Queen's Gate House hosts conferences, training days, exams, meetings, awards ceremonies, private dinners, parties and weddings for up to 300 guests, in an Event Hall, a Conference Suite, a foyer and a set of smaller meeting rooms. The building, formerly known as Baden-Powell House, stands on Queen's Gate in South Kensington, London, and has operated as an events venue since 1987.
Seminars and company events
By day the venue serves corporate, educational and training groups. The Event Hall carries the plenary for up to 300 people, the Conference Suite takes up to 100 and can be split by a dividing wall into two breakout rooms, and the Foyer works as a third breakout or a registration area. Individual meeting rooms are available for breakouts, training sessions or interviews, which suits recruitment days and exam sittings as well as conferences. Free Wi-Fi, step-free access and air conditioning are provided in the event spaces, which matters for a full day with a large group.
Weddings and receptions
In the evening the rooms turn to private dinners, celebrations and awards ceremonies, and weddings and private parties appear among the events the venue accepts. The Event Hall, with its high ceiling, surround sound and large projection, gives room for a dinner, a stage and a dance floor in one space, while the Foyer can take the welcome drinks.
Rooms and capacities
The Event Hall holds up to 300 guests, with a 17 ft ceiling, 5.1 surround sound and 5 m HD projection. The Conference Suite holds up to 100 and divides into two rooms. The Foyer holds up to 25 and has a blackboard wall, useful for a workshop or a session plan. The venue also lists individual meeting rooms but does not publish their capacities, so organizers planning several parallel sessions should give their numbers when asking.
History and setting
The building opened in 1961 as Baden-Powell House, named after Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. For decades it served the Scouts as a hostel and meeting center in central London, and it began taking outside events in 1987. MPW, the independent college group, bought the building in summer 2021 and renamed it Queen's Gate House. The museum quarter of South Kensington, with the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, lies on the surrounding streets, which helps when guests want a visit before or after the event.
Getting there
Gloucester Road and South Kensington stations, served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines, are a short walk away. Heathrow is reached directly on the Piccadilly line, and Paddington, for the Heathrow Express and trains to the west, is a short taxi ride north.
