An idea for meeting the editor of ITPro

A subtle hint from top man, Chris Green, as a potential venue choice for a lunch briefing?

Venue checking – The Gherkin

I often find that trying to source a decent venue in London, which hasn’t been used to death is one the hardest things, especially one that isn’t just another boring box with florescent lights and no view.  One of my clients is looking to hold a series of customer meetings and was looking for a space that could happily sit between 16 and 20 people and have space to showcase their products.

It was at this point I became aware of the private dining spaces available at 30 St Mary Axe also more commonly known as The Gherkin.  If you get a chance to hire one of these rooms I have to say the view is quite magnificent and has a real wow factor.  My client was genuinely impressed, especially when we opened the door to the room and were faced with the floor to ceiling glass view over London which I have to say is something to behold.  Even the stroll to the gents is impressive with the corridor being on the outside so you get to see even more of our beautiful city.  The perfect venue for a clear day.

Unfortunately, the rooms available on the dates we required just are not going to be big enough which demonstrates yet again why it is essential to venue check.  Even in an age when you can see 360 degree views of a room on their websites it is not until you actually walk into a venue, see the facilities, meet their staff face to face, see the refreshments available and get a general feel for the place that you can actually decide whether it is appropriate or not for your event.
If any of you out there have any other inspirational ideas for venues I would be interested to hear about them.