The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) hires out its rooms for conferences, talks, product launches, dinners, weddings and film screenings, from 45 people in a cinema to 350 standing in its theatre. The ICA occupies Nash House on The Mall in central London, with views over St James's Park toward Big Ben and the London Eye.
Seminars and company events
The theatre is a black-box room with a stage, a screen and lighting rigs; it seats 200 for dinner or holds 350 standing, and the ICA lists talks, panel discussions and full-day conferences among its formats. Cinema 1 seats 185 and Cinema 2 seats 45. Both play DCP, 35 mm, Digi Beta, Blu-ray, DVD and computer files, and a technician is included in cinema hires. In the Nash House rooms, a technician package gives access to a plasma screen, a projector, microphones, a PA, a DJ setup and color-changing uplighters. Strategy sessions, networking evenings, photo shoots and filming are also accepted.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings take place in the first-floor Nash and Brandon rooms, with tall windows, balconies over The Mall and decorative plasterwork. Together the two rooms seat 140 for dinner or hold 150 standing, and adding the Upper Galleries brings capacity to 250. From May 1 to September 30, Waterloo Garden East, managed with the Crown Estate, can take 150 standing for a garden reception.
Rooms and capacities
The Nash Room seats 80 for dinner, 75 theatre-style including speakers, or 90 standing. The Brandon Room seats 60 for dinner, 50 theatre-style or 60 standing. The Upper Galleries seat 60 for dinner or hold 124 standing. The Upper Bar seats 40 or holds 60 standing, and the Upper and Lower Bars together take 180 standing. Hires that span several spaces are quoted on request, and the ICA may assign a production manager for complex setups.
Catering
Rates cover the room only. The ICA works with a list of preferred suppliers for catering, flowers, furniture, entertainment and production, and introduces them on enquiry. A preferred in-house producer knows the building's layout and constraints well.
History and setting
Founded in 1946, the ICA has long shown contemporary art, film and performance. Since 1968 it has occupied Nash House, part of John Nash's Regency terraces on The Mall, between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. The upper rooms keep their columns, fireplaces and high ceilings, while the theatre and the cinemas are modern, dark spaces. The ICA does not take external exhibition or film festival enquiries.
Getting there
Charing Cross station is a few minutes' walk away, and Piccadilly Circus and Embankment Underground stations are close. A security guard is required for each balcony in use, and a cloakroom service with an attendant can be added for larger events.
