South London, and especially the "South Bank" (which sits alongside the River Thames from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge), is a thriving area that contains some of the most successful cultural, entertainment and business venues in London. South London venues reflect the ambience of this sophisticated urban neighborhood.
South London is less than 30 miles from Gatwick Airport, London's second airport and one of the top 10 international airports in the world.
Among South London convention venues is the famous Southbank Centre, a huge arts, music, theater and entertainment complex that contains the Royal Festival Hall (2,500 seats), the Queen Elizabeth Hall (900 seats) and the Purcell Room (365 seats), all of which can be hired for conferences, meetings, events and corporate hospitality. The nearby National Theatre can also be hired for events and receptions for between 10 and 240 people, with special discounts and theater packages available for guests and delegates. Finally, an excellent selection of major conference centers can be found at the superb Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site: the National Maritime Museum (1,000 seats); the Queen's House (150 seats); the Royal Observatory (120 seats) and the uniquely historic Old Royal Naval College (where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were both born) for up to 420 guests.
Near Westminster Bridge is the spectacular 1,020-room Park Plaza Hotel, which opened in March 2010 and now offers state-of-the-art conference and hospitality facilities for up to 1,400 guests in luxurious theater-style seating. Other major conference hotels located "south of the river" include the 216-room Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel with six meeting rooms that can accommodate between 10 and 500 delegates; London's greenest hotel, the 65-room, 215-delegate Hotel Rafayel, on the Battersea riverfront; and the Croydon Jurys Inn with 240 rooms and 14 meeting and seminar rooms.
Smashing South London event venues include the Tate Modern, with seven floors of contemporary art galleries, restaurants and versatile event spaces offering stunning panoramic views across the Thames to St. Paul's Cathedral, and the City of London. Level 7 is where up to 100 guests can be accommodated for meetings, conferences and receptions, and the restaurant is also ideal for receptions for up to 350 guests or 150 diners. Another unusual business venue in Bankside is the Vinopolis Museum of Wine, with seven individual conference and reception rooms that can accommodate up to 550 guests; it also offers wine tasting events for delegates.
Farther to the south, the Imperial War Museum London has a stunning location for daytime conferences housed in a fully equipped cinema, with seating for 200 or a balconied Atrium with theater-style seating for up to 1,000 delegates.
