The HeadBox guide to booking a venue in London
London – the international capital home to almost 9 million and visited by millions more each year. The city pulses with endless possibilities for hosting events of all kinds. From corporate conferences to intimate private dining, finding the ideal venue sets the stage for any experience.
Understanding the intricacies of venue pricing can seem as complex as navigating the Underground map for the first time. However, like the Tube system, this process is quite straightforward once you get the basics down.
This casual guide explains the venue-booking process (and some related jargon), offering insights into common pricing structures for various venues in London. We look at 6 different types of event venues in London and give you advice on what sort of prices to expect.
Table of Contents
Conference venues
Common pricing types: Daily Delegate Rate (DDR) or venue hire fee.
Rates for conference venue bookings made through HeadBox:
Meeting rooms
Common pricing types: Daily Delegate Rate (DDR) or meeting room hire fee per hour.
Rates for meeting room bookings made through HeadBox:
Party venues
Common pricing types: Venue hire fee, package per person, and minimum spend.
Dry hire: While less common for party venues, some may offer dry hire options for those who prefer to bring in their catering.
Deposits: Depending on the venue as well as the number of people for the event, many London party venues will require a deposit to secure the event space.
Rates for party venue hires made through HeadBox:
Private dining
Common pricing types: Minimum spend, set menu/package per person.
Rates for private dining hires made through HeadBox:
Studios
Common pricing types: Venue hire fee.
Hiring a studio in London commonly includes the space as well as technical equipment like backgrounds or props in photo studios, and AV equipment in recording studios.
The fee is commonly per hour but may also be offered at a half-day or full-day rate.
Rates for studio hires made through HeadBox:
Bars
Common pricing types: Minimum spend and venue hire.
Dry hire: While less common for bars, some venues may offer dry hire options for those who prefer to bring in their own catering while still requiring a minimum bar spend on drinks.
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Frequently asked questions
The cost of the venue. This is commonly a flat rate or can be hired at a half-day, full-day, or hourly rate.
This is dependent upon a myriad of factors that have been discussed above. Scroll to the venue type of interest for average price per head. Please note: this is rough guide only.
In conference and meeting room bookings, a Daily Delegate Rate is the rate charged by a venue per delegate (attendee) for a full day including venue/room hire. This rate commonly includes amenities such as water, tea, and coffee, and may include catering.
Dry hire is when the venue only provides the use of the space that they have, such as a hall or room. Wet hire allows the venue space as well as amenities such as water, tea, coffee, and audio/visual equipment with conference and meeting room spaces, and a bar and/or set menus/catering for private dining and party venues.
Private dining refers to an exclusive private dining room within a restaurant or venue or may refer to exclusive hire of the entire venue/restaurant. Semi-private refers to a space set apart within a venue/restaurant that is still visible to the main restaurant/venue.
HeadBox can take your event enquiry and budget, and circulate amongst the best available venues in London. This way you sit back and wait for the offers to come in, and simply match with your favourite.