Southwark operates as London's vertical business district, with The Shard alone housing multiple meeting venues including Shangri-La's sky-high boardrooms and Fora's design-led suites across floors 24-25. The borough combines riverside heritage at Glaziers Hall with cutting-edge sustainability at 15Hatfields, where 21 rooms run entirely on renewable energy. Unlike the City's corporate uniformity, venues here range from citizenM's creative societyM rooms with wipeable walls to Sea Containers' Level 12 studios overlooking the Thames. The concentration around London Bridge station means you're never more than 8 minutes from a quality meeting space, with Borough Market's food scene providing unmatched catering options that corporate districts simply cannot match.
Southwark's pricing reflects its diversity, starting from £30 per hour at Unicorn Theatre's John Lyon Room up to £12,000 for a full day in Shangri-La's Ren suite on Level 34. Most professional spaces cluster around £75-£150 per hour, with Runway East Borough Market offering tech-ready rooms from £53-£160 per hour depending on size. Day delegate rates at hotels like Hilton London Bankside run £75-£120 per person including refreshments and lunch. For comparison, Fora's multiple locations charge £44-£294 hourly based on capacity and building prestige, while Workspace's Print Rooms keeps things simple at £75 per hour for their 8-person boardroom.
For major gatherings, Hilton London Bankside's ballroom accommodates 600-700 theatre style, making it Southwark's largest single meeting space with full production capabilities. etc.venues Prospero House operates as a dedicated training centre with 30 rooms across multiple floors, perfect for multi-track programmes with syndicate sessions. Sea Containers London offers their unique amphitheatre setup for 200 delegates plus Level 12 studios that combine for 280 standing reception. 15Hatfields provides 21 sustainable meeting spaces with capacities reaching 300 theatre style, complete with hybrid broadcasting kit. These venues all sit within 10 minutes of major transport links, with dedicated events teams managing logistics from AV to overnight accommodation.
Fora Borough Yards sits just 4 minutes from London Bridge, offering 9 design-rich rooms from £44 hourly within the renovated market arches. Even closer, Runway East Borough Market provides 15+ themed rooms starting 2 minutes from the station with instant online booking from £53 per hour. For premium options, Shangri-La and Fora occupy The Shard directly above the station, with the former's Yi boardroom seating 10 with floor-to-ceiling views, while Fora offers 11 rooms from £124-£729 hourly. London Bridge Hotel maintains 6 traditional meeting rooms practically on the station doorstep, with their Shakespeare suite handling up to 60 theatre style.
The Shard dominates Southwark's skyline meeting scene with three distinct venues: Shangri-La's Level 34 boardrooms place you above the clouds with 360-degree panoramas, while Fora's 24th and 25th floor suites frame St Paul's Cathedral perfectly. Sea Containers London's Level 12 studios provide Thames-side vistas stretching from Tower Bridge to Westminster, particularly stunning during sunset presentations. Madison at One New Change offers Manhattan-style terrace meetings overlooking St Paul's dome, though technically just north of the river. For ground-level river views, Glaziers Hall's aptly named River Room seats 180 with original Georgian windows facing the Thames, while The Dixon's light-filled Chambers captures Tower Bridge through heritage courthouse windows.
15Hatfields stands as London's flagship sustainable meeting venue, powered entirely by renewable energy with rainwater harvesting and zero-to-landfill waste policies across its 21 rooms. Uncommon Borough integrates biophilic design throughout their Long Lane location, with living walls and natural materials creating oxygen-rich meeting environments for groups up to 30. Several Fora locations including Borough Yards maintain BREEAM excellent ratings with LED lighting and smart climate controls. Workspace's Print Rooms uses reclaimed materials in their meeting room fit-outs while offsetting carbon through verified programmes. Even traditional venues like Hilton London Bankside now offer carbon-neutral meeting packages with locally sourced catering and digital-only documentation options.
The Dixon occupies a converted magistrates' court where The Dock meeting room retains original judicial features alongside modern presentation tech. Sea Containers Events created an actual amphitheatre on their events floor, complete with tiered seating for 200 and acoustic design originally intended for maritime presentations. citizenM's societyM rooms feature floor-to-ceiling wipeable walls, letting teams literally draw on every surface during brainstorms. Unicorn Theatre offers their Foyle Rehearsal Room at just £55 hourly, where corporate teams run improvisation workshops between children's productions. For something truly distinctive, Glaziers Hall provides a working livery hall with centuries of glassmaking history embedded in the panelled walls.
Premium venues like Shangri-La's boardrooms typically require 4-6 weeks notice for peak Tuesday-Thursday slots, especially for their larger Ren suite. Flexible workspace providers including Runway East and Fora often have availability within 24-48 hours through their online platforms, though their best rooms fill up 1-2 weeks ahead. Hotel meeting rooms at Hilton London Bankside or Sea Containers Events recommend 3-4 weeks for day delegate packages during conference season (September-November, February-May). Budget options like Workspace's Print Rooms at £75 hourly often have same-week availability. December poses unique challenges with venues hosting Christmas events, so book October for any November-December corporate meetings.
etc.venues Prospero House provides enterprise-grade AV across 30 rooms with dedicated technical support, wireless presenting and streaming capabilities as standard. Fora's Shard location includes 86-inch touchscreens with one-touch video conferencing across all 11 rooms, plus concierge support for hybrid meetings. 15Hatfields earned recognition for sustainable tech integration, offering carbon-neutral streaming setups with professional lighting grids. Runway East Borough Market embeds Barco ClickShare systems in every room from £53 hourly, eliminating cable chaos during presentations. For production-level requirements, Sea Containers' Level 12 studios include broadcast-quality equipment managed by their in-house technical team, regularly hosting product launches livestreamed globally.
Borough Market's proximity transforms Southwark meeting catering, with venues like Fora Borough Yards sourcing directly from market traders for working lunches that outshine standard corporate fare. Shangri-La provides Michelin-influenced catering with their day packages starting from £150 per person, while budget-conscious bookers find citizenM's fixed packages at £17-£39 per person refreshingly transparent. 15Hatfields champions sustainable catering with zero-waste menus and plant-forward options that don't compromise on satisfaction. Hotels like Hilton London Bankside and The Dixon include full restaurant kitchens, enabling everything from working breakfasts to three-course client dinners. Independent venues often partner with local suppliers: Uncommon Borough works with Caravan Coffee, while Runway East brings in rotating street food vendors for all-day meetings.