Whether you’re looking for the perfect London venue for all your corporate events, an inspirational venue for training and learning, an opulent and exclusive space for an A-list London party or one of London’s most exclusive and magical wedding venues, the Grand Connaught Rooms delivers for all of these.

The iconic Grand Hall, one of London’s largest and most impressive event venues, the sophisticated Champagne Bar, the indulgent Tempus Restaurant, the sleek and modern meeting rooms, Grand Connaught Rooms is the ultimate venue in London.  

Now introducing our fabulous new Penthouse Roof Terrace, an oasis of calm with fabulous views over Covent Garden and Holborn. The Roof terrace is best enjoyed alfresco for drinks receptions but an exclusive art deco style space and lounge are a fall back for bad weather and to provide seating.

For more information about hiring the Grand Connaught Rooms for your next event, contact Event Solutions.

Situated aloft Harvey Nichols luxury department store and synonymous with all that is fashionable and creative, the Fifth Floor includes private dining room, cocktail bar, open plan café and terrace, wine shop and food market.

Ideal for shopping parties, cocktail receptions, private dinners, breakfast meetings, fashion shows and afternoon teas, this venue can create bespoke events to suit your needs.

The Harvey Nichols team, adept at hosting intimate events for many of the who’s who on the international circuit, are happy to design your food and beverage menu to suit the individual style of your event, and to leave your guests feeling utterly inspired.

To find out more about holding your next event at the Fifth Floor, please  contact Event Solutions or email the Events Manager Novella; na@harveynichols.com.

Abbey Road Studios

With three legendary spaces available for private and corporate event hire, ranging in capacity from 40 to 400, it offers the opportunity to hold an event in the studios where legends have made landmark recordings.

From the iconic atmosphere of Studio Two, where The Beatles recorded 190 songs, to the grandeur of Studio One, home of some of film’s most famous soundtrack recordings, Abbey Road Studios is an unparalleled, unforgettable event venue.

The Record a Song experience is also available, to groups of 15-100 guests.

To find out more about holding an event at Abbey Road Studios, contact Event Solutions.

Last month, Bill Finklea, Vice President Operations for New York-based Site Search & Select joined a US delegation who were treated to a four-night stay around the meetings exhibition, International Confex, which will take place again next year in March at ExCeL London.

Here, Bill describes his time in and around the capital, extolling the virtues of signing up with London & Partners for future planned familiarisation trips.

“I used to live in London from 1989 to 1990 so I’m always excited to return and discover how the place has changed and what new and interesting itineraries we can offer our clients.

London & Partners hosted our party of eight, all from US cities such as Atlanta, San Francisco, New Jersey, Denver and San Diego and took us first for a two-night stay at the Radisson Edwardian in the nearby town of Guilford.

I was very impressed with the town’s history and its ease of access into central London and to Heathrow airport.

After arriving on a Sunday and spending a delightful day touring Hampton Court, we spent the following day doing hotel site inspections.

We saw the Sofitel London at Heathrow, which adjoins Terminal 5 and offers conferencing for up to 1,700 delegates and then we had lunch at the Hilton Terminal 5. The hotels around Heathrow offer exceptional business and events facilities.

In the afternoon, we visited the Waldorf Astoria Syon Park, which is a beautiful property on a country house estate with a ballroom that can seat up to 450 guests. We then visited Coworth Park, part of the Dorchester Collection and set in 240 acres of Ascot countryside.

On the Tuesday, we went into London and started with the Wyndham Grand at Chelsea Harbour. I knew it in its former life as a Conrad hotel so it was great to see its evolution.

From here we had a tour of Chelsea Football Club‘s meeting and events facilities, before heading to the Grand Connaught Rooms and the Park Plaza County Hall.

The highlight of the day for me though was a trip to the top of the Gherkin building at 30 St Mary’s Axe in the City. It is an amazing events space with phenomenal 360-degree views.

Dinner on the Tuesday evening was enjoyed at the Mayfair Hotel London with its 410 beautifully appointed rooms. The following day we then headed to London’s docklands and International Confex.

We all really enjoyed the exhibition as it was an opportunity to talk to some of the smaller hotel chains and venues that we otherwise would not have seen.

That evening, we enjoyed a night out in London’s West-end.

I firmly believe that the city has never looked better. It is so vibrant, so clean and there is such energy. This may be a result of the upcoming London Olympic Games and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations but it all adds up to make London a number one destination of choice for this year.

The city’s convention bureau is such a valuable asset as well. They keep me informed of all new and refurbished properties and act as my direct link into contacting London hotels and suppliers.”

Some 12,000 events and performances featuring over 25,000 artists from all 205 participating Olympic nations have been planned for between 21 June and 9 September all over the UK. There will be 137 world firsts and 85 UK premiers.

London highlights will include the floating children’s opera The Owl and the Pussycat written by Monty Python star Terry Jones, which will travel through London’s canal network plus pop-up Shakespeare performances around the city, with a cast led by actor and director Mark Rylance.

A barge manned by a group of well-known comedians will set sail from London and attempt to reach Edinburgh’s celebrated Fringe venue, The Pleasance, staging pop-up comedy gigs along the way. Whilst The BT River of Music will showcase performances from five continents across six stages located in iconic locations around the capital. Some 160,000 free tickets will be available for confirmed acts including the Noisettes and the Scissor Sisters.

Major London events which form part of the Festival include BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, the BBC Proms, the World Shakespeare Festival and Urban Classic – a mashup between the BBC Symphony Orchestra and urban acts including Ms Dynamite planned for Waltham Forest Town Hall on 5 July.

Ruth MacKenzie, Director of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival said: “It will be the largest cultural celebration in our lifetime. With new work from the best musicians, comics, artists, film makers and more, there will be arts events taking place in unusual places all over the UK that will showcase the best in international culture when the eyes of the world are on us this summer.”

Principal funders of the London 2012 Festival are Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor. BP and BT are Premier Partners.

The Festival brochure can be downloaded here.

The decision to market and dispose of the venue, taken by the previous Government in April 2009, has been through a review process.

The review has concluded that the Department for Communities and Local Government should retain its freehold interest in the building in line with current Government Property Unit policy to retain freeholds in the Whitehall area.

This means that the building will remain as a conference centre as it has proved to be of considerable economic benefit to the Westminster area, as recognised by Westminster City Council.

The Department for Communities and Local Government will now explore all the viable options for the future of the Centre. It will then decide whether the conference business should continue under the existing arrangements or be marketed to the private sector.

The Department is investigating three options – a short-term operating contract, a medium-term lease and a longer-term lease, but would consider other value for money options the market proposed.

The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre currently operates as a successful trading fund and delivers an annual net surplus from trading in excess of £2million.

Hosted by Kings Place in Kings Cross and rescheduled from its traditional July date to avoid a clash with the Olympics, the Summer Eventia saw 39 speakers participate in 18 sessions. These ranged from discussions around technology, creativity and the economy to nurturing talent, sustainability and the impact of the London 2012 Games.

Dennis Turner, former Chief Economist at HSBC opened the Summer Eventia on Monday 23 April with an insightful look at the economy, delivered in a light-hearted and engaging way.

Turner was followed by two panels of experts discussing the economic landscape for the events industry and the Olympic boost.

The afternoon on the first day was spent discussing the operational challenges of getting around London during the Games with, among others, Nicky Ward from Transport for London and Trevor Smith from LOCOG’s city operations team.

Delegates were then able to choose from a series of breakout sessions. Highlights included John Hooker’s take on working in the BRIC economies, new ideas and apprenticeship schemes to engage event talent and advice on the impact of recent changes to employment law.

Day one ended with Andy Lopata’s masterclass in networking and a reception plus entertainment in Kings Place.

Highlights from the second day of the Summer Eventia 2012 included in-depth showcasing of the latest available technology including RFID and 3-D mapping, plus the latest social media tools to help amplify event messaging such as Storify and Pinterest.

Eventia Vice-Chairman Simon Hughes said: “The content programme for the Summer Eventia 2012 was driven by delegate responses from the previous year’s event. We listened to what the industry wanted in terms of education and networking. Judging by both anecdotal evidence and social media feedback from delegates, we have delivered on all aspects. I’m delighted with the results.”

During the two-day conference, destination host sponsor London & Partners hosted a drop-in advice clinic for anyone with questions relating to the Games or bringing their events to the UK capital.

Zanine Adams, Head of Event Solutions & UK Sales for London & Partners said: “We were delighted to bring the Summer Eventia to London in 2012 and it was great to see so many fantastic speakers delivering content relevant to today’s event planning needs.”

inamo st james

None of this distracts from the high quality food. From Hot Stone Rib Eye to duck breast with a tamarind sauce, the menu is sure to impresss.

Perfect for occasions as contrasting as a product launch, conference meal, or a birthday party, inamo st james impresses with technology and delights with food and design.

“For a magical moment, it feels like a futuristic dining utopia” – The Independent

“A fantastic menu boasts a host of sublime dishes” – Easyjet magazine

inamo st james is the sister restaurant of inamo on Soho’s Wardour St, voted London’s best restaurant 2010 by readers of Time Out London. inamo St James was shortlisted for the 2011 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.

To find out about holding your next event at inamo st james, contact Event Solutions.

With fierce competition in the industry, another record number of applications were received and the rigorous short-listing and selection process has resulted in an approved list of 11 companies.

Four new companies join the list of caterers at the Science Museum.  They are:

Ampersand

Clerkenwell Green

Jackson Gilmour

Rocket

They join the following industry favourites who remain accredited:

Bubble Food

By Word of Mouth

Inn or Out

Moving Venue

Payne and Gunter

“rhubarb” food design

the-recipe

Ben Lheureux, Event Operations Manager at the Science Museum, said: “It has never been more crucial to offer our clients a depth of choice that is second-to-none. As one of London’s most versatile venues, our suppliers must combine bespoke creativity and flexibility with competitive pricing and world-class customer care. We have every confidence that our new caterers list can satisfy the needs of our clients while upholding the sustainability policies that the Science Museum is aligned with.”

A separate process to find suitable specialist caterers for accreditation at the Science Museum will be carried out later this year.

Collier joins LCY from the Dublin Airport Authority, where he has been CEO for the past seven years.

Outgoing Chief Executive, Richard Gooding OBE, who has been with the London airport for 16 years, joins the company’s board as a non-executive director.

Collier joins LCY at a time of growth – 3 million passengers in 2011 represented a 7% rise over 2010, while in the first three months of 2012, four new routes have been added, bringing the total the airport serves to 42.

Commenting on his appointment, Collier said: “Despite the challenging economic environment, the way forward for London City Airport is clear – we will grow passenger numbers and movements, while continuing to deliver against our passenger proposition of 20 minutes from door to gate. We are planning for, and investing in the future, and will continue to be the first choice for business-class passengers flying to European business destinations – while catering for travellers to an increasing range of European leisure destinations.”

Gooding added: “I am delighted to welcome Declan Collier to LCY and I am confident that, under his leadership, LCY will continue to go from strength to strength – growing passenger numbers, bringing in new customers and new destinations and expanding operations to the 120,000 movements a year for which it already has permission.”