Senate House, the art deco centrepiece of the University of London, came to market last March for corporate and private events.
At the heart of the capital the property is renowned for its Charles Holden 1930s Grade II listed architecture and most significantly, for being London’s first skyscraper.
2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the building, home to Europe’s largest arts and humanities library collection and one of the capital’s foremost cultural hubs for knowledge exchange.
Following a multi-million pound, three-year refurbishment, the venue now boasts 29 event and conference spaces including Crush, the Chancellor’s Halls, the Court and Senate rooms and a range of exclusive Georgian garden squares.
The venue celebrated its opening with a showcase event last August, attracting over 300 guests, who were treated to fashion shows by Jaeger and Oxfam Bride. The venue also marketed Christmas for the first time working in partnership with Evolve Events and Silverleaf Events to create a ‘Ritzy Supper Club’ Christmas package; based around the idea of a 1930s American supper club and featuring a cabaret dance troupe.
More recently Senate House opened its doors to welcome civil ceremonies after being granted a marriage license last December.
Senate House has proved popular as a location for filming, photo shoots and fashion shows. The atmospheric cloisters were used as the backdrop for Ghost’s Autumn collection fashion shoot and Senate House’s iconic central tower was used as the giant backdrop for the spectacular 3D animation which launched Virgin Money’s new advertising campaign last month. Richard Branson chose to host an elite group of spectators including press, VIP and members of Virgin’s Twitter and Facebook fan base for the launch, guests later enjoyed refreshments in the Macmillan Hall.
Media events have become core business for the venue over the past year. Channel 4 Uonts, the annual preview of next year’s TV shows, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr, took place with guests including Mary Portas, David Mitchell and Kevin McCloud.
Vicky La Trobe Interim Head of Accommodation and Hospitality, said: “It has been such an exciting year for us. I never get tired of hearing what our guests say when they see the building.
“We always say it’s an ideal back drop for any event and the creative way our customers have utilised every inch of the building, from the tower to the boiler rooms, shows how very true this has turned out to be.
“Our customers are endorsing our claims of versatility in ways we hadn’t even thought of. I can’t wait to find out what year two brings.”
This was first published in Conference News’ March edition. Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
