suite on the last Friday of every month. This unique and exclusive event pairs a different whisky with a specially selected menu and is presented by resident whisky Sommelier Ivo Silva and the brand ambassador from the respective whisky distillery.

To find out about the next Whisky Social please call 0207 640 3311 or email the events team on [email protected].

BAFTA, 110 Rochester Row, 20 Cavendish Square, The Athenaeum Hotel join TWC

Four stylish venues have joined us as members of The Westminster Collection, following their debut at Destination Westminster, our annual London venue showcase (held on 13 Sept 2013 at 8 Northumberland Avenue): 110 Rochester Row, 20 Cavendish Square, The Athenaeum Hotel and 195 Piccadilly, the home of BAFTA. These exceptional properties join a high quality portfolio of the Westminster borough’s unique and charming event and meetings venues.

Newly launched to the events market on 12th September 2013, 110 Rochester Row is a superb new conferencing venue, purpose-built and located equidistant from Pimlico and London Victoria stations for easy access to major rail links. 110 Rochester Row is owned and operated by HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association), a registered charity and everything from its pricing to its environmental policy reflects its charitable status.

20 Cavendish Square is the long-time home of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Located to the north of Oxford Street, this beautifully restored Georgian mansion house offers an unusual blend of historic and contemporary architecture. Suitable for meetings, receptions and fine-dining experiences, the venue has 14 meeting rooms, with the largest capacity room accommodating 200. All rooms come equipped with the latest audio visual technology.

Intimate and sophisticated, the 164-bedroom, 5-star Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair places emphasis on personalisation, whether a board meeting, cocktail party, or conference for up to 100 people. The hotel’s three meeting rooms – all with natural daylight – can be booked together providing a unique, dedicated meeting floor. This hotel has something to delight everyone: The Living Wall vertical garden, a luxury spa, Afternoon Tea (voted “Best in London 2012”), award winning restaurant and a discreet bar, home to one of London’s largest collection of whiskies.

The Westminster Collection is also delighted to welcome back to membership 195 Piccadilly, home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). This cultured venue offers five spacious rooms perfect for corporate events, private dining and weddings. Located in the bright lights of the West End, 195 Piccadilly offers the finest contemporary cuisine combined with outstanding service in a vibrant and accessible location.

Jonathan Morris, TWC’s membership director and No.11 Cavendish Square’s commercial director, said: “Since its establishment in 2003 The Westminster Collection has gone from strength to strength with a growing portfolio of culturally interesting venues, located in the City of Westminster. The range is wonderfully diverse, from townhouses and private members clubs to historic houses, unique venues and attractions; there’s something different and special about each one to suit organisers’ wide ranging needs and our Destination Westminster showcase earlier this month provided the perfect platform for buyers wanting to discover more about them.

“By being part of a leading venue consortium, members benefit from the partnerships formed with business organisations, trade bodies and associations which provide a network for boosting sales leads and sharing referrals. Alongside this, member venues are actively promoted through targeted marketing using the Collection’s extensive database of UK event professionals.

“The Westminster Collection will continue to develop successfully and I look forward to the addition of many more new venues and the formation of new partnerships.”

Mayfair gallery, 5-star hotel and private members club choose TWC

The Westminster Collection is delighted to announce the addition of three stylish venues to membership: The Music Room, InterContinental London Westminster and The Lansdowne Club. These three new member venues bring with them a host of unique features and facilities to further enhance the diversity of our collection’s central London properties, which range from fashionable townhouses and private members clubs, to luxury hotels, celebrated attractions, historic institutes and societies.

Located in the prestigious surroundings of Mayfair, near Bond Street station, The Music Room is a cool, contemporary space flooded with natural daylight, where white walls meet parquet floors to present a space perfect for hosting all manner of ambitious events, such as fashion shows, press launches and receptions for up to 320 people. With scope for personalised theming, the minimalist interior is ideal for event organisers looking for a venue to brand as their own.

There are few hospitality brands in the world as prestigious as InterContinental Hotels, renowned for their exacting standards of excellence and the InterContinental London Westminster is no exception. Located just steps away from St James’ Park tube station, the hotel’s prestigious façade complements a beautifully renovated interior, where 256 individually designed suites and homely rooms meet spectacular dining at Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar, inspired by the best American pit masters. Seven meeting and events rooms enjoy the latest technologies and are adaptable for both dinner parties and corporate events.

The Lansdowne Club on Fitzmaurice Place is one of London’s most exclusive addresses, combining stunning Art Deco interiors and modern conferencing capabilities for up to 150 theatre style. The beautiful Robert Adam-designed ballroom, with its vaulted ceilings, minstrel galleries and natural daylight, is the perfect location for an evening of fine dining and dancing.

Commenting on her decision to join TWC, venue manager of The Lansdowne Club, Lucy Mannering, said: “As a private members club, we fear that we may not be as ‘on the radar’ as other venues in the Westminster area and there may also be a misconception that our function rooms are only available for our members’ use. In fact, we are very pleased to welcome both members and non-members to use our events and conferencing facilities and we are pleased to have the marketing support of TWC to spread the word amongst potential clients.”

Jonathan Morris, TWC’s membership director and No.11 Cavendish Square’s commercial director, said: “Our brand new website went live in April to provide a very visual and easy-to-navigate portal for event organisers looking for outstanding venues for corporate and private events. These new properties in the Mayfair and St James’s areas demonstrate how TWC venues each have a story to tell in terms of their architecture, client portfolio and event and conferencing capabilities.

“We’re celebrating a decade of TWC this year and exciting plans are well underway for our annual showcase in September, which will look and feel very different from what event planners and agencies have seen in previous years and be greatly enhanced by these new member venues.”