London's Adaptive Reuse Projects

London, one of the largest and most populous cities in the world, is also its fifth-most-sustainable urban center, according to Arcadis Research. Thanks to a sincere desire for a greener future, the once-notorious "The Smoke" has found ingenious ways to recycle, upcycle, and repurpose. This year, hotel companies are joining the effort by repurposing historic buildings like never before.

Last year, among the largest hotels to open was the 494-room Park Plaza London Waterloo, which converted a mid-century government office building; it features more than 7,500 square feet of meeting space in six function rooms. "In 2017, there will be several new hotels open -- adding nearly 5,000 bedrooms to London's booming hotel scene," notes Tracy Halliwell, director of business tourism and major events for London & Partners. The 98-room Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square, which converted the former Port of London Authority building into a mixed-used development (featuring 41 private residences), has recently opened. The property, which features 7,857 square feet of function space, is available for buyout. Also new, the 252-room Ned has converted the former Lutyens-designed Midland Bank building into a hotel and membership club, offering six "dramatic" meeting rooms that can accommodate from four to 200 people.

For some, the rebranding of the former Cumberland Hotel into the 900-room Hard Rock London will be the event of 2018. But for others, having value new-builds to choose from, like the two new London Moxys (ExCeL and the soon-to-come London Stratford), makes budgeting in the city easier.

Smallish groups who visit London year after year will want to take advantage of the 139-room Good Hotel, which is expected to sit alongside Victoria Docks for the next five years. "The Good Hotel is a floating hotel that upcycles various materials, connects with local businesses, and uses natural resources to maintain the property," says Halliwell. "It also trains unemployed individuals in order to provide jobs and enable them to have a brighter future."

Sustain to Gain
Upcycling and other sustainability measures are especially top-of-mind this year. "As 2017 is the United Nation's International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development," says Halliwell, "it is increasingly important for London to host more sustainable events and support and encourage our partners and clients to do the same over the coming year." In fact, London is home to some of the world's most sustainable event venues, "including The Crystal, which operates entirely on solar power and ground-source heat pumps."

That said, some of the groups meeting in London this year are focusing on other kinds of renewable resources -- namely, students and younger members.

"In June, we'll see a bigger, better, and bolder London Tech Week 2017," says Halliwell. "Last year, we saw over 40,000 attendees from 70-plus countries and more than 300 tech events in which they could take part. The affair will bring together entrepreneurs, students, corporations, start-ups, and others to collaborate with the international tech community." This year's Tech Week (June 11-15) will feature something for everyone, from the Prince's Trust Gala Dinner to drone racing at Alexandra Palace.

Another tech event, RTX London, by a division of the gaming developer Rooster Teeth, will debut at a weekend celebration (October 14-15) of video games, Internet culture, and the beloved influencers and programmers of the Rooster Teeth community at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre. "We're excited to expand our presence to London with this RTX, our first European RTX," says Bethany Feinstein, director of events at Rooster Teeth. "RTX brings Rooster Teeth influencers, YouTubers, video games, and the best of the Internet to one place, and we can't wait to start that party in London."

Brexit Bolsters Dollar
In fact, ExCeL has announced that 2017 will be its busiest ever for incoming North American organizations -- such as Enactus, Salesforce, the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (which features a student segment), Aviation Week, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists -- meeting in London.

Coincidence? Nah! "We have seen an increase in bookings from the U.S. market since the U.K. referendum to leave the European Union," notes Halliwell. "Event planners from the U.S. are flocking to the capital to take advantage of the weaker pound, the amazing array of venues and creative event services, as well as the increase in delegates that London can often deliver."

However, incoming meeting-goers will have to wait until 2018 for the new CrossRail, which will get event groups across London from Heathrow Airport to ExCeL in 44 minutes, and to Central London in around 20 minutes from either West or East London.  

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This article appears in the April 2017 issue of Successful Meetings.