September 2024
This autumn what better way to push your imagination and be inspired than by taking part in the amazing activities and events available at our member venues. There are fascinating talks and tastings, interesting workshops and musical performances, private daytime guided tours and out of hours exhibition visits, historical military displays and engaging scientific demonstrations and experiments to spark any curiosity and wonder. For those feeling more active why not participate in a yoga class, stroll through calming wildlife gardens, even disco dance with dinosaurs! Whether you are looking for a team away day, an imaginative add on to your event or even just time out with friends and family, there is something for everyone.
the Design Museum
Image credit: Richard Heald
Discover the captivating world of design at the Design Museum with private guided daytime and out-of-hours exhibition tours.
Immerse yourself in Barbie: The Exhibition, celebrating the iconic doll’s 60+ years of cultural impact, fashion, and design. Explore how Barbie has influenced generations, from her original form to her modern iterations.
Looking ahead, don’t miss The World of Tim Burton opening on the 25th of October, a highly anticipated exhibition showcasing the imaginative genius behind films like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Our morning and evening out-of-hours tour packages are suitable for groups of up to 20 or 30 guests. Each package includes light catering upon arrival in one of our beautiful event spaces. Morning tour guests will enjoy teas, coffees, and pastries, whilst evening guests will begin their visit with a glass of fizz and bar nibbles.
Get in touch with our Venue Hire team now by emailing venuehire@designmuseum.org to book your exhibition tour.
Southwark Cathedral
This October Luke Jerram’s Gaia returns to Southwark Cathedral, with a focus on climate justice, and the positive action all visitors can take to protect our planet. Gaia is a seven-meter replication of our planet, which will be suspended in three dimensions in the Cathedral’s Nave. Providing visitors with the ‘Overview Effect’. The feeling of awe and reinvigorated responsibility for the environment which astronauts experience when seeing the planet from space. The exhibition is supported by a wide variety of events, including night viewings, musical performances, and climate focused talks.
This is an amazing exhibition to add on to a team away day in one of the Cathedral’s conference rooms. Reach out to our events teams, cathedralvenues@southwark.anglican.org, for more information on booking. Individual tickets can be purchased here.
The Buffini Chao Deck at the National Theatre
The Buffini Chao Deck sits on the top level of the iconic National Theatre on London's South Bank, giving us unprecedented access to exclusive theatre experiences. Combine your lunch or standing reception with a backstage tour, or even tickets to a show!
Our blank canvas space also means we're able to host a whole range of different events, including yoga classes, talks, tastings, workshops and more. Get in touch with our team to find out how we can bring your ideas to life!
The Courtauld Gallery
Image credit: Fergus Carmichael
At the Courtauld Gallery, we can offer clients the opportunity to experience the magic of London’s first purpose-built exhibition space once its doors have been closed to the public with a specialist Art History tour.
Our Courtauld Experts are drawn from our fantastic Education team and PhD student body and can offer clients a deeper understanding of the Collection, its history and the Institution itself. Clients can add a tour to a breakfast event, reception or before dinner, unlocking the hidden stories behind every painting. A tour can offer an opportunity for attendees to get to know each other and share a collective experience that will be talked about long after the event itself is over.
They also offer fantastic dinner table conversation, helping to break the ice between guests, colleagues and corporate clients alike, an important element to any client hospitality and entertaining. Tours start at £300 + VAT.
The London Library
Image credit: London Library Dale Weeks
Behind The London Library’s elegant facade overlooking St. James's Square is a vast network of books, where since the mid-nineteenth century, seven buildings have been brought into one and a great centre of learning and ideas has been created.
This extensive network of bookstacks offers a fascinating insight into the workings of the Library. We’re delighted to offer bespoke tours before or after events to offer your guests a truly VIP experience. Whether they are interested in the Library’s vast collection, star-studded history or unique architecture, Library tours offer something to inspire creativity in everyone. We can also arrange special displays with books related to your organisation or your guests’ interests, which makes for a truly memorable and personalised experience.
Natural History Museum
Image credit: (c) Trustees of the Natural History Museum
Disco dance with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum – the perfect venue for work parties, galas and private dinners. Make your event unique to you and enjoy a private tour across the Museum after it’s close to the public. Explore the headline exhibitions such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year or Birds: Brilliant & Bizarre, take a journey though time and nature in the newly transformed wildlife gardens, be inspired by the Museum’s iconic specimens on a highlights tour or head behind-the-scenes on a tour of the Museum's unique spirit collection.
Private hire of Earth Hall can host up to 200 guests for dinner or 400 for a reception, while the newly transformed Darwin Centre Courtyard Centre can hold 150 guests for dinner or 350 for a reception. The South Kensington venue also offers unique spaces including hire of the famed Hintze Hall – a grand space for up to 1,200 standing guests.
Speak to the expert venue hire team at the Natural History Museum to learn more about adding tours to your event. For more information visit nhm.ac.uk/business-services/venue-hire, contact the team on 020 7942 5434 or venues@nhm.ac.uk.
Sir John Soane's Museum
Image credit: John Stead
Treat your guests to a tour of Sir John Soane’s Museum
Searching for an activity to spark your guests’ imaginations and to make your event truly unique? Look no further!
At Sir John Soane’s Museum, we offer a range of private tours which can be incorporated into away days, exclusive dinners, and drinks receptions. Treat your colleagues, clients, or friends and family to a journey through the stories, collection, and interiors of Sir John Soane’s remarkable home lead by one of our expert guides.
With our Daytime Museum Tour, your guests will discover our ground floor and first floor drawing rooms and see behind the picture planes in the Picture Room. Go behind the scenes and experience spaces not usually open to the public, with our tours of the Drawing Office and the Private Apartments. Our Out of Hours Tours offer exclusive access for your group when the Museum is closed to the public.
Explore the Museum dramatically illuminated with our Candlelit Tours.
British Library
Image credit: British Library
British Library guided tour
Discover more about our history, collection and architecture on a 60-minute tour of the public areas of the Library. The tour includes a visit to our Viewing Gallery and book handling room, where you can see some of our Reading Rooms and find out how books are stored, accessed and delivered.
Introduction to the Treasures of the British Library Gallery
This 60-minute tour introduces you to the Treasures Gallery, which is home to some of the most awe-inspiring items in our collection. Your guide will introduce you to some of the most iconic items in the gallery, from Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, to handwritten Beatles lyrics, to Andrea Levy's working drafts for Small Island.
https://thebritishlibrarytours.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is the home of British art having housed the national collection for over a century. The gallery is a neo classical building, with a fascinating history of being on the site of both prison and hospital.
Tate Britain houses the largest collections by one of Britain’s most famous painters: JMW Turner. He celebrates his 250th anniversary of his birth in 2025, making it a perfect time to clear your calendar and see the gallery! In addition, Tate Britain houses and displays artistic pieces from 1500 to present day, hosting various temporary exhibitions throughout the year including the renown Turner Prize, opening 25th September 2024.
Clients can enjoy Tate’s amazing art and history with a range of private tours and experiences. From an introductory tour, architecture tours, and specialist tours in the artworks.
*Prices start from £2,000+VAT for up to 30 guests
Somerset House
Image credit: Jim Winslet. 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair London 2023
Image credit: Jim Winslet. 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair London 2023
From season to season, Somerset House’s cultural programme is ever changing, offering opportunities to provide guests with an unforgettable experience.
Upcoming exhibitions include Making a Rukus!, celebrating Black LGBTQ+ creativity and resistance, and A Riot In Three Acts, an immersive installation reflecting on civil uprisings. Don't miss the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, showcasing over 60 exhibitors from 23 countries, with 21 newcomer galleries making their 1-54 London edition debuts.
Explore the rich history of Somerset House with a Historical Highlights Tour. This 1-hour experience takes guests through hidden spaces, revealing the captivating stories of the individuals who have lived and worked there across the centuries.
You can also enjoy a visit to The Courtauld Gallery, home to an incredible collection of art spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century.
Speak to the Somerset House team via events@somersethouse.org.uk or 020 7845 4618, and discover how you can make the most of their unique offering by incorporating their programme into your event.
The HAC
The guardians of tradition at the HAC
At the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), clients can enhance their events with two captivating experiences offering guests a unique opportunity to discover the rich history and traditions of the venue, home to a military reserve regiment and charity in the heart of London.
Established in 1925, the Company of Pikemen & Musketeers, can be booked to showcase traditional pike and musket drills in authentic 17th-century uniforms. This vibrant display offers a powerful connection to historical military practices adding a completely unique and immersive dimension to any event at the venue bringing history to life.
House Manager Hamish Green also leads engaging tours that delve into the HAC’s illustrious history. Founded in 1537, the HAC is one of the UK’s oldest military organisations. Hamish’s tours reveal significant moments in the venue’s history, from its early role in defending London to its ongoing ceremonial functions, providing a deeper appreciation of the HAC’s influence on London’s heritage.
These experiences offer a rare opportunity to connect with the HAC’s storied past, inspiring a sense of awe and admiration for its enduring traditions and profound historical significance.
To enquire about adding one of these experiences to your event at the HAC, email sales@hac.org.uk or call 020 7382 1533
London Museum Docklands
London Museum Docklands: Explore history in a unique setting
Set in a Grade I listed Georgian warehouse, London Museum Docklands not only provides a unique setting for events, but it also allows guests the opportunity to discover the rich history of London’s river, port, and people.
For corporate events, the museum offers guided tours that bring this history to life and provide an exciting addition to delegates’ event experience.
The Welcome to Docklands tour, which lasts 75 minutes, provides a captivating overview of key exhibits and galleries, showcasing London’s maritime heritage. Alternatively, the Secrets of the Warehouse tour, which lasts 45 minutes, will take you and your guests behind the scenes of our Docklands site. You’ll explore hidden areas of the building and learn about the dockworkers who once called this setting their workplace.
The tours at London Museum Docklands offer an authentic glimpse into London’s dockside history. The museum is a fascinating setting that is guaranteed to inspire guests, with the tours bringing Docklands history to life in an exclusive experience.
For more information or to book a tour, contact our team: venuehire@londonmuseum.org.uk
London Museum Spaces
London Museum Spaces: Historical tours with a modern twist
At London Museum Spaces (150 London Wall), guests can discover the rich past of London with two exclusive tour options, which can be added to an event or booked for a team social.
The Roman Fort Gate Tours offer a 45-minute journey through ancient Londinium. Walk the paths of early Roman invaders, explore the impressive fortifications and city walls, and learn about the Western Fort Gate’s fascinating rediscovery and preservation.
For a deeper dive into London’s darker history, you might prefer to book the In & Around Smithfield tour. Over 90 minutes you can explore the medieval and Tudor eras of Smithfield, a place marked by executions, plague, and bodysnatching.
Both tours blend immersive storytelling with historical facts, providing an engaging and informative experience. Whether you’re hosting a daytime event with us and want to add on an activity for delegates to partake in or you’re looking for something a little bit different for a team social in London, the tours are a great option!
For more information or to book a tour, contact our team on venuehire@londonmuseum.org.uk
Science Museum
Wonderlab: Interactive inspiration at the Science Museum
Wonderlab at the Science Museum is an exciting addition to events offering a completely unique way to experience science in action.
Spread across seven interactive zones, guests can explore scientific phenomena through hands-on activities.
Highlights include slides that demonstrate physical forces, live lightning at the Tesla coil, and the chance to order live experiments at the Chemistry Bar. To further enhance the experience, Explainers, the museum’s science experts, lead engaging demonstrations and experiments that will spark curiosity and wonder among your guests.
Wonderlab is available to hire for networking drinks, parties and evening dinners. From corporate gatherings to private celebrations, this immersive gallery invites guests to explore and discover, providing an unforgettable, science-filled experience.
To find out more about hiring the Science Museum, email venuehire@sciencemuseum.ac.uk or call 020 7942 4340
RIBA at 66 Portland Place
Image credit: Maria Murray
Clients hosting events in our Art Deco building not only get access to architecturally stunning event spaces, but to really make the most of bringing guests to our London landmark, we encourage them to add a visit to our temporary exhibitions. Whether they explore during lunch, or you opt to add on a private viewing, RIBA runs a regular roster of hard-hitting exhibitions which look closely into architectural movements, styles, and ideas throughout history.
The latest exhibition - ‘Raise the Roof: Building for Change’ – explores the narratives and attitudes embedded within the fabric of RIBA’s headquarters at 66 Portland Place and runs until 21 st September. From October onwards, ‘Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds’ will showcase over 20 complex, unusual and dynamic builds across the UK from the 1900s to today.
Guests attending events at 66 Portland Place are also welcome to explore the RIBA Library, home to collections ranging from 15th century illustrated texts to the latest architectural journals and photographs from around the world.
To enquire about hosting an event at RIBA at 66 Portland Place, contact the team by emailing venues@riba.org or calling 020 7307 3888
Royal Museums Greenwich
At Royal Museums Greenwich your venue hire offering can be elevated by drawing from the rich heritage of our sites and museums. We can blend exclusive guided tours of our buildings and cultural experiences into your event flow.
Whether it’s an exclusive tour of Queen’s House national art galleries, taking your guests on a journey aboard the historic decks of Cutty Sark, treating your attendees to a Planetarium show before dinner or hosting an intimate drinks reception twinned with an astronomer talk in the Great Equatorial Telescope building at The Royal Observatory, Royal Museums Greenwich offers a truly unique and diverse experience across our historical collection.
With our wonderful catering, floristry & production partners, our experienced events team is on hand and ready to start discussing plans for your next event. Contact them now at events@rmg.co.uk or on 0208 312 8517.
Allianz Stadium
As the Home of England Rugby, and the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world, Allianz Stadium is in itself an inspiring, and impressive venue to host conferences and events of all types.
Alongside use of the stadium’s 34 diverse event suites, many of which are used to provide world-class hospitality, and over 150 pitch facing executive boxes, Allianz Stadium offer a wide variety of impressive event enhancements, to inspire and entertain attendees of all stadium events.
Inspire your event attendees by booking to hear from motivational speakers, including currently playing and former England Rugby stars. Relax and take in some fresh air, by enjoying a yoga session, held beside the world-famous pitch. Or liven-up your event with an appearance from musicians, DJs and more. The event enhancement opportunities at Allianz Stadium are endless.
Learn more about the endless range of event possibilities and enhancements available at Allianz Stadium by visiting the stadium’s website at allianzstadiumtwickenham.com/venue-hire or discuss your unique requirements with a member of the stadium team, by contacting conferencesandevents@rfu.com
Unique Venues of London
Henwood House
Henwood
Ashford
TN24 8DH