London Venues With A Difference

London venues with a difference
London venues with a difference

I recently spent the day in London, looking at some different venues in the Kings Cross and Euston area.  If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this is a selection that might appeal.


BMA House


The location of this venue is 5 minutes’ walk from Euston Station in a secure building where all delegates receive a pass for entry. The Great Hall is a stunning room which used to be the library of the British Medical Association.  It is ideal for dinners, large conferences, awards events or gala dinners. The 3rd floor meetings rooms can be hired for exclusive use, this floor has its own registration desk and meetings room are all fit for purpose, 2 of the rooms on this floor have the original ceiling of the Great Hall which is beautiful. The Princes rooms is a great room with chandeliers and very traditional in style would be an ideal room for dinners, the Princes rooms also has its own foyer area which could be used for pre-dinner drinks. The venue does not have parking however Euston station does have car parking which is a short walk away. The John Snow and the Sir James Pageant rooms have secondary natural daylight, the corridor may be a little busy in the morning as staff arrive however during the day this would not be in constant use.


The London Mathematical Society 

The venue is located on Russell Square a 7 minute walk from Euston station. The venue would be ideal for clients on a budget. The meetings rooms are located on the lower floor but do have natural daylight.  The catering room is limited in space however another room could be depending on the size of the group. For delegate numbers of 18+ a compulsory waiter is required which will be provided by the venue. The venue does not have car parking however car parking can be found at Euston station.


Royal Society of Medicine – One Wimpole Street

The venue was easy to find and located a minute or so from Oxford Street. The venue has 3 auditoriums with high tech audio visual equipment in all and each auditorium has its own registration desk.  The seminar Suite can split into 3 rooms, the Training suite is used for medical procedures so this has a different feel to the other meeting rooms. The ENT room is a traditional and relaxed room, which would be great for board meetings or private dinners.  The main areas for catering are situated in the same facility, although the Max Rayne is surround by glass, the other two are close to each other and not partitioned so this should be taken into account. Although the lower ground meeting rooms do not have natural daylight the excellent use of light should not deter clients using these rooms.


RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects – 66 Portland Place

The venue is located on Portland Place and is a stunning building with lots of history, guided tours of the building can be offered during lunch times. The Jarvis Suite comes with the Jarvis auditorium for 400 delegates and is a lovely room with natural daylight.  This room can also be hired on its own during the evening and at weekends. The Wren room is situated on the 6th floor and has great views across London with its own small terrace area which would be exclusive use. The smaller meetings rooms on the 5th floor would be ideal for syndicate rooms with 2 larger rooms also situated on this floor. The venue do not have onsite car parking however it is located within walking distance from Regents Park, Great Portland Street and Oxford Circus tube stations. The reception area can be a little noisy when delegates are moving from the Jarvis auditorium to the Jarvis Suite so I would suggest events to start in the morning or after lunch for afternoon meetings. 


Academy of Medical Science – 41 Portland Place

This venues was original a terraced house which still has period elegance and offers a unique space for meetings and events. The Ann Rylands room is stylish and opens out on to the terrace which would be ideal for dinners or summer parties. The Council Chambers is a lovely room and comes with the Reception room included. The entire venue can be hired for large or private events.  The Council Chamber has pillars in the room however the required layout would be placed with these in mind to ensure no delegates would have a restricted view. 


Park Crescent Conference Centre

The venue is located opposite Great Portland Street tube station and around the corner from Regents Park, some of the meeting rooms have great views over the park. The Gulbenkian room has a feature fire place and floor to ceiling windows that overlook Regents Park. The Club room is a room with floor to ceiling windows on 3 of the 4 walls which allows lots of natural daylight. The theatre has its own entrance with registration area which can be branded with the client’s company colours. The theatre can be used for any event as seating is not fixed, the brickwork shown on some of the walls adds a little extra to the space. The venue does not have onsite car parking whoever the distance from Great Portland tube station is about 1 minute walk. The Club room overlooks a busy road and some traffic noise can be heard at peak times. 


Wellcome Collection

The venue is easy to find and is located a 4 minute walk from Euston station on Euston Road. It has an auditorium which clients will automatically receive use of the William lounge and 2 syndicate rooms. The syndicates could also be used as offices.  The auditorium has 2 entrances into the William Lounge so getting delegates in and out is easy. All room hire charges include an audio visual technician which keeps the costs down. The Burroughs room is located on the lower ground floor with a semi private foyer, this would be an ideal room for presentations.  The reception area can be very busy and quite noisy at times as the public café is located next to the reception area which is all open plan. The William Lounge has pillars however would be an ideal catering area for the auditorium, although this room does not have natural daylight the excellent use of light ensures this room is bright and has a relaxed feel. 


Wallacespace – Dukes Road

This funky and contemporary in style venue is located on Dukes Road about 10 minute walk from Kings Cross station or 6 minutes from Euston station. This would be an ideal venue for training events or team building. Each floor has a breakout/coffee lounge area which is relaxed and a great space for any informal chats or catch ups. On the 3rd floor is a converted loft with 2 rooms and a small coffee station/area in the middle, this would be ideal for meeting which requires a more private but relaxed area as no other delegates would be venturing up there. The venue has a café located on the lower ground floor which also has a small garden area, delegates can use the café for breakfast which is included in the rates and also for lunch. The venue has a lot of stairs and this should be taken into consideration. The venue does not offer on-site car parking however Euston station is a short walk away.


For more information or to book one of these venues, please call 01780 484050 or email enquiries@trinityconferences.co.uk 

Good Tax News For Events In Spain

For events that meet these requirements under this new legislation, it will represent potential savings of between 10% and 21% for agencies and end-user clients, according to the service in question.

Thanks Cititavel for this information

To be able to invoice without VAT, an event must be a B2B transaction involving a “complex organizational service”. It must clearly be shown that the event is a unique occasion and, generally speaking, a business event eg. a product launch, conference.

For events that meet these requirements under this new legislation, it will represent potential savings of between 10% and 21% for agencies and end-user clients, according to the service in question.

Thanks Cititavel for this information

New regulations introduced in January 2015 mean that there are more possibilities for Spanish DMCs to invoice their clients without the addition of VAT. The new legislation goes further than the provisions of the Reverse Charge Mechanism by extending the circumstances in which Spanish DMCs are able to invoice without the addition of VAT.

To be able to invoice without VAT, an event must be a B2B transaction involving a “complex organizational service”. It must clearly be shown that the event is a unique occasion and, generally speaking, a business event eg. a product launch, conference.

For events that meet these requirements under this new legislation, it will represent potential savings of between 10% and 21% for agencies and end-user clients, according to the service in question.

Thanks Cititavel for this information

New regulations introduced in January 2015 mean that there are more possibilities for Spanish DMCs to invoice their clients without the addition of VAT. The new legislation goes further than the provisions of the Reverse Charge Mechanism by extending the circumstances in which Spanish DMCs are able to invoice without the addition of VAT.

To be able to invoice without VAT, an event must be a B2B transaction involving a “complex organizational service”. It must clearly be shown that the event is a unique occasion and, generally speaking, a business event eg. a product launch, conference.

For events that meet these requirements under this new legislation, it will represent potential savings of between 10% and 21% for agencies and end-user clients, according to the service in question.

Thanks Cititavel for this information

Good Tax news for events in Spain
Good Tax news for events in Spain

New regulations introduced in January 2015 mean that there are more possibilities for Spanish DMCs to invoice their clients without the addition of VAT. The new legislation goes further than the provisions of the Reverse Charge Mechanism by extending the circumstances in which Spanish DMCs are able to invoice without the addition of VAT.

To be able to invoice without VAT, an event must be a B2B transaction involving a “complex organizational service”. It must clearly be shown that the event is a unique occasion and, generally speaking, a business event eg. a product launch, conference.

For events that meet these requirements under this new legislation, it will represent potential savings of between 10% and 21% for agencies and end-user clients, according to the service in question.

Thanks Cititavel for this information

What’S New On The International Scene

What’s new on the international scene
What’s new on the international scene

Trinity enjoyed a visit from Mason Rose and their hotel representatives to learn about the new developments in their properties.  So if you’re looking for a hotel abroad for your next event, these are a few to consider:


Loews Miami Beach Hotel, USA – a stylish Art-Deco hotel, seconds from Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road and 20 minutes transfer from Miami International Airport.  All the meeting space has now been completely renovated and has capacity for up to 2,500 delegates.  In addition, the hotel is now offering Day Delegate Rates.  There are 790 renovated bedrooms and a new cocktail bar called The Rum Line.  The Loews Miami Beach Hotel is celebrating its 17th Birthday this year.


Forte Village Resort, Sardinia – a luxury beachfront resort composed of 8 different properties, 35 minutes drive from Cagliari International Airport.  BA will start flying directly from Gatwick Airport 3 times per week, from April 2015, which will improve the access for conferences and meetings.  As well as meeting space for up to 2,000 delegates, there are a wide range of activities such as water sports, golf, tennis.  The Il Castello (rooms, lobby, pool) have recently been refurbished and two new restaurants opened. 


Puente Romano Beach Resort Marbella, Spain – located on the Golden Mile, the hotel is only 35 minutes drive from Malaga International Airport.  The hotel has spent £26m on renovating the meeting space, bedrooms and communal areas and new food and beverage facilities added, including Michelin Star dining.  The meeting rooms can accommodate up to 600 delegates and there are 268 bedrooms.


Cape Sounio Grecotel Exclusive Resort, Greece – a beachfront resort on the Athens Riviera, overlooking the Temple of Poseidon, 30 minutes drive from Athens International Airport.  This hotel has meeting space for up to 650 delegates and accommodation in 150 bungalows and villas.  There are 7 restaurants and bars with great views.


Vila Vita Parc in the Algarve has announced a multi-million euro renovation, which includes refurbishments to the main building, gardens, bedroom sand suites.  In addition there will be new outdoor furniture in some of the restaurants as well as re-landscaping of the beautiful gardens.  The hotel has six conference rooms and 180 bedrooms.


Loews Regency New York Hotel, USA – located in Midtown Manhattan, a few steps from Central Park and 30-45 minutes drive from the city’s airports.  This hotel was closed for renovation and re-opened in January 2014 following a complete renovation. There is new and contemporary event space with natural daylight for up to 75 people and 79 modern bedrooms.


Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Croatia – only 10 minutes drive from the Old Town of Dubrovnik and 30 minutes drive from Dubrovnik International Airport.  This hotel re-opened in April 2014 with 308 refurbished bedrooms and renovated meeting space.


For more information, please call our team of international venue finders on 01780 483036.

Doing Business Better And Doing Better Business Together

Doing business better and doing better business together...
Doing business better and doing better business together…

The Kick Off Meeting prior to the HBAA’s Annual Dinner last week was a fabulous start to the year.   Jacqui Kavanagh of Trinity Event Solutions is the HBAA Chair for 2015 and her mantra for the year is ‘doing better business and doing better business together’.  She will be working alongside Venue Vice Chair, Hayley Stokes of Principal Hayley, who highlighted two words: embrace and engage; to use the HBAA’s new code of Practice to raise our industry’s professionalism and encourage all members to be involved in the broad range of HBAA meetings and events on offer. Each committee shared their headline objectives for 2015 and the association is looking forward to taking these forward throughout the year.


In the evening, the annual dinner was held at Chelsea Football Club, attended by more than 400 agents and venues. Thank you to the very generous HBAA members who donated such fabulous prizes for our on line charity auction in aid of The Who Cares? Trust; and thank you to everyone who placed a bid.  We raised over £12,500!


Congratulations to SilverDoor’s Business Partnerships Director, Stuart Winstone, who was presented with the prestigious Tim Gasson Award.

Macdonald Hotels Educational Visits

MacDonald Hotels educational visits
MacDonald Hotels educational visits

George Harriman-Hardy, Conference Administrator, attended the Macdonald Hotels educational and visited the following venues:


The MacDonald Berystede Hotel and Spa is the largest of the MacDonald properties. The hotel boasts a separate hall from the rest of the venue which can hold up 260 delegates in a dinner/dance layout. The venue also has numerous other spaces that can hold anything from a small boardroom to 120 delegates for a dinner.  One of the key features of the hotel is the state of the art spa facilities, which consist of a thermal spa with six spa treatment rooms, an 18-metre swimming pool, rock and infra-red saunas and an outdoor hydropool.   The area consist of large amounts of space, and a short distance from popular attractions such as Legoland, Thorpe Park, Windsor Castle and Wentworth Golf Course, perfect for team building.


MacDonald Complete Angler, Marlow


The Complete Angler hotel is situated in the town of Marlow next to the river Thames. The beautiful location of this venue makes it its unique selling point with two boardrooms, a restaurant and a large amount of the bedrooms are all situated looking over the river which provides a wonderful tranquil atmosphere. With regards to meeting space there are a few rooms which are situated in the main building and overlook the river. There are also two newly refurbished boardrooms that have the new smart boards and comfortable 24 hour chairs. The venue is also host to a restaurant owned by Atul Kochhar- the first Indian chef to receive the Michelin star.


MacDonald Hotel, Windsor


The MacDonald Windsor is the newest addition to the MacDonald portfolio. The property is very well designed with interior that is very welcoming and while also maintaining a somewhat homely atmosphere. The hotel is very eco-friendly while not compromising on luxury. The unique feature of this hotel is that they make their own honey and have 12,000 bee’s situated on the roof of the hotel that pollinate the royal gardens. There is also the changing of the guard every day outside the front of the property which has become a huge attraction.


Mercedes Benz World


Mercedes Benz World is a large and incredibly flexible venue that can accommodate a variety of bookings. The venue consists of several board rooms that are all appointed with the latest technology. There are rooms able to hold up to 70 for a dinner. For larger bookings, the hotel can rely upon their exhibition floor and The Brooklands Hall – both of which can hold 200+ for a dinner. The Mercedes Benz World really shines in the additional packages and experiences they offer for the clients, with a multitude of driving packages to make an event truly unique with friendly and professional instructors.

London Stadium – Allianz Park

London stadium - Allianz Park
London stadium – Allianz Park

Allianz Park is London’s newest stadium which is located in the heart of North London amongst 26 acres of land. It boasts a total of 22 function suites with capacities ranging from small meeting spaces all the way up to 2000 reception. In addition to the function suites there is also an artificial grass pitch which is used all year long by Saracens RFU and has been used by a number of NFL teams also. Allianz Park is dedicated to living up to its name as “a green oasis in London” and this is shown by the fact that they are the first BREEAM Excellent stadium in the United Kingdom and also won the most sustainable stadium award in 2014.

Hilton Implements New Guarantee And Cancellation Policy

Hilton implements new guarantee and cancellation policy
Hilton implements new guarantee and cancellation policy

From the 1st of January Hilton will implement a new guarantee and cancellation policy guidelines for individual reservations. 


The new guidelines will allow penalty free cancellations and will require, guests to guarantee, at a minimum, their reservations and cancel by 11:59 p.m. local hotel time, the day prior to arrival. 

The cancellation policy will apply to all hotels and guests, including, HHonors Diamond and Gold members. This change will bring consistency to existing policies that vary across properties and markets and will reduce confusion for guests. 


Under the new cancellation guidelines, late cancellation will result in a charge of one night’s room fee and applicable taxes, place. If the reservation required a deposit, then the guest will forfeit the complete deposit. Corporate (CNR) and Local Negotiated Rate (LNR) plans will not be changed due to the new guidelines. 

Re-Qualification Of Hilton Madrid Airport

Since 2009 the North Tower of Hilton Madrid Airport has been classed as a four-star establishment and following a recent re-qualification the part of the hotel which is located in the South tower has also gained four-star status. 

Award Winning Hotels In Lisbon


The Altis Grand Hotel has won with the Best Hotel Renovation / Refurbishment – Country Winner 2014 by the International Hotel Awards following refurbishment which was completed in 2014.  All of the 300 bedrooms, 20 meeting rooms and public areas were renovated and a new spa was created.  The property still reflects its heritage, but it is also decorated with contemporary artworks by Portuguese artists.

The Inspira Santa Marta Hotel has been voted “Green Hotel of the Year” by the European Hospitality Awards, in the ecology and sustainability segment. This 4-star, boutique hotel is located in the city centre and has 89 bedrooms and two meeting rooms, with a capacity of 90 and 60 in theatre style.


The Altis Grand Hotel has won with the Best Hotel Renovation / Refurbishment – Country Winner 2014 by the International Hotel Awards following refurbishment which was completed in 2014.  All of the 300 bedrooms, 20 meeting rooms and public areas were renovated and a new spa was created.  The property still reflects its heritage, but it is also decorated with contemporary artworks by Portuguese artists.

Award winning hotels in Lisbon
Award winning hotels in Lisbon

The Inspira Santa Marta Hotel has been voted “Green Hotel of the Year” by the European Hospitality Awards, in the ecology and sustainability segment. This 4-star, boutique hotel is located in the city centre and has 89 bedrooms and two meeting rooms, with a capacity of 90 and 60 in theatre style.


The Altis Grand Hotel has won with the Best Hotel Renovation / Refurbishment – Country Winner 2014 by the International Hotel Awards following refurbishment which was completed in 2014.  All of the 300 bedrooms, 20 meeting rooms and public areas were renovated and a new spa was created.  The property still reflects its heritage, but it is also decorated with contemporary artworks by Portuguese artists.

York Hotel Refurbishment

York hotel refurbishment
York hotel refurbishment
The Park Inn by Radisson York City Centre still feels very new after a renovation in 2012 which focussed on the reception area and bar. Starting in January 2015, 90 of the bedrooms are due to be refurbished and are due to be completed by March 2015. The venue also has an interesting space that is known as the Conference Café which was previously used to store surplus chairs, this area has been cleverly converted in to a small breakout/café area for delegates to use during their breaks from their conference or meeting.