We pride ourselves on our speed and efficiency here at Congress Centre, in fact, we’re laying down the gauntlet and saying we think we might be the most efficient conference centre in London.
Have a read through some of our stats and see what you think. Are we gold-medal winners? Or do you know of any other venues who might pip us at the post?
Our records:
Conference set-up time
Average set-up time: 4 hours
Our record: 30 minutes
Our secret to success: We have a built-in stage and AV equipment in Congress Hall that’s ready to go. You just need your presentations on a memory card and a little bit of time to customise the lighting and sound to your set-up.
Beverage service
Average service time:
Our record: 500 drinks in 15 minutes
Our secret to success: We prepare for the breaks in advance and with most events requiring 125 litres of beverages to be served every break, we have 20 members of the Congress Centre team on hand to make sure everyone gets a drink and back to their seats on time.
We regularly serve coffees, teas, and soft drinks for 500 in a 15-minute break in the Foyer outside Congress Hall. If you don’t have your calculator to hand that’s a coffee served every 1.8 seconds.
Arrival, registration, and seating
Average seating time: 500 people in 30 minutes
Our record: 20 minutes
Secret to success: Flow. Do you know how many conferences start late every day of the week? It’s shocking. Usually, it’s because the event manager simply can’t get everyone registered and seated in time but all over the UK (and world) schools do it every day with thousands of unruly children and they’ll tell you that the secret is the flow of people. Congress Hall is located below ground but a dedicated reception, wide stairs, wide aisles and doors into the Congress Hall mean that 500 people can arrive, register, get a drink, be seated and ready for the event in less than 30 minutes.
Changing the programme
Average time: 30 minutes
Our record: 5 minutes
Our secret to success: We have digital signage throughout the venue. Most of the organisers that host events with us decide to use them exclusively with no printed programmes. So, whatever happens at your event – maybe you need to re-arrange one of your speakers mid-programme – you can quickly deploy a message on the digital signage to inform your attendees of last-minute changes in just a few minutes.
Your next conference at Congress Centre
Congress Centre is in Congress House, a few minutes’ walk from Tottenham, Court Road Underground Station. As our building’s name suggests, our venue was purpose-built to host congresses and conferences. That’s why we believe we’re better-suited than London’s quirkier spaces at hosting sleek, efficient events at which no compromises need to be made.
Over the years we’ve hosted all sorts of events from fashion shows to exhibitions but most of our events are conferences because our venue was designed with the conference planner in mind. Congress Centre undergoes regular, venue-wide refurbishments which keep us ahead of the game in terms of AV and tech, while preserving our stunning, mid-century, modernist aesthetic.
If you’re looking for a modern conference venue in central London and you value efficiency and reliability, give our Events Team a call to discuss your next project. You can reach us on 020 7467 1318 or via email on congress.centre@tuc.org.uk.