Working the catwalk and posing centre stage for November’s Venue of the Month is the Congress Centre. Steeped in history and boasting excellent conference facilities, the team at the London venue know how to create a stylish event. And with a venue that has hosted London Fashion Week events, is a film location for some of the trendiest TV series, and also has boardroom meetings and celebrations amongst its repertoire, Congress Centre has much to bring to the corporate world of meetings and events.
The Congress Centre is located minutes from Tottenham Court Road Underground Station and has a fascinating history.
Historical Background of the Congress Centre
The idea behind the venue dates back to 1944 when a resolution was passed for a memorial to be built in recognition of the heroism and gallantry of trade unionists in the Second World War. It was also proposed that facilities for the TUC headquarters, a conference hall and meeting rooms should also be included. In 1958, the British Trade Union opened its official headquarters, the Congress Centre, with two striking memorial statues located in the courtyard and at the front of the building.
In 1988, the Department for the Environment declared the Congress Centre as a Grade II listed building. The architecturally renowned, modernist building features a magnificent staircase. This occupies a horse shoe stairwell leading to the marble Memorial Hall and certainly make an impression.
Event Facilities at the Congress Centre
Nowadays the venue offers a wide range of event spaces in 13 different rooms. This flexibility combined with superb facilities are just two of the reasons the venue has hosted many special events. Recently the Fashion Finest AW19 and SS20 catwalk events took centre stage previewing a variety of the latest fashion trends. The Congress Centre is a popular film location too and has appeared in major productions. The BBC’s award-winning Killing Eve and the Netflix series The Crown have fallen for the charms of the Congress Centre!
When it comes to putting on your own production, you’ll want to know the capacities at the Congress Hall! The venue’s Congress Hall accommodates up to 850 guests for a reception. For a seated theatre style event, the same space accommodates 500 delegates while the Council Chamber hosts up to 160 delegates for a theatre style event. Further flexible suites and rooms are available for meetings, training days, conferences and gala dinners with a range of different capacities. The day delegate rates start from £59 and with competitive London pricing, outstanding service and excellent catering, the Congress Centre attracts a high proportion of repeat bookings.
It’s also just a short walk from Oxford Street so delegates have the opportunity to shop and socialise post-event if they wish to.
Congress Centre Delegate Dining
The on-site catering team will cook up their own seasonal collection of tempting dishes for a range of budgets. Some of the options available are a boardroom meetings with a working lunch or a mouth watering menu for a corporate celebration. Its also possible to hold a morning networking session and the perfect breakfast menu too! In addition, the team will create themed menus too, including street and bowl food, finger buffets, tropical fruit platters.
For more information on this month’s Venue of the Month or to book an event into the Congress Centre, contact the Findmeaconference team. They’re available from Monday to Friday, 8:30am until 5.30pm on 01775 843411 or visit the website.