Blank canvas venues London
Top 10 blank canvas venues in London
Crowdsourced from over 1,500 people who live in London
Updated: Thursday 5th March 2020
Our capital is filled with some of the best venues in the world – so many in fact, it can be tough to choose. To help you find the perfect canvas for your events, starting from the 1st January 2020, we launched THE SEARCH for London’s best venues to share with those of you organising events in and around this city.
In this post, we share the top blank canvas venues. These are the empty shells that give you the freedom to make a space your own. Unlike other top 10s, our experts have conducted hundreds of site visits and no brand/venue can pay to feature on this list.
Revealing the top 10 blank canvas venues in London:
After hundreds of site visits, our venue specialists have selected the following 10 blank canvas venues:
Top 10 Blank Canvas Venues in London
A panel of over 1000 Londoners (and also you – visitors to our website) voted for their favourite. Here are the results:
1. Tobacco Dock
Modern in a historic setting
If you haven’t checked out Tobacco Dock head over to Wapping and explore the dock, once known for shipping gold and tobacco. Its latest transformation is into a state-of-the-art events space. Keeping all its stunning industrial features like timber beams, exposed brick vaults or Yorkstone floors, you’ll find the rich history of the space brings a special touch to any event. With a coworking space just next door, you can expect creativity and all the leading tech necessary, plus, there’s always the rooftop bar Skylight for an after-event drink.
2. Exhibition London
Dynamic and adaptable
West London’s multi-purpose Exhibition London is a stylish destination in an up-and-coming area, designed to be a space for music, culture, corporate events and celebrations. Housed inside an impeccably restored Victorian building, the industrial venue combines red brick interiors and tiled walls to create a vibrant space with its own unique character and touches of its history as an engine house. There are two floors for huge amounts of space and each with their own bars.
3. English National Ballet
The new home of creativity
Bring in the creativity of performance arts to your event by hosting it at the English National Ballet and stepping up to centre stage. It’s a state-of-the-art building filled with modern contemporary event spaces alongside technical production and rehearsal rooms. Located on London City Island, it doesn’t get more unique than this and combined with world-class facilities your guests can expect to be inspired.
4. Printworks
Vibrant space spread over multiple floors
Set in 6 acres of private, gated land, you might not expect to find a venue as striking and unusual as Printworks. Known for its award-winning music performances and club nights, it’s also home to seven ground-breaking multi-purpose event spaces across its different levels. Once an impressive printing factory, the original aesthetics have been preserved to create a stunning industrial space that makes for the ultimate blank canvas venue.
5. Queen Elizabeth II Centre
London’s largest conference and exhibition venue
Located opposite Westminster Abbey, the QEII Centre is the largest dedicated conference and exhibition space in central London. With seven floors, each purpose-built for meetings and events, like the impressively versatile Churchill Auditorium, there’s a space to suit every event. For professionalism at its finest in one of London’s most historic and prestigious areas, look no further than this spacious spot for your high profile events.
6. Earth Hackney
Incredible and raw
Undoubtedly a hidden gem, Earth Hackney is a creative multi-arts venue with three main spaces, frequently known for hosting incredible shows. Head upstairs to its very own theatre to witness the Art Deco design giving it a delightful vintage touch, or hold your event elsewhere where the quirky atmosphere makes it a fantastically unique space for events such as film screenings, product launches and private functions, alongside their ever-enticing line-up of innovative artists.
7. Old Billingsgate
From a fish market to an industrial space
With its prime location on the River Thames making it one of the most sought after event spaces in the capital, Old Billingsgate is a strikingly historic blank canvas of a venue. Once a huge, world-famous fish market, it’s unsurprising that this unique Victorian Grade II listed building makes for an incredibly spacious backdrop to any event. You’ll discover three highly versatile spaces including The Grand Hall, The Vault and its beautiful terrace looking out onto Tower Bridge, each ideal for anything from conferences and exhibitions to fashion shows and award dinners.
8. Magazine London
Designed to leave a lasting impression
In the heart of Greenwich Peninsula, Magazine London is a sleek and modern blank canvas venue with tons of space and the versatility to design the event of your dreams. The clean and functional spaces make the ideal spot for large-scale creativity, so you’re encouraged to design it as you like, showcasing your branding. Outside, however, you’ll find even more space in the showground, with breathtaking views of Canary Wharf.
9. Village Underground
Stay up to date in the heart of Shoreditch
If you’re looking for a stylishly funky venue, look no further than the heart of Shoreditch where Village Underground a creative multi-functional space, is housed in a renovated warehouse. Usually home to concerts, club nights and exhibitions as one of the finest music venues in East London, you can take advantage of the urban-style main room with its exposed brick walls creating the perfect blank canvas for your conferences, launches, dinner and parties.
10. Icetank
Scandinavian architecture and contemporary space
Taking the phrase “blank canvas” to new levels, Icetank truly is just that, as a bright white space throughout, the perfect backdrop for your own branding and themes. Located in Covent Garden, it’s a light and airy venue split across two levels with Scandinavian architecture and contemporary interiors. There are multiple studios available with all the technology your event may need, plus a purpose-built infinity cove, ideal for projecting images and green screen productions.
Need help finding a venue? Check out our London venue finding services
Who selected the top 10 venues?
Matthew Cairns – Event Manager at John Cabot
Matt is one of the event organisers here at John Cabot. In the last two months alone he has conducted over 80 site visits in venues across London for this list.
If you work for a London venue and think it should feature in a future top 10, please email our events team to review reception@johncabot.com with information about your venue.
