When it comes to awards season, organisers look to host ceremonies, receptions and dinners in locations that will wow their guests.
Hotel ballrooms are now seen as distinctly passé, and unique venues are on the rise as favoured settings for all types of events.
London is your oyster when it comes to choosing an exciting space for an award show and presents a plethora of options, from wax works to cinemas, and even one of the world’s oldest surviving tea clippers.
Here are five unusual places for your upcoming awards event that are sure to inspire attendees and leave a winning impression:
At more than 20 metres high and 26 metres wide, BFI IMAX® is the biggest cinema screen in the UK, giving audiences a special experience with a huge impact.
The luxury auditorium, which seats 498 people, is regularly used for awards shows, and the building is fully customisable, from the colour of the lights to the posters in the cases, allowing organisers to turn one of London’s most iconic and accessible venues into their very own branded venue.
Madame Tussauds London is a one-of-a-kind space for hosting awards ceremonies. The iconic venue can welcome up to 350 guests for celebrations and its dedicated events team take care of everything from start to finish.
At this world-famous museum, guests can ‘rub shoulders’ with other hugely talented stars: the roster of famous faces at Madame Tussauds is constantly being updated, with 10 new figures launched every year, ensuring a line-up of stars synonymous with many major showbiz awards from the Oscars to the BAFTAs.
The venue is perfectly suited to hosting ceremonies with dedicated awards AV and equipment already built in. In-house technicians also offer incredible levels of expertise and will stay on-hand throughout the event. Further, the space can even be customised to include a dancefloor and DJ, giving winners a chance to celebrate and top off the night.
Finally, no celebration is complete without a feast to fit the occasion, and whether it’s a sit-down, 3-course meal for 50 or a selection of bespoke canapés for 300, Madame Tussauds’ expert in-house caterers will deliver a show-stopping dining experience, with the option of an open bar.
As the home of human ingenuity, the Science Museum is a unique and inspiring venue in the cultural heart of London, perfect for daytime or evening awards ceremonies. The in-house IMAX Theatre is a premier location for large-scale gatherings, with a screen the size of four double-decker buses, 11.5m-wide stage and 400-seat auditorium.
In addition, brand-new dedicated events space, ‘Illuminate’, can host up to 400 for an awards ceremony, and offers an abundance of natural sunlight as well as stunning views of the city.
The Nave is the main space for events and entertaining at the Garden Museum, and can accommodate up to 200 for a standing reception, 120 people for a seated dinner or 120 in a conference or theatre style.
With its soaring pillars, large vaulted ceilings, beautiful stained-glass windows and the marriage of traditional and contemporary architectural installations, the Nave is a perfect area to host an awards ceremony.
Dramatic production ideas are available to highlight the many unique features of the building, creating an atmosphere that responds to the identity of any event. Hire of the space also includes the bucolic Sackler Garden.
Entertaining at Cutty Sark is a truly unique, exclusive experience. The ship’s gleaming copper-clad hull is suspended dramatically above the Dock, which is an awe-inspiring setting ideal for dinners and receptions, and an amazing space to host an awards ceremony for up to 250 seated.
Guests can also enjoy sunset reception drinks on the Main Deck under Cutty Sark’s magnificent masts with breathtaking views across London.