Hotter desking                              (Industry)

Office claustrophobia was banished by Visit London on Thursday 03 and Friday 04 July when London’s official visitor organisation unveiled its “Great Outdoors” campaign. Visit London exploited the capital’s green spaces when it transformed St James’s Park into an “Outdoor Office” for two days.

Londoners were reminded that with over 600 garden squares, 148 parks and gardens, 122 heaths, commons and greens, 16 city farms, 8 Royal Parks and 1 historic battlefield (located in Barnet) London is one of the greenest capitals in the world. The Outdoor Office concept aims to inspire people to make the most of London's green spaces and get out and enjoy them this summer.

The Outdoor Office is situated in a scenic spot in St James’s Park, overlooking the lake just off Birdcage Walk. The office infrastructure featured Wi-Fi, a reception area, boardroom, creative room, work desk area and even a water cooler, allowing Londoners come down for a meeting, a brainstorm or to hot desk in the great outdoors.

"You don’t have to leave London to get away from it all,” said Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. “Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to parks and open spaces. From Mitcham Common in the South to Friary Park in the North, our city is full of village greens, heaths, piazzas, squares and gardens. I encourage all Londoners to make the most of our capital's opportunities for outdoor living this summer. "

James Bidwell, Visit London's Chief Executive, said: “There are literally hundreds of green spaces in the capital, but Londoners often spend too long in the office to get out and enjoy them. The Outdoor Office enables Londoners to get back to nature during the working day. I am looking forward to having a few meetings in the Outdoor Office myself – St James’s is one of my favorite London parks.”


As well as setting up the Outdoor Office on 03 and 04 July, the Visit London Events Solutions team gave us its pick of top five business venues with outdoor space:

 
The Barbican

Home to over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees, the Barbican's stunning Conservatory is a hidden tropical oasis in the heart of the city.

A spectacular space for guests to enjoy, the Barbican also boats the Conservatory Terrace and Garden Room, located high up under the glass roof of the Conservatory, with views over all the lush vegetation. Perfect for receptions.

  Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall is one of England’s finest stately homes with a long and intriguing history. Its fine architecture, oil paintings and antique furnishings make Brocket Hall a hit for both corporate and private events, all of which can be combined with golf on two of the South of England's finest Championship golf courses and Faldo Golf Institute. Situated in 543 acres of mature parkland, with stunning views over the Broadwater Lake, Brocket Hall is only 45 minutes from central London and close to all international airports.

Chelsea FC

Outdoor spaces don’t come much bigger or more impressive then Chelsea FC. Following a multi-million pound refurbishment Chelsea FC proudly unveiled their most exciting, most sophisticated and most versatile event space in London – Bluewing.

As well as the famous turf pitch, Bluewing offers 21 function rooms and 60 syndicate rooms - no matter what the event, it works for ‘play’ and work, for 2 to 2,000 guests.

 Wembley Stadium
Iconic Wembley Stadium is at the heart of London's special events and corporate entertaining.

A vast array of multi-purpose event space makes Wembley Stadium the place to hold any event or conference.  Delegates also get a chance to arranging the special Wembley stadium tour and stride through the famous tunnel towards the hallowed turf.

Tower of London

During the summer months the inner ward of the Tower of London, the heart of the fortress, is a unique and special venue for al fresco drinks receptions. Over the last few years, the Tower has hosted many entertainment performances such as theatre plays and music festivals. The Broad Walk, in between the Jewel House and the White Tower, is the ancient parade ground and probable site of Tudor jousts, with views of Tower Green and the Bloody Tower; the South Lawn is the green space on the site of the medieval royal lodgings, no longer standing; drinks on the battlements offer a birds eye view of the Tower site as well as fantastic views across the Thames and Tower Bridge. Top your evening off by attending the atmospheric  700-year-old Ceremony of the Keys - one of the oldest ceremonies of its kind to survive.