Audiences love to be inspired by engaging and insightful speakers. The bigger the audience, the louder the rapturous applause. Of course, great speeches need an inspiring backdrop and a comfortable, spacious room.
Venues in London are plentiful and we have some of the best conference rooms in the city - thoughtfully designed to energise those attending an in-person event. Here are seven of our most impressive conference spaces in central London:
1. The Grand Hall at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s
Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s is home to the largest single above-ground meeting room in City of London; The Grand Hall can accommodate 900 reception guests and the venue in its entirety has a full-buyout capacity of 1,200.
Offering the signature Convene in-room A/V technology supported by an on-site team, the space offers four drop-down screens in a column-free space, allowing attendees a clear vantage point no matter where they’re seated. The Grand Hall is strategically placed within the venue, providing discreet access to the speaker green room off to the side while also opening up directly into the Grand Hall Gallery for exhibition space, networking, and meal breaks.
Venue: Convene Sancroft, St. Paul's
Set-up Capacity: 850 Theatre, 444 Cabaret, 312 Classroom
2. Enterprise Hall at Convene 133 Houndsditch
The moment you walk into the Enterprise Hall at Convene 133 Houndsditch, it becomes obvious why this London conference space is a crowd favourite. It’s among the largest conference spaces within our global portfolio and can comfortably accommodate up to 700 attendees theatre-style.
The room features built-in, state-of-the-art tech and A/V inclusive of five main screens and, for those seated further back, four repeater screens.
Then there’s the smaller, but still important, details such as smart mirrors on pillars to enhance clear sight lines, square ceiling coffers that open the space further, adjustable colour lighting to complement your company’s brand or change the mood, and the flexibility to divide the room into two spaces (creating Enterprise 1 and Enterprise 2) using a moveable wall. This all adds up to a perfect large conference venue for product launches or a corporate event.
Venue: Convene 133 Houndsditch, Liverpool Street
Set-up Capacity: 700 Theatre, 500 Cabaret, 400 Classroom
3. Premium Suite at etc.venues 200 Aldersgate, St. Paul’s
The Premium Suite at etc.venues 200 Aldersgate, St Paul’s is a unique conference space that can accommodate a maximum of 400 attendees in a theatre-style set-up, and up to 190 guests for a classroom set-up. One of the benefits of choosing a landscape-shaped room like this is that your audience is never far from the stage. Wherever they sit, they can clearly see and hear the speakers and the presentation.
When the blackout blinds are opened, floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides of the room ensure plenty of natural light - and panoramic views - to keep attendees energised. The crush lobby at the back of the room provides seamless egress points while also housing the A/V desk and the conference coordinator.
With two green rooms adjacent to the conference room, there is ample space for speakers to relax and prepare themselves before going on stage.
Using movable airwalls, the Premium Suite can also be divided into three unique rooms, allowing the flexibility to run a series of smaller sessions in the space.
Venue: etc.venues 200 Aldersgate, St. Paul’s
Set-up Capacity: 400 Theatre, 250 Cabaret, 190 Classroom
4. Broadgate Forum at Convene 155 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street
Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of the Broadgate Forum at Convene 155 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street is the five-screen set-up in front of the window bay. The end-to-end ‘wall of screens’ creates a striking visual punch, delivering a sleek display of immersive content from the moment attendees arrive through the central doors at the rear. Better still, the landscape format of this conference room means that the audience is never far from the main stage and presenters.
A natural ‘crush lobby’ at the back of the room provides easy entry and ensures the audience can come and go without disrupting the speakers or those sitting in the back row. Another highlight of this room is the adjustable coloured lighting in the coffers that helps you fine-tune the mood to suit the tone of your event perfectly.
Getting your audience to the venue is easy since 155 Bishopsgate is situated adjacent to Liverpool Street Station which has great transport links.
Venue: Convene 155 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 3YD
Set-up Capacity: 600 Theatre, 350 Cabaret, 260 Classroom
5. The Thames Suite and County Suite at etc.venues County Hall
If you want to build anticipation and excitement before your conference even begins, consider etc.venues County Hall, the eponymous venue located within the iconic London landmark.
The largest room, known as the Thames Suite, can accommodate up to 900 attendees. As the name suggests, the conference space overlooks the River Thames and affords spectacular views of Big Ben, Parliament, and The Palace of Westminster. The room can be divided into three sections, including a lounge, and is the premier banqueting suite for the venue.
Connected to the Thames Suite is the County Suite. With seven built-in screens and projectors and LED dynamic lighting in the ceiling coffers, this room is perfect for state-of-the-art presentations and capacity for up to 400 delegates theatre style and 250 in cabaret.
Venue: etc.venues County Hall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 7PB
Set-up Capacity: 400 Theatre, 252 Cabaret, 180 Classroom
6. The City Wing at etc.venues 8 Fenchurch Place
The City Wing at etc.venues 8 Fenchurch Place comprises the City Suite, a 250-person theatre-style conference room, the City Lounge, an area for private exhibition, networking, and meal breaks, and two executive boardrooms: Upstairs and Headquarters. The City Suite is a beautifully designed and sound-proofed private conference room free from distractions. Due to its proximity to the Fenchurch Street station in the City of London, this modern and bright event space is a favourite with planners working in the banking and insurance sectors.
Half-moon, ergonomically-designed cabaret tables will keep attendees seated comfortably while five built-in screens and projectors across the far wall allow you to create striking and immersive presentations.
With our signature landscape-shaped room format, the City Suite can be divided into three sections for separate sessions of group activities and provides a discreet entrance/exit at the back of the room which opens into a private catering space with an abundance of light.
Venue: etc.venues 8 Fenchurch Place
Set-up Capacity: 250 Theatre, 150 Cabaret, 136 Classroom
7. Bishopsgate Forum at Convene 22 Bishopsgate
Located within one of the most iconic London skyscrapers, the Bishopsgate Forum at Convene 22 Bishopsgate is ideal for conferences of up to 400 people. With a full-floor buyout, the venue provides ample breakout space for smaller sessions as well as plenty of gallery space for exhibitors and networking.
Convene 22 Bishopsgate also offers the Convene Enhancement Program, allowing clients to take advantage of additional branding opportunities throughout the space and create a more immersive conference experience.
Venue: Convene 22 Bishopsgate
Set-up Capacity: 405 Theatre, 180 Cabaret, 155 Classroom
