The Barbican welcomed more than 150 buyers from the corporate, agency and association sectors to a high-profile showcase Oct. 10 that highlighted the venue’s wide range of flexible meeting, conference and event spaces.
Less than a week after winning gold in the CSR and sustainability category at the London venue awards, the Barbican opened its doors to a host of past, present and potential clients including Banks Sadler, Bafta, British Heart Foundation, Cartier, Encore Tickets, The Embassy of Belgium, Kuoni, ITV, White Production, UK Council for Psychotherapy, The Tavistock Institute and Tracoin Services.
The event shone a spotlight on the venue’s Garden Room, Conservatory, Terrace and Frobisher event spaces, which include London’s second largest glasshouse conservatory—ideal for hosting receptions of up to 650, meeting spaces including two auditoriums—capable of theater-style events up to 250 and one of London’s most technically advanced boardrooms.
“We are always looking for new and creative spaces for our events but as a charity we are often limited in our choices and have until now discounted London,” says Annabel Navarro from The Tavistock Institute. “The Barbican has changed our perceptions of what is available though. Its flexible and high-quality spaces, combined with superb food, great catering and award-winning sustainability initiatives make it a great fit for us and we are looking forward to exploring opportunities to bring our events to the Barbican.”
Lisa Sellick of Tracoin Services adds: “As a first-time visitor to the Barbican, tonight has totally changed my perspective of the venue. In particular I have been impressed by the flexible spaces and greenery on display in areas such as the conservatory and garden room. I will certainly consider the venue for future events among our international client base.”
“Tonight has been a tremendous success,” notes Jackie Boughton, head of Barbican business events. “We have welcomed many of the UK’s leading brands, organizers and associations. It has been a real pleasure not just to host them but to also highlight our award-winning offer.”
The event was supported by the Barbican’s catering provider, Searcy’s, as well as Worldspan, which provides event services and solutions for corporations using the venue.
A world-class arts and learning organization, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theater and visual arts. Its creative learning program further underpins everything it does. More than a million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. The architecturally renowned center opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas 1, 2 and 3, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, public spaces, a library, the Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre. For more info, visit https://www.barbican.org.uk.
