The Business Design Centre (BDC), is an architecturally impressive, Grade II listed building and was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall. It re-opened in 1986 as a dedicated conference and exhibition venue, and in 1999, a purpose-built conference centre was added.

The venue offers a total of 6000 sqm in exhibition space and conference facilities that can host a broad range of healthcare events from small Key Opinion Leader meetings and training sessions to large exhibitions and sales conferences and congresses. With no bedrooms available onsite, the next-door 4-star Hilton Angel Islington with x190 rooms can provide a sector-appropriate option.

The venue is easily accessible, located just 5 minutes walk from Angel Underground station which sits in Zone 1 (Zone 1 is the innermost zone on the London underground system with zone 6 being the outermost). From Angel, Kings Cross St Pancras train station can be reached in 8 minutes and the major train stations of Euston, Victoria, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Marylebone can all be reached by bus or underground in under 30 minutes.

For attendees driving, the venue sits outside central London’s congestion zone, on the main A1 road that runs from central London to the M1 motorway that links the South to North of the UK. The externally run Upper Street car park is located to the front and under the venue. This ease of access makes the BDC an ideal location for national meetings.

For an international audience London City Airport is located 40 minutes away by car and London Heathrow and London Gatwick can be reached in under 80 minutes.

The size and flexibility of the various meeting and exhibition spaces make the BDC a popular choice for a variety of business-to-business (B2B) events and they already play host to many healthcare events including National Health Service Conferences including the annual Primary Care Nursing Expo, the Advanced Therapies and Regenerative Medicine Congress and the MIMS Respiratory conference, Red Flag and Learning Live.

For over 30 years, the BDC positions itself as a London venue for business events with a focus on its main client base of technology, healthcare and B2B (Business to Business) events.

The BDC website is a mix of business images and information mixed with Instagram pictures posted by attendees to events held there and they can be considered as a true reflection of the business event mix.

Both online and offline sales and marketing messaging is of a flexible exhibition space and a purpose-built conference centre with no leisure or bedroom facilities. This positioning is carried through to the corporate website and sales and marketing collateral and one that is also supported by external websites.

The BDC social media pages include a Twitter feed, Facebook and LinkedIn pages. All imagery used is from previous and forthcoming events and supports a venue that is business focussed that in our opinion, aligns with expectations of code-related meetings and events.

The Business Design Centre is located in the centre of London in the busy Angel area of Islington. The main A1 road passes in front of the venue and it contains many restaurants and independent shops however, this is a mainly residential area which is not considered a main area for tourism.

The venue is Grade II listed which means it is considered nationally important and is legally protected from major building plans; however, this does not affect the internal flexibility of the venue and event spaces. 

The building design is of a brick and mainly glass exterior and the glass roof allows for plenty of natural daylight to reach the exhibition floors.

Located 5 minutes walk from Angel Underground, the station links the area to major transport hubs making for easy access for national and international events.

The venue is located outside central London’s congestion charge zone and on the A1 main road. The Upper Street Car Park is located under the venue and spaces may be included as part of any event booked.

There are many bus stops located a short walk from the venue the extensive bus routes offer an alternative to the London Underground network.

All spaces within the BDC can be used individually and have dedicated access routes which means no space is shared. To help contain each event, conference acoustic walling ensures privacy, but additional security can be arranged.

This allows for more than one healthcare event can be accommodated at any one time.

With no leisure facilities or entertainment activities on site, this means there are no distractions for delegates and making it an ideal environment for education, training, meeting and networking.

Gallery Hall & Atrium – 1400sqm

The Gallery Hall is a multi-purpose space and can be used for exhibitions, large conferences and as a catering area. The Gallery Hall offers 890 square metres of naturally lit space.

This space has a registration area which is equipped with a tannoy system covering the Gallery Hall, multiple wired Internet connections, a dedicated phone line and handset, photocopier, power sockets, purpose-built cloakroom facilities, digital signage screens, conference stationery kit, laptop with Internet connectivity and a colour scanner/printer.  The Gallery Hall is fitted with a Hearing Loop (Hidden assistive listening device).

Overlooking the Gallery Hall is the Gallery Atrium which provides additional space for catering, exhibition stands and an option for catering.

Auditorium:

The Auditorium offers space for x500 delegate’s theatre style or x268 in tiered seating and has easy access to all syndicate rooms.

A motorised ceiling rig supports any production build within this room which is also fitted with hearing loop facilities and can be fully blacked out.

The Auditorium can be used with Room DEFGH for catering or with the Gallery Hall/Atrium and the spaces are self-contained but additional security can be arranged if needed – ideal for sales conferences or congress symposia.

Room A

This room is ideal for conferences for up to 250 in theatre style. The room contains a partition wall which creates space for smaller events as well as a walk way to other syndicate rooms.

Room B-H

These rooms are ideal for break out rooms, boardroom meetings and seminars. Each room seating between 60 – 90 theatre style using the partitions to meet the event specification.

All A-H rooms are on the second floor and are accessed by escalator or passenger lift. Conference Furniture is provided complimentary and consists of 5ft round tables, 6ft trestle tables, chairs and grey cloths, Notepads and Pens, Online ordering System, Directional Signage package, Free event listing on the Business Design Centre website where appropriate and on the corporate ‘what’s on’ pages.

Executive Centre

The Executive Centre is a standalone area so can be used in isolation from the other venue space to give maximum privacy, suitable for healthcare meetings.

Located on the ground floor, the Executive Centre offers a total of 125sqm of space and is perfect to host workshops, board meetings and training sessions amongst other events. This versatile space can accommodate up to 90 delegates theatre style or 45 cabaret style with space for a catering area.

Recent refurbishments include lounge seating which is ideal for breakout space from workshops, along with new conference chairs, boardroom tables and plasma screens with laptop connectivity.

Mezzanine

The Mezzanine is located in the centre of the venue covering over 2,000 square metres. With an abundance of natural light this space is perfect for large exhibitions or conferences for 500-1500 theatre style.

Its proximity to the breakout rooms makes the space ideal for a conference to run alongside a large exhibition.

Audio Visual equipment is not included in any events package, but companies may use the BDC preferred supplier or provide their own with prior approval.

The Conference Centre is on the second floor and contains the Auditorium (500 theatre) and breakout rooms (160-60 theatre) plus the Gallery Hall (250 theatre)

Restaurants: There is one permanent catering outlet within the BDC. Located on the Mezzanine level, Jacks Café, by caterers GEC, offers locally sourced and seasonal light snack food options.

Catering for all business events is provided via our exclusive partner.

Bedrooms: The BDC has no bedrooms.  However, the four-star Hilton London Angel Islington is located adjacent to the entrance to the venue.

Leisure: There are no leisure facilities on property.

This is a multipurpose venue which hosts conferences, exhibitions, concerts and other pay to enter leisure entertainment events. This will be reflected in sales and marketing messaging and in our opinion should not distract bookers looking to use the venue for healthcare meetings and events.