Best Networking Venues for Hire in London

The Importance of Networking for Corporate Success

London is one of the best places in the world to hold business events. As well as being a vibrant city, it's an important hub for business and commerce, making it an ideal location for networking events. Here are a few reasons why you should start your search for a London networking venue.

From small venues for a handful of people to large halls, there's something for every budget and size. Whether you're planning a private function or a big public event, you can find a venue that works. Another reason is that there are some pretty incredible businesses based in this city. That means you’ll have a lot of options when it comes to who to invite to your networking event. No matter what business you’re in, you’ll be able to find relevant attendees who you can forge great connections with.

Why Choose London for Your Networking Event

London is the capital of business in the UK. The City, as London's financial district is known, has been an important centre of commerce since Roman times. It's home to many major banks and financial institutions as well as some of the world's biggest international companies and brands. And that’s just one area of the city!

As you move across London you’ll find companies of all kinds ranging from small startups to large multinational corporations. There will be people running their own businesses and tons of industries that will be looking for networking opportunities. You also have to consider the incredible transportation links that London has. Given it’s the capital of England and the UK it’s no wonder they’re excellent. Whether your guests are coming from outside of London or if you’re situated there it’ll be easy for everyone to attend due to the vast number of train stations, airports, and underground stations.

VenueScanner’s Edge in Networking Venue Selection

Meeting new people is an essential part of networking, so you want to make sure your event provides plenty of opportunities for people to mingle. But with so many networking venues in London, where do you start? Here are a few of our favourite London networking venues for hosting a networking event:

Close to Old Street Station is Techspace, a gorgeous venue filled with natural light that is a great choice for a networking event if you’re in the tech space.

For something more traditional, check out 116 Pall Mall, a stunning Georgian venue nestled in the heart of London.

If you’d prefer to have a networking event in a beautiful restaurant, Jeru Mayfair is the perfect place to do so.

Finally, for a truly unique experience, why not host your London networking event in an art gallery? Saatchi Gallery, in Chelsea is a stunning choice.

Organising a Seamless London Networking Event

When planning a networking event you should always start out with making your guest list as these events are all about who's attending. When you know this you can pick your London networking venue accordingly.

Send out the invitations, talk to people and make sure they know that they are invited and will be definitely attending.

It's always good if you can get some sponsors for the event, this way you can save on costs since a lot of things are going to be pricey including the food and drinks, equipment, decorations and other things. Sponsors can help with this by providing some of these amenities for free or at a greatly discounted price.

Once you have your guest list sorted out make sure that the London networking venue is big enough to accommodate them, but not too big so as to make it look empty. Pick a place that is easy to find, well connected by public transport or where there are plenty of parking spaces for everyone. You should also ensure that there is enough seating available.

To make sure that everyone gets the chance to mingle, set up different tables so that people aren't sitting in their usual crowd. This should make it easier for people to talk and get introduced to new people which is what networking is all about!

Walking into a room full of people you don't know can be intimidating. Some people are shy, and others may feel like a networking event is just a waste of time because they've been to ones before where they've not actually made any valuable contacts.

Hosting a London networking event can be stressful, but it doesn't need to be. There are a few simple things you can do to ensure everyone has a good time and actually meet the right people at your networking event.

To help you get started,there are a few things that you can add to your next networking event in order to help people with those new connections.

It may seem obvious, but name tags might be the most important component of your event. People often don't feel comfortable approaching other people they don’t know, and having a name tag makes this initial step much easier.

Workshops and activities that work as icebreakers should be included in the program. Getting to know new people is usually easier when there’s an activity involved, and workshops or classes can provide these opportunities in a non-threatening way. For example, you could have papercraft lessons, cooking classes or dance lessons to help people get to know each other while working on something together. Your imagination is the limit here.

Seminars that help people get curious about each other are also a great thing to add. If you don’t want to host workshops at your event, consider hosting seminars or keynote speeches instead. These events will make people talk about the topics discussed during or after the speech or seminar finishes and might even lead to new business opportunities for some of them.

Getting Started with VenueScanner

VenueScanner is venue booking made simple. All you have to do is scroll through these options of networking venues and use the heart icon on each venue you like to shortlist it. When you have a good number of venues you like you send out all enquiries at the same time from your shortlisted venues. This way you’re saving both time and money.

If you want more venues you can have a look at meeting venues in London or party venues in London. You can also try to narrow down your search to just networking venues in for example Shoreditch or Holborn. If you have any other questions we’re happy to answer all of them at [email protected].

For corporate events, our concierge service is always happy to give you a helping hand with your entire venue search. They can even help you book catering and entertainment. It’s all completely free of charge and 100% transparent.