Abbey Road Studios hires out three recording studios for conferences, gala dinners, drinks receptions, press launches and private performances. The largest room takes up to 350 guests standing, 250 for a seated dinner and 300 in conference layout. The smallest suits 30 to 50 people. The studios stand at 3 Abbey Road in St John's Wood, London NW8.
Seminars and company events
Studio One is the room for a company conference or a large launch. It holds 300 people in conference layout and 350 standing, and the studio presents it as suitable for gala dinners, live music and conferences. Studio Two is the right size for a press launch, a screening or a private performance in front of 100 guests. Studio Three serves smaller meetings, signings, launches and press conferences for up to 30 people seated.
Because the studios are working recording rooms, the venue is not open for visits or tours, and every booking goes through the enquiry form on the website. A brochure is available there for organisers who want to compare layouts before they write.
Rooms and capacities
Studio One: 350 standing, 250 dinner, 300 conference. Studio Two: 130 standing, 70 dinner, 100 conference. Studio Three: 50 standing, 30 dinner, 30 conference. Studio Three has a mezzanine balcony and lounge areas, which gives a small group a second level for breakouts or a reception. The three studios can be hired together for a full-site event.
The venue also sells a record-a-song experience for groups from 2 to 150 guests per studio. It includes studio hire, a recording engineer and assistants, Pro Tools equipment, one vocal coach per studio, an MP3 of the finished track, music licences and full venue security. For a team-building day it turns a seminar into something the whole group takes part in.
Catering
The in-house catering partner is Lexington Catering. It offers customized menus, menu tastings and a dedicated catering manager who stays with the event. When all three studios are hired together, an accredited external caterer may be used instead. The list of accredited suppliers is published as a PDF on the venue's page, and an organiser who wants an outside caterer should read it before choosing.
History and setting
Abbey Road Studios opened in 1931 as a recording facility and is best known for the albums the Beatles made there in the 1960s. Studio One is described on the venue's own site as the largest purpose-built recording studio in the world. That history is the reason many organisers choose it: guests arrive at a working studio, not a conference hotel, and the acoustics are those of a room built for orchestras.
The studios sit in a residential part of north-west London, close to the famous pedestrian crossing. The venue states that it remains a working studio and business, so event dates are arranged around recording sessions.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is St John's Wood on the Jubilee line, a short walk from the studios. Central London is about 15 minutes away by Tube. Heathrow is the main airport, connected by the Elizabeth line and the Tube.
