The range is remarkably broad, from The Leather Market's intimate 6-person boardrooms starting at £72 per hour to Southwark Cathedral's nave hosting up to 700 delegates. etc.venues Prospero House offers the most flexibility with 30 spaces across three floors, while Shangri-La The Shard provides three interconnected suites on levels 34-35 for up to 200 guests. For mid-size conferences, venues like Glaziers Hall accommodate 300 theatre-style, and the Hilton London Tower Bridge's pillar-free Tower Suite fits 400. Many venues offer multiple rooms for breakout sessions, with properties like The LaLiT London combining their Great Hall with smaller Labs for varied group sizes.
Day delegate rates start from £55-60 at etc.venues Prospero House for weekend bookings, climbing to £120-175 per person at premium venues like Shangri-La The Shard. Mid-range options like the Novotel London Bridge charge £60-85 per delegate including refreshments and lunch. For exclusive venue hire, expect £700-2,500 daily for boutique spaces like The Dixon's heritage Chambers, while iconic locations command premium rates with Tower Bridge's Walkways starting from £7,000 for three hours. Budget-conscious organisers find value at Workspace's Leather Market rooms from £400 per day, while evening-only options like The Hop Exchange offer dramatic atriums from £5,000 plus catering.
Glaziers Hall sits just 2-3 minutes from London Bridge station's main exit, while The View from The Shard and Shangri-La benefit from direct station access via the tower's entrance. Borough Market area venues like etc.venues Prospero House are 1 minute from Borough Underground and 8-10 minutes from London Bridge mainline. The Hilton London Tower Bridge on Tooley Street takes 5-7 minutes on foot, passing several coffee spots for pre-meeting preparation. For delegates arriving via City Airport, venues near London Bridge City Pier like Glaziers Hall offer the bonus of Thames Clipper connections, making the journey surprisingly scenic.
HMS Belfast transforms a WWII warship into conference spaces with the Ship's Company Dining Hall seating 110 theatre-style amidst naval heritage. The Old Operating Theatre Museum hosts intimate medical symposia for 50 in Europe's oldest surgical theatre, though spiral stair access limits accessibility. Tower Bridge itself opens its Victorian Engine Rooms for 60-seat presentations with the walkways available for 120-person keynotes above the Thames. For something unexpected, The London Bridge Experience's underground vaults configure into an 80-seat corporate event room, while the Bridge Theatre's riverside foyers accommodate 400 for AGMs when the production schedule permits.
The Hilton London Tower Bridge's 340-square-metre Tower Suite divides into conference and exhibition zones, with additional syndicate rooms for supplier meetings. 47/49 Tanner Street provides raw warehouse spaces across multiple floors accommodating 500 standing, perfect for immersive brand experiences. Glaziers Hall combines the River Room with the London Bridge Arches for conference-plus-showcase formats up to 300 guests. For evening networking, The View from The Shard's Level 69 offers triple-height galleries with 360-degree views supporting up to 375 standing. Smaller scale options include Uncommon Borough's biophilic café lounge for 100-person evening receptions with breakout meeting pods available.
Most established venues include catering partnerships, with etc.venues Prospero House operating on-site restaurants across three floors for seamless day delegate packages. Premium venues like Shangri-La The Shard leverage their hotel kitchens for Michelin-influenced conference menus from £120 per person. Heritage venues have exclusive caterers, with Tower Bridge partnering with Social Pantry for packages from £96 per person. The LaLiT London's Baluchi restaurant handles Great Hall events with Indian-inspired options, while Glaziers Hall works with approved caterers for riverside dining. Dry-hire spaces like 47/49 Tanner Street allow external caterers, though most organisers choose venues with established food operations to simplify logistics.
etc.venues Prospero House leads for dedicated training with 30 rooms featuring drop-down screens, whiteboards and flexible layouts from U-shape to cabaret. The Fashion and Textile Museum's studio spaces suit creative workshops with IT facilities and bold architectural backdrops. Workspace's Leather Market offers high-spec training rooms with HD screens and VC bars from £102 hourly for 18 participants. The London Bridge Hotel provides five traditional training rooms up to 60 theatre-style with on-site accommodation for multi-day programs. For tech training, Uncommon Borough's meeting rooms include superfast WiFi and writable walls, while the Greenwood Theatre's 450-seat auditorium handles large-scale educational conferences during university breaks.
Madison and SUSHISAMBA aren't the only venues with outdoor options here. The View from The Shard opens its partially outdoor Level 72 Skydeck for breakfast briefings with panoramic backdrops. The Dixon features a landscaped courtyard adjoining its heritage Chambers for coffee breaks. Uncommon Borough activates its 60-person roof terrace for evening conference drinks after 5pm weekdays. The Menier Penthouse includes a private terrace overlooking Southwark's rooftops, while 47/49 Tanner Street offers both a ground-floor yard and rooftop for conference breakouts. Even HMS Belfast utilises its Quarter Deck for 350-person standing receptions, though British weather makes indoor backup essential.
Purpose-built venues lead on technology, with etc.venues Prospero House providing hybrid conference capability, multiple screens per room and dedicated AV technicians. Everyman Borough Yards brings cinema-grade projection with HD screens and Dolby 7.1 sound for presentations in its 103 and 89-seat theatres. The Menier Penthouse features dual 75-inch screens with wireless presentation systems, while Glaziers Hall includes LED walls and streaming capability for hybrid AGMs. Even historic venues embrace technology, with Southwark Cathedral offering full AV packages in the nave and Tower Bridge providing broadcast-quality lighting in its Engine Rooms. Most venues include basic AV in day rates, though complex productions at spaces like the Greenwood Theatre require additional technical hire.
Lead times vary dramatically between venue types and seasons. Premium spaces like The View from The Shard and Shangri-La often book 6-9 months ahead for autumn conference season, while etc.venues Prospero House maintains availability across 30 rooms even at 4-6 weeks' notice. January and February offer best availability with venues like the Novotel London Bridge offering competitive rates. Historic venues like Tower Bridge and Southwark Cathedral require longer lead times due to limited conference dates around their primary functions. Flexible spaces like 47/49 Tanner Street sometimes accept last-minute bookings, though most organisers secure venues 2-3 months ahead for conferences over 50 people.