We have all been out meeting clients, suppliers and visiting venues all over the UK and Europe.
Caroline has been on a few trips to London and managed to pack in visits to a wide variety of venues. We thought we would do a quick summary of just some of them.
Nobu Hotel London Portman
This is the recently refurbished (and reopened) Radisson SAS Portman. The hotel has 249 bedrooms and suites, and is located in Portman Square.
Nobu is a global brand of restaurants that feature a style of food pioneered by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa influenced by Japanese cuisine. Nobu Bar complements the restaurant and serves cocktails with a local twist.
For a more relaxed dining experience The Lounge situated in the Lobby serves morning coffee, healthy lunches and pre-dinner drinks. The space is open all day.
The meeting space at the hotel can cater for receptions for up to 700 and cabaret style for 256 in the Nobu Ballroom. There are a further 2 meeting rooms which hold 22 and 14 boardroom style.
Tower Hotel
The Tower Hotel is located on St Katharine’s Dock adjacent to Tower Bridge and opposite the Tower of London. Many of the hotel’s 801 bedrooms have views of these iconic landmarks.
The hotel restaurant Vicinity is on the River Thames, and benefits from the great views. The hotel bar Xi Bar serves cocktails, Jack Daniel’s specials, and divine Ping Pong Dim Sum. In the summer the hotel opens The Lawn, an al-fresco dining space.
The meeting space at this hotel is extremely versatile. The Tower Suites when combined can seat up to 500. The Bridge Suite can hold up to 150. There are a further 14 rooms that vary in size from 50 theatre style to 6 boardroom. Like the bedrooms, many of the meeting rooms have spectacular views of London.
Landing Forty Two
Landing Forty Two is a venue situated on the 42nd Floor of the Leadenhall Building (The Cheese Grater) situated a short walk from Liverpool Street and St Pauls.
The venue is advertised as London’s highest dedicated event space – served by the fastest scenic lifts in Europe. The panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows mean that you really do get to take advantage of the great views the venue has to offer.
There is over 5,000 sq ft of flexible space for conferences and events. You can comfortably seat 220 for dinner, or up to 300 for a standing reception.
Moving Venue are the on site caterers and offer food and drink for all events. There is already state of the art LED lighting, zonally-controlled sound, a range of staging and plasma screens on-site.
If you are looking for a venue that wows then Landing Forty Two definitely does that!
Sky Gardens
Sky Gardens are just one of the many venues that can be seen from Landing Forty Two!
Based over 3 storeys at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street (The Walkie Talkie Building) Sky Gardens are open to the public but can be hired privately. If you use all the space you can accommodate up to 700 for a standing reception. 300 is the maximum for a seated dinner. If everyone needs to see the screen then the maximum for a conference is 200.
Sky Gardens are such a unique venue with huge floor to ceiling windows offering exceptional views. The lush greenery and modern architecture create an enchanting atmosphere for your events.
America Square Conference Centre
America Square Conference Centre is situated in the heart of the City close to Tower Hill Tube Station.
This modern conference centre is unique because it has part of the historic Roman London Wall running through it. The wall provides a backdrop and talking point to meetings of all types.
The main room can hold 270 theatre style and has a foyer/catering space that is suitable for 18 exhibition stands. There are an additional 5 meeting rooms that are perfect as breakout spaces or for smaller meetings.
The Hilton London Metropole
This hotel has always been one of the capital’s largest residential meeting and event spaces.
It has recently gone through a complete refurbishment and it is looking really impressive. The hotel now has its own character rather than just a generic chain feel.
We were lucky enough to have the Chef’s Table when we dined, but the food and service was amazing.
The venue has 1,100 bedrooms and event space that can hold up to 1,350 delegates. The main spaces are the two Ballrooms – Richmond Suite (which can divide into 6 breakout rooms) and the Kensington Suite, both can hold 1350 delegates. The Admiral Suite can hold up to 800 and has 15 smaller meeting rooms on the floor above which are ideal for breakout sessions. The hotel has a total of 35 meeting rooms.
The Folly
The Folly is a restaurant in the City and part of the Drake and Morgan chain. All D & M restaurants are very unique and offer a tranquil escape from the busy city.
Not only do most of the restaurants have private space, it is possible to hire the whole restaurant privately. The Folly has a private room downstairs and a semi-private space upstairs.
The Folly is advertised as a botanical bar and restaurant and the decor really does reflect this tag – bringing the outside in. The space is full of plants and flowers. Their Indoor Garden has space for up to 70 guests. The Deli can accommodate up to 40 guests. The Private Dining Room can accommodate 35 seated. The Basement Floor can hold up to 450 for drinks and canapes.
Devonshire Terrace
Is another Drake and Morgan restaurant again in the City, very close to Liverpool Street.
As the name suggests the restaurant has a large outside terrace that is perfect for summer events for up to 150 standing. The lower section of the Terrace can also be hired privately for 50.
Inside Devonshire Terrace has private space that can be used for meetings as well as private parties. The Private Dining Space has sliding dividers that split the space, so 250 standing can be accommodated as easily as a boardroom meeting for 10. Again the whole restaurant can also be hired privately for 250 standing.
This is just a very small selection of the London venues we have visited in the last few months; please always ask if you want our advice.
