WHERE TO MEE T
industry lives by the slogan Keep Calm and Carry On, retaining its leading spot on the Mori 2018 Global Power City Index – which ranks cities according to their power to attract people, capital and enterprises – for the seventh consecutive year. Tourism is also forecast to increase by 3.3 per cent, this owing to the drop in sterling. Meanwhile, UKinbound, the UK’s only trade association that represents inbound tourism, revealed that 59 per cent of its members were confident about business for the upcoming year. London is a global nexus, home to thriving
F
start-ups and the largest fintech industry worldwide, with 40,000 digital tech businesses across the city. Te Big Smoke continues to attract international conferences – 8,000 business leaders and experts convened in September for financial conference Sibos. Additionally, the 12- day London Games Festival, which included the BAFTA Games Awards, took place in April. As one of the world’s best-connected cities,
London also continues to up the ante with recent transport developments. London Bridge, the capital’s fourth busiest station, completed a £1 billion redevelopment in May last year, which saw the creation of a new concourse that rivals the size of the pitch at Wembley Stadium. Meanwhile, London City airport is undergoing a £500 million revamp, set to finish in 2022. Delays may have struck Crossrail and the
extension of the Northern Line, however, both projects will ultimately transform remote areas and drastically cut journey times. Neglected buildings around the capital are
Opposite page: Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross Below: An aircraft lands at London City airport
being given a new lease of life, resulting in some exciting event options, such as Coal Drops Yard, a former Victorian coal depot in King’s Cross that houses galleries, boutiques and restaurants with private dining rooms. Meanwhile, exhibition venue Olympia, which welcomes 1.6 million visitors annually, will undergo a £1 billion
ew cities measure up to London’s historic landmarks, outstanding galleries and cosmopolitan culture. While Brexit monopolises the news, the capital’s MICE
regeneration next year led by Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC, adding a hectare of public space along with hotels, restaurants, performance venues and office space. Further west, the major £8 billion regeneration of the BBC’s former Television Centre has transformed White City into a buzzy hotspot, replete with stylish apartments, dining outlets and private member’s club Soho House; the latter has four private event spaces. Creative businesses also flourish in the capital,
with London accounting for almost half of the total £101.5 billion generated by the UK’s creative industries in 2017. With a growing interest in immersive experiences, London isn’t short on quirky venues and incentive options. Te Small Beer Brewery in Bermondsey opened in 2018 and holds intimate gigs, receptions and meetings in its industrial space overlooked by machinery. Elsewhere, Hackney Coffee Co offers foliage-strewn interiors for events, while restaurant and photography studio Wild by
NEGLECTED BUILDINGS AROUND THE CAPITAL
ARE BEING GIVEN A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Tart has a bricks-and-mortar space available for hire in Belgravia. Te city also has fun options for team-building.
Puttshack’s mini-golf trackaball technology tracks your hits and distance, and will open a flagship 2,000 sqm venue in No 1 Poultry next month. In terms of new dining options, Funicular Productions’ four-course meal on the Murder Express returns this month, while KinoVino holds monthly cinema supper clubs. London’s hotel offering is also experiencing a
growth spurt, with the addition of 11,600 rooms by next year. US group Te Standard chose King’s Cross to launch its first international 266-room hotel in June, while GLH will relaunch the 345-room Grosvenor Hotel as the new Amba Hotel Victoria early next year following a total renovation of the historic property. Tracy Halliwell, director of tourism,
conventions and events at London and Partners, adds: “From blank canvas warehouse spaces and trendy pop-ups, to quintessentially ‘British’ experiences or a wellness-based stay, London has everything you need to host a memorable event or incentive trip.”
➜ NOVEMBER 2019 | 25
JOHN STURROCK; MELECIS/ISTOCK
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