Conference in the capital

London has a unique environment that nurtures talent, a work ethos that supports business growth and a unique diversity that allows innovation to thrive – London has all the key ingredients to allow every person or business to excel to new extraordinary heights. Many are attracted by London’s dazzling culture and its unparalleled heritage whilst others are drawn to London’s constantly changing physical and economic landscape. 

With so many headquarters of international businesses making their home in the UK’s capital, a diverse array of conference and meeting spaces and a buzzing media industry, it’s an ideal destination to hold your government business events and meetings. 

But what about when the meeting is over? What about your precious downtime when the laptop has been packed away. London is also the ideal city to extend your business trip and get a bit of well-earned relaxation and pleasure from.

For most business visitors, part of the attraction of coming to London is the almost endless list of fantastic downtime activities, from sight-seeing to shopping to eating out.
Around every corner of London visitors will find new and exciting options.

Food, glorious food
With 61 Michelin stars to its name, London continues to be heaven for foodies.

The Shard can be seen for miles and will certainly be one of the places to be seen in 2013. You can take in the view from February, but from April you’ll be able to dine within London’s biggest skyscraper. The people behind Zuma will be opening a restaurant with a contemporary rotisserie and grill menu while Aqua will offer at least two restaurants and one will apparently be a first in cuisine style for the London and European market.

Some of the best value food in London is ethnic – Chinese, Indian or Italian. Specific areas of London offer great value, particularly in ethnic cuisine. The street food scene is vibrant and growing – Brick Lane is famed for very good, cheap Indian and Bangladeshi food, Turkish restaurants are abound in Stoke Newington and Chinatown is found in Soho.

London also offers some major calendar events that celebrate food as well as numerous food markets and farmers markets.

London Parks
London has a huge amount of green spaces including more than 600 garden squares, 148 parks and gardens, 122 heaths, commons and greens, 16 city farms, eight Royal Parks and one historic battlefield. It is one of the greenest capitals in the world. In 2013 the capital’s biggest flower show – The Chelsea Flower Show, celebrates 100 years. Always fabulous – this year’s horticultural spectacular is not to be missed. Kew is home to the amazing Royal Botanic Gardens. Covering 326 acres, they’re an oasis of calm. For those feeling like a surge of adrenaline, the Treetop Walkway is a must. It’s 59 feet high and 660 feet long, taking visitors into the tree canopy of a woodland glade.  

Sport in London
After watching one of the most successful Olympic and Paralympic Games ever, why not see it for yourself. London is a hotbed of great sporting activity all year round and a perfect way to unwind and relax after a busy conference or meeting.

Take a trip to north‑west London with a behind‑the‑scenes tour of Wembley. One of the most famous stadiums in the world and the major venue of the Olympic football tournament, the UEFA Champions League Final will return to London for the 150th anniversary of the FA in May and play host to the NFL games for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings.

A visit to the key Olympic venue in Stratford to the East of London is a must. The Olympic Park will become The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and reopen to the public from July 2013.

A new annual, mass-participation cycling event will launch in London from the Olympic Park in August. The two-day cycling festival will be a fantastic public event to watch both families, amateur riders and the world’s best elite cyclists pass many of Central London’s famous landmarks on their routes.

Hidden gems in London
There are surprises around every corner in London. From historical sites, to areas of natural beauty, to brilliant but unsung shops, bars and museums, the list of things that you can find ‘only in London’ is almost endless.

The Bank of England Museum will allow visitors to hold a bar of gold and see the largest collection of Bank of England notes and associated material in the world. Whereas Neasden in north-west London is home to the truly jaw-dropping site of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest traditional Hindu Mandir outside India.

Pleasure without a price
A major benefit of London’s cultural offering is that many of the events or museums in the capital are free – which is a huge cost saving to any delegate and a perfect way to compliment any business programme or offer a huge cost saving in your own downtime.

Whether it’s watching the Chinese New Year celebrations in China Town, viewing the latest exhibitions at the famous V&A museum or simply watching the street performers in Covent Garden, there really is the opportunity to get something for nothing.  London has over 300 museums, galleries and collections, including some of the greatest in the world, as well as some of the most unusual and interesting. Markets are a good source of inexpensive goods – London has over 300 of them, ranging from the attractive Columbia Road flower market to authentic East London markets like Ridley Road, which sells ethnic goods and food, and Walthamstow Market, which has 450 stalls. Although prices and variety of goods vary considerably, there are excellent bargains to be had.

Further information
www.visitlondon.com