As countries around the world respond to the coronavirus pandemic, London’s events industry has been adapting their business offering to support the fight against coronavirus. While the government takes small steps towards reopening parts of the U.K. economy and the events industry considers the path to recovery, the London Convention Bureau is launching a new resource for event planners: London’s Virtual Site Visits.
From its royal palaces and museums to purpose-built conference centers and venues, London is home to a diverse range of venues, events spaces and hotels. Many of which are opening their doors virtually for event planners to explore. The online resource provides an up-to-date listing of the 360-degree virtual tours available of some of London’s venues and hotels, providing access when in-person site visits are not possible.
The new Virtual Site Visits resource launches alongside Visit London’s Virtually London platform, which provides a complete list of virtual events and experiences in the U.K. capital, ready to explore straight from the sofa. As thousands of London’s cultural attractions go online, visitors can stream anything from West End musicals and concerts to food and drinks masterclasses and virtual tours of London’s museums and galleries.
"Whilst face-to-face meetings and events are crucial for business, right now they are not possible. Therefore, we are pleased to launch the online London’s Virtual Site Visits and Virtually London platforms for event planners to explore the city’s world-class venues and hotels to suit all budgets and event concepts, as well as its cultural offering, from the safety of their homes," Tracy Halliwell, director of conventions and major events at London Convention Bureau, said in an announcement.
London’s event spaces and hotels offering virtual site visits include:
- Central Hall Westminster - Located opposite Westminster Abbey, Central Hall Westminster is one of London’s largest conference venues; its online site visit provides event planners access to impressive views on the Dome Tour, as well as their 22-room portfolio, exhibition spaces, auditorium and the grand Great Hall Foyer
- Edwardian Hotels London – With The Londoner planned to open later this year in London’s West End, event planners can take a virtual tour of five of Edwardian’s hotels (also including The May Fair Hotel, Radisson Blu Edwardian, New Providence Wharf and Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire)
- ExCeL London - Whilst London’s largest conference centre is currently operating as the temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital, event planners can take an interactive tour of a number of spaces at the venue, from event halls to new meeting facilities
- Hard Rock Hotel – The recently opened Hard Rock Hotel is built in one of London’s most iconic locations—on the corner of Oxford Street and Park Lane—and caters to the needs of both business and leisure travelers, with 900 rooms and suites, vibrant bars and a lively Hard Rock Cafe
- Historic Royal Palaces – From the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Kensington Palace to the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, Historic Royal Palaces provides access to six venues in some of London’s most iconic sites
- Rosewood London – With work underway on the Rosewood’s second London property in the former U.S. Embassy, event planners can take a look inside its first London location, a restored Edwardian Grade II-listed building with its Grand Ballroom and historic boardrooms
- Royal Museums Greenwich – Royal Museums Greenwich offers five locations (Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum, Peter Harrison Planetarium, Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory) for event planners, who can take a tour inside each historic venue
- Somerset House – Located right on the River Thames, Somerset House is home to the U.K.’s largest creative community and has a wide variety of options for event planners, including 12 event spaces; its online offering also comprises the soon-to-be-launched virtual tour of its quirky Mushrooms exhibition
- Tobacco Docks – Historic London’s newest events’ space is located in the heart of East London’s thriving enterprise zone; the venue includes a newly renovated rooftop bar, 40 individual event spaces and 200-year-old architecture combined with state-of-the-art technology
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