Where to Hold a Corporate Event in London
London gives event organisers an extraordinary amount of choice, but deciding which part of the city to hold an event in can be almost as difficult as choosing the venue itself.
The right location will depend on who is attending, where they are travelling from and what sort of event you are planning. A City venue that works perfectly for an evening reception may not be the best choice for a national conference. A Shoreditch warehouse can be ideal for a product launch, but less appropriate for a formal board dinner.
For corporate events, we would normally start with the guests. Where are they coming from? Will most be travelling across London, arriving by train from elsewhere in the UK or flying in from overseas?
Once you know that, the search becomes much easier.
The City of London
The City remains an obvious choice for corporate events, particularly when guests are coming from banks, law firms, financial services businesses and other companies based in the Square Mile.
What makes the area interesting is the variety of venues hidden among the office buildings. Alongside contemporary conference and meeting spaces are historic livery halls, private dining rooms, rooftop venues, restaurants and some impressive spaces for receptions and dinners.
Liverpool Street, Bank, Moorgate and Fenchurch Street provide good transport options, while the Elizabeth line has made Liverpool Street considerably more convenient for guests travelling from Heathrow and other parts of London.
We particularly like the City for conferences, networking events, drinks receptions, dinners, awards events and client entertaining.
It can also offer some unexpected options for organisers who want a venue with character rather than a conventional corporate meeting room.
King’s Cross and St Pancras
For an event with delegates arriving from around the country, King’s Cross deserves serious consideration.
King’s Cross and St Pancras provide direct rail connections with cities including Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Cambridge, while St Pancras also serves international Eurostar passengers. Six Underground lines make onward travel across London straightforward.
The area itself has changed enormously. What was once somewhere people simply travelled through is now home to hotels, restaurants, modern event spaces, meeting venues and some much more unusual locations around King’s Cross and Coal Drops Yard.
For conferences and company-wide events where people are travelling from several UK offices, we would often look here before automatically choosing the West End.
Being able to step off a train and walk to the venue is a considerable advantage, particularly for a one-day event.
London Bridge and Southwark
London Bridge works particularly well when you want central London without necessarily choosing the West End.
Transport connections are excellent, with National Rail and Underground services making the area easily accessible from both within and outside London. It is particularly convenient for guests travelling from Kent, Sussex and other parts of the South East.
There is also a good mixture of venue styles.
Modern conference spaces sit alongside historic buildings, riverside venues, restaurants, hotels and cultural spaces. Move towards Bankside and you have the Thames, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe nearby, which gives the area a noticeably different atmosphere from the City on the opposite bank.
We would consider London Bridge and Southwark for conferences, corporate dinners, receptions, summer events, away days and events where you want guests to experience a little more of London while still keeping transport simple.
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is often the first area we think of when a brief calls for something less corporate.
The area has long been associated with creative businesses, technology companies, fashion and media, and its venues reflect that. Studios, converted warehouses, industrial spaces, bars, restaurants, hotels and blank canvas venues are all part of the mix.
It is particularly strong for product launches, brand events, parties, networking events and events where the setting needs to feel contemporary and informal.
That doesn’t mean Shoreditch is only suitable for parties. There are excellent meeting and conference venues here too, particularly for companies that want something different from a traditional hotel environment.
Liverpool Street is within easy reach of much of the area, while Shoreditch High Street and Old Street provide additional transport options.
For an event where atmosphere and personality matter as much as the meeting space, Shoreditch is difficult to overlook.
Westminster
There are few areas of London that feel more unmistakably London than Westminster.
For organisations hosting international delegates, government-related events, association meetings or events where the setting needs a certain sense of occasion, it can be a particularly strong choice.
The area includes everything from large conference venues and hotels to historic buildings, private dining rooms and venues overlooking some of London’s best-known landmarks.
Westminster also works well when there is a formal element to the event. Conferences, dinners, receptions, awards ceremonies and high-level meetings all sit comfortably here.
The trade-off is that you may pay a premium for the location, and certain venues can have more restrictions than a purpose-built event space. But when the surroundings form part of the experience, Westminster can be worth it.
Soho and the West End
The West End is a useful option when the event doesn’t end when the meeting finishes.
Soho, Covent Garden and the surrounding streets offer restaurants, private dining rooms, hotels, members’ clubs, bars, screening rooms and entertainment venues within a relatively compact area.
That makes the West End particularly good for client entertaining, team events, private dining, receptions and smaller corporate gatherings.
It is also convenient when guests are staying in central London or when you want to combine a daytime meeting with dinner, theatre or another evening activity.
For a large conference, we might look elsewhere first. For an event where hospitality and the wider guest experience are important, the West End has a lot to offer.
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is sometimes dismissed as being too far from central London, but its transport connections have changed significantly.
The Elizabeth line has made journeys to the West End and Heathrow much quicker, alongside existing Jubilee line and DLR services.
The area is particularly convenient for financial and professional services businesses based in East London, and there is a strong selection of hotels, meeting spaces, restaurants, private dining rooms and modern corporate venues.
Canary Wharf suits conferences, meetings, networking events, dinners and larger corporate gatherings particularly well.
There is also an advantage that is sometimes overlooked: many venues here are modern and purpose-built. If reliable technology, accessibility and straightforward event logistics are priorities, that can matter more than having a famous central London postcode.
Mayfair and Marylebone
For board meetings, private dinners, client entertaining and smaller high-level corporate events, Mayfair and Marylebone remain popular choices.
The appeal is less about large-scale event infrastructure and more about quality and setting. Five-star hotels, private dining rooms, townhouses, members’ clubs and historic venues make these areas particularly suitable when the guest list is smaller and the experience needs to feel polished.
Marylebone can also be a practical choice for guests arriving at Marylebone, Paddington or Euston, depending on the exact venue location.
These areas won’t suit every budget, but for an event where hospitality is a priority, they are worth considering.
Don’t choose an area just because it’s fashionable
We regularly see event briefs where the preferred location has been decided before anyone has considered how the guests will actually get there.
Sometimes that works. Sometimes it unnecessarily restricts the venue search.
If 250 delegates are travelling from Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, being close to a suitable mainline station may be far more valuable than being in Mayfair. If most guests work in the City, asking them to travel across London for a two-hour networking event may not make much sense.
Equally, if you’re launching a creative brand, the character of the area may be an important part of the event and worth asking guests to travel a little further.
There isn’t one part of London that is best for corporate events. There is a part of London that is best for your particular event.
At Best Venues London, we usually look at the event type, guest numbers, budget, transport and the atmosphere the organiser wants to create before narrowing down the location.
Sometimes the right answer is exactly where the client expected it to be. Quite often, it isn’t.
Looking for a corporate event venue in London?
Tell us what you’re planning, how many people are attending, where your guests are travelling from and what you have in mind.
We’ll search London for venues that suit the event rather than simply restricting the search to the most obvious postcode.
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Tell us about your event and we’ll find the right London venue and location for it.