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Inside Top London Event Venues – September Edition

We spoke to the wonderful teams behind some of London’s top event venues, Somerset House, Battersea Arts Centre & National Portrait Gallery to find out their favourite events spaces in their remit and the tips and tricks they’ve learnt along the way.

What makes your venue unique? 

Somerset House – Somerset House is not just an event venue, it is a community, open to everyone to come and explore the outstanding and diverse cultural programme throughout the year – we are the home of cultural innovators, and our venue offers experiences that cannot be created elsewhere. Run as a charity by the Somerset House Trust, it’s also worth noting all event hire income directly contributes to our cultural programme, our pioneering engagement & skills work, our support of emerging artists and helps to maintain our historic Grade I listed site. You can be confident that your event will directly support an organisation offering immense value to an audience which goes far beyond your attendees.

Battersea Arts Centre As predominantly an arts centre our commercial activity directly supports our community and artistic ventures. We are a Grade II listed former town hall, we are an award-winning, internationally renowned, community-focused arts centre. BAC is a pioneer in access and inclusion, both as a performing arts venue and a hub for its local community. Everyone who books space with us – be that a room for an afternoon, a dream wedding, a Christmas party or month of rehearsals – is directly supporting BAC’s charitable work, including our awards winning creative entrepreneurship programme that enables young people from some of the most underserved places in the UK to create youth-led social enterprises, events and projects that have a positive and long-lasting impact on their communities.

National Portrait Gallery We tell the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life and explore living today. The Gallery is home to the most extensive collection of portraits in the world – over 11,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures and over 250,000 photographs and negatives. The Collection reveals the stories that have shaped and continue to shape a nation – global icons, local champions, nations treasures and unsung heroes. The NPG is the only London venue with a focus exclusively on portraits, which means that any client can find something that resonates. We have diverse event spaces and can accommodate anything from receptions for over 1,000 people to an intimate dinner for 10!

Which of your events spaces in your venue is your personal favourite?

National Portrait GalleryI love the Inspiring People gallery on our second floor. It’s adorned with portraits which were made over the course of a century, from the height of the Victorian era all the way through to the end of the Second World War. There are so many people who led the major changes that transformed Britain, including some powerhouse women, which also reflects the Gallery’s recent increase in female representation across the Collection. The Inspiring People gallery really lends itself to receptions and dinners. Receptions are always so buzzy in this space, and as the gallery is immediately adjacent to one of our temporary exhibition spaces, adding a Private View can work really well. Dinners on one long table through the iconic gallery space are incredible, so striking and beautiful. 

Somerset House It’s hard to answer this because we have so many fabulous spaces! I love the Riverside & Courtyard views from our Portico Room terraces, and I’m a big fan of our Courtyard and fountains, the ambience there is so unique and makes me feel like I’m in a fairytale! In terms of favourite indoor space, it’s definitely the Embankment Galleries – they are rich in history, captivating and versatile – you can really let your imagination run wild when designing an event there.

Battersea Arts Centre – Without a doubt it is our Grand Hall. It is our most popular space for events. It feels like a gorgeous secret hidden at the back of the building. You would never guess that the old Battersea Town Hall would have such a large yet intimate space inside it. It has also hosted some of my favorite events and watching clients take ownership in making the space their own is really special (also, it’s great to go and just lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling when it’s empty).

Would you rather: bowl food, canapés, or a 3-course dinner?

Battersea Arts Centre I’m a 3 course kinda girl. People say there are starter people and dessert people. I say; why do I have to pick a side. I love the occasion of sitting around a table whether with friends or stranger and having a good chat over a long dinner. 

National Portrait Gallery The million dollar question! I do love bowl food, especially when there are stations that can be really interactive, with chefs working their magic and guests really engaging in the experience and sampling all the delicious treats on offer. A dessert station is my dream! 

Somerset HouseIt really depends on the occasion, but what I will say is that all three options require very special thought and careful selection of ingredients and can be equally important when entertaining guests. If I really want to impress someone, I would choose all three, albeit in a hybrid version – I would have a mix of bowls & canapés for starter and a sit down main, and do an interactive dessert station to encourage guests to mingle and explore different tastes and create their own experience!

What has been your favourite event in your venue and why? 

Somerset HouseWe hosted an event for Omega back in March (before my time) to celebrate their new Aqua Terra Shades collection and it looked mesmerising! The client created a multi-sensory experience that immersed guests in the nine unique colours of the new collection. From building a whole new room filled with greenery, to creating a desertscape in the Barge House, to suspending a lavender garden from the ceiling, the Embankment Galleries were completely transformed – it was truly amazing to see how much you can do with this space! Immersive experiences have been on the rise in the last few years, and this is the perfect example of the events we’d like to see at Somerset House!

How do you recommend caterers to your clients?

Battersea Arts CentreWe really take the time to get to know our clients as we show them round our beautiful venue. Learning about their preferences and budget and then directly match them with one (or sometimes a few)  of our dedicated event partners. We also have strong, ongoing relationships with our caterers and love to keep up to date on their new and exciting seasonal offers and menus. 

As an event venue, why do you like working with Social Pantry? 

National Portrait Gallery We love working with Social Pantry! The food and event delivery is never anything less than perfect.

Somerset HouseIn addition to the Social Pantry team just generally being an amazing group of people that are a pleasure to work with, we love that Social Pantry’s ethos aligns so perfectly with Somerset House’s. Social Pantry’s commitment to sustainability, diversity, inclusion and prison leaver employment in hospitality continues to inspire us. Although Social Pantry have only been officially on Somerset House’s Accredited Suppliers List since April 2023, we have already produced many wonderful events together – the beautiful influencer event for Armani Beauty is a particular highlight!  We look forward to continuing our work with Social Pantry, beyond event catering, and focusing on how we can make impactful and meaningful change within our industry.

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