Four of Westminster’s leading venues have come together to provide 97 highly flexible and safe event spaces as they prepare to re-open this October following months of lockdown during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
Westminster Campus is a brand-new collaboration of venues comprising Central Hall Westminster, QEII Centre, Church House Westminster and One Great George Street. This alliance was created as a joint effort to provide more safety, security and space for the ‘new normal’ of post-pandemic events in the heart of Westminster.
The Westminster Campus venues will allow even greater flexibility to take into account new capacities and physical distancing rules enforced following the pandemic. Depending on the enquiry, the venues will work together to host one event in multiple locations to ensure maximum safety, security and flexibility within Government guidelines. The unique partnership will offer just one point of contact and one contract for an easy, stress-free process.
Moreover, all the venues in the Westminster Campus are members of the Meetings Industry Association (mia) and have achieved AIM Secure – the new enhanced professional accreditation featuring vital infection prevention and control protocols – which demonstrates to buyers their commitment to offering a first-class service safely and responsibly for the health of staff and customers.
By joining forces in this way, the four venues are able to provide a total of 97 versatile event rooms within the centre of Westminster with its excellent transport links – all close to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Event planners can also tap into extensive resources for accommodation and other important requirements.
Before setting up Westminster Campus, the group carried out meticulous surveys to its client base to find out expectations and goals. The survey found that 60% of event planners would be interested in hosting an event in a central London location if they were offered increased capacity in partnership with other venues. The survey also revealed that half of organisers are looking at in-person events from October 2020 to March 2021, so this is expected to be a very busy time for venues.
A spokesperson for Westminster Campus comments: “This new collective is very exciting, and we believe this is just the beginning of a new way of working for the events industry; not just during these times but into the future.”
“The events industry has always been more collaborative than competitive, and it has never been more important to work with others in these very challenging times we are facing. Just as importantly, we want to be able to offer our loyal clients an exemplary service while keeping within Government guidelines to keep us all safe. All the venues involved are committed to giving our clients and our workforce the confidence to return to face-to-face events by maintaining secure, safe and responsible practices.”
Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia, says: “It is essential for the long-term survival of the sector that we take a creative approach to offer clever solutions to event buyers, so we are delighted to see four mia members – all based in close proximity in the heart of Westminster – collaborating to enable live business meetings and events to take place safely with lots of space, no matter what their requirements.”
Event planners who want to find out more about the Westminster Campus should contact Marina Papadopoulou on 020 7290 1590 or email marina.papadopoulou@www.churchhouseconf.co.uk.