As 2019 draws to a close and venues across the capital continue to deliver dazzling corporate Christmas parties, thoughts turn to the New Year and a refreshed schedule of events.
2020 promises plenty of excitement, choc-full of conferences, meetings, private parties and weddings. Our members are, as ever, prepared for the rush of enquiries come January.
Looking ahead, a trio of unique venues offer their perspective on trends and events taking place at the start of the next decade.
Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn Field
Looking at business trends, training and development should be considered integral to work culture, they're proven to have myriad benefits for both employees and the business.
We believe that the need for driven young talent in our industry and their demand for personal growth will see more venues focus on training and developing both their new recruits and their current members of staff.
Research has shown that development is the key to staff happiness and is often favoured over career progression. Unsurprisingly, it also helps with staff retention, something we should all focus on as staff shortages across the industry become greater. Whether it is allocating budget to external training, inviting experts into your venue for a masterclass or scheduling time to mentor a member of your team, more time and money will be invested in training in 2020.
Twickenham Stadium, most commonly known as “The Home of English Rugby”, is rapidly becoming a popular destination to enjoy a wide variety of events. Not only does it offer event organisers 34 creative event spaces in which to hold inspired business and social events of all types, the stadium now hosts its own ticketed events in collaboration with well-known partners.
To name but a few of Twickenham’s line up in the New Year, unique experiences include evenings with celebrity chefs such as 2 Michelin star Chef Tom Kerridge, which is taking place for its second year in a row on the 21st January 2020.
The venues is also hosting live music in collaboration with the world famous Ronnie Scott’s (tickets available for 25th January 2020 event), ticketed live screenings for England Rugby’s away matches in the 2020 Six Nations and luxury dinners with the biggest names in rugby including Eddie Jones and the full England Squad.
November 2018 saw the launch of Twickenham Stadium’s newly redeveloped East Stand, offering six new restaurant concepts over 6,700sqm and six levels.
The East Stand’s contemporary offering provides clients with a plethora of options. Among the versatile spaces is The Gate, a chophouse-style restaurant, the British Airways Rose Garden, a lively roof terrace with street-food influenced catering and The East Wing, a more formal setting with the members club. The possibilities are endless stepping into 2020.
Credit: Matt Chung
After a successful 2019 Somerset House is excited to see what 2020 has to offer.
The Embankment Galleries and East Wing have been particularly popular spaces for staging large events, due to both their size and flexibility and has seen 2019 jam packed with large product launches, press events and exhibitions with major brands. With the vast Embankment Galleries available for hire from 23rd March - 30th April 2020 and a range of varied spaces available over 2020 Somerset House are excited to host many more exciting brands over the next year.
Somerset House also remains to be a great choice for London Fashion week events, with leading brands vying for use of the creative spaces to showcase their latest collections.
Somerset House will continue to extend its commercial event offering through its diverse cultural programme. Event organisers will have the opportunity to enhance their events by aligning them more closely with Somerset House’s artistic offering, including exclusive access to exhibitions and private tours of the site.
For more information on booking events with over 80 unique venues in London click here.