2024 is an important year for Congress Centre – in particular the Events Team – as this year we celebrate our Silver Jubilee.
We’ve now been hosting events, conferences, parties, launches and meetings in our historic, central London location for 25 years! We feel this is a truly monumental milestone for any venue, but we’re particularly proud of the accolade as when we look back, we have clients and staff members who’ve been with us for the whole journey. It’s this loyalty we feel makes us a unique central London conference venue.
We wanted to take this opportunity to take a moment to look at some of the most memorable events we’ve held here, from some of our biggest brands and spectacular occasions to some more intimate or quirky gatherings. We’ve always championed a wide range of events, in fact, is one of our venue’s most appealing features. So, sit back, and come on a journey with us through a quarter of a century of fabulous events.
When world-renowned brands like Warner Brothers approach you wanting to hold an awards ceremony in your venue, you know you must be doing something right. Awards dos are always held in our biggest space, Congress Hall, which perfectly lends itself to events which require a stage as well as a banqueting area (which can comfortably seat 320 diners). Clients tell us it’s the combination of cutting-edge tech and the beautiful 1950’s modernist design of the room that makes them want to book it.
When international cosmetic brand bare minerals held its two-day conference in Congress Hall, they not only took over the large, main space (which can seat up to 500 when set up in a theatre style), they also used the Foyer and adjacent Congress Suite for catering, breakouts and networking. This fabulous event saw over 300 delegates through Congress Centre’s doors, but our venue hadn’t even nearly reached its capacity until Microsoft held its MIX UK conference with us.
Spread out over two-days, the event welcomed 500 guests to 36 individual sessions with 58 speakers. In order to host such a lot of talks and demonstrations, Microsoft took over some of the smaller meeting rooms – the Invision Suites – on the 2nd floor as well as the main areas on the lower ground floor. The event manager at Microsoft, explains that they weren’t looking for an ordinary conference space in London, ‘We were looking for a slightly more unusual venue than a conference hotel for this event and Congress Centre was ideal as it is both individual and slightly quirky with good facilities, in-house AV and a very central location.’
We know how important it is for clients to inject a unique look and feel on a venue. Enel, Yahoo, Beauty Beat and Ping Identity all made the most of the branding opportunities we offer at Congress Centre. These include the colour changeable LED lighting in Congress Hall, the 18foot drop-down screen which takes centre stage in our main space, plus numerous other screens throughout the property which can all display logos or promotional videos and pictures. We also offer a vinyl wrap service to make the most of the pillars, walls and steps throughout the venue. Ping Identity was one client who made the most of all of the branding opportunities available including taking ownership of some floor space, some foliage outside the front of the building, the registration desk and they brought their own branded barista cart.
Here in the Events Office at Congress Centre, we love hosting all types of events and helping out with all manner of bookings that come across our path. But we must admit, there is something quite thrilling about the days when a celebrity is on site. Whether they’re doing a book signing (Justin Bieber), filming a TV series (Fiona Shaw), or speaking at a conference (Dame Kelly Holmes) there’s nothing quite like the buzz of the building when a famous face is afoot.
As a filming location in London, Congress Centre has appeared in a fantastic array of film and TV shows including Killing Eve, The Crown and the Film Our Crooked House. As a Grade II listed building with stunning 1950’s modernist features, there are plenty of distinctive and unique backdrops for film and television including a less glamorous, but very useful, private underground carpark – a rarity in central London.
Some of the events we’ve been most proud of over the last 25 years, are the ones that have made a positive impact. The VIN and OMI sustainable fashion shows have been held twice at Congress Centre now. Being chosen as VIN and OMI’s venue partner gives us confidence that we’re doing a good job with our sustainability efforts.
We’re also especially proud of the long-term relationship we have with the TUC, who own the building. We’ve hosted many events for them over the years, including their TUC Women’s Conference last year. They set the bar high in terms of ethical standards and we’re pleased to follow their lead.
Every venue loves it when a client re-books for the following year. It shows that you’ve fulfilled their brief and they want to grow their event with you. We’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the success of lots of events over the years, some with whom we’ve been working with for over 20 years! PM Forum has been a valued clients for over two decades, holding their annual conference in Congress Hall. We love that their delegates will look forward to returning to us every year, getting to know the venue and our West London location a little better every time they come back.
Zenith Global has also been coming back to hold a range of events with us for 20 years and we’re especially proud of our association with them because of their fabulous surplus food initiative. From May 2024 to when this piece was written (early June 2024), they have provided 150kg of food to City Harvest London and delivered 357 meals to charities supporting for families in need.
‘Congress Centre is a superb venue, offering fantastic spaces, integrated AV systems (a huge cost-saving), great daily delegate rates, catering and most importantly, a superstar team that goes above and beyond to ensure our events are smoothly and effortlessly delivered,’ says Francesca Hall, Events Director, Zenith Global. ‘It’s a joy to return to the venue year after year, with great confidence that we will deliver another seamless event thanks to their exceptional organisation and support.’
Whether you’re looking for a meeting space, a grand hall to host a gala dinner or a room for an awards ceremony and after party, you’ll find the perfect match at Congress Centre. We also have fantastic in-house caterers who have prepared amazing menus to suit all occasions. They can also provide bespoke dishes if your event requires it, giving you the chance to put your own creative spin on the food and drink offerings at your event.
If you want to discuss any of your ideas or ask any questions of our friendly, professional team, please call the event team on 020 7467 1318. You can also drop them an email via co*************@tu*.uk.