Venue Hire at the Natural History Museum, London

MEET OUR TEAM 👋 In this series, we’re meeting our wonderful Venue Hire team who make events dreams at the Museum become a reality. This week, it’s the turn of our Events Operations and Catering Manager, Anjali! - How long have you been at the Museum? ⏰ 9 years in May! I started as a Visitor Assistant, working front of house and much more during that time. After a short stop with our Visitor Events team, I landed as Administrator for the Venue Hire team and it’s been onwards and upwards ever since. It’s been quite the journey! - Average day? 💼 I love that no two days or events are ever the same. One day I’ll be on the floor running an intimate dinner and doing walkarounds to ensure our events kitchens are clear for the next run of events. The next, I’m attending waste management reviews and contract meetings with our daytime catering provider, Benugo. After that, I’m joining our weekly Event Operations Team catch-up and planning meetings with clients and suppliers for upcoming events. - Favourite space in the Museum? 🏛️ Nothing can beat the grandeur of Hintze Hall, but I also love our newly re-opened Darwin Centre courtyard. It’s such a fun space for summer parties - sun, food stations, roaming musicians and cocktails (this is not a sales pitch!). - Career highlight? ⭐ Every time I’m running an event in Hintze Hall, I have a pinch me moment - I can’t believe this is my office, and I get to be part of all these incredible events. - Favourite item on display? 🐋 I enter the Museum via Earth Hall so go past our Stegosaurus, affectionately named Sophie. It’s a special sight when I come in to work and a reminder of all the incredible things our science colleagues are doing each day. - What are you looking forward to in 2025? 💭 Is it a cliché to say the people? We're so privileged to work with the best suppliers and we always say that they are an extension of us. They love raising the bar and doing something bigger and more unusual each time - I can’t wait to see what we achieve together this year. - Favourite part of your job? ❤️ There is a moment during our events when everything is set and ready and our clients walk in to see the final setup. When they see their vision or dream finally come together. If it’s a wedding, it’s when the couple make their grand entrance. Those moments are priceless. - Best advice for delivering a successful event? 💡 1. Follow your gut. When making decisions, I always say to follow your gut instinct. You know your event and your guests better than anyone! 2. Trust your suppliers. Your vendors play a pivotal role in putting together your dream event. Their expertise and experience is why you chose them. 3. Careful Planning. It’s important to consider every aspect of an event to ensure it runs smoothly on the night. - And finally, what's your go-to coffee order? ☕ Oat hazelnut mocha, or iced oat vanilla latte on a warmer day. When I’m opting for decaf, I may go for an oat chai latte.

The newest addition to the Natural History Museum venue hire portfolio is the Garden Kitchen, nestled within the recently transformed gardens. Feilden Fowles designed the highly sustainable timber and stone building to complement the Museum which holds up to 300 for standing or 100 for dinner. This new and incredible space opens directly into the Evolution Garden, where the NHM's newest diplodocus 'Fern' gazes down on an immersive timeline of life on earth, told through flowers, plants, geology and brass inlays of creatures. Hosting events at Venue Hire at the Natural History Museum, London helps to support the vital work of of their 350 scientists, who are finding solutions to help our planet. Learn more about our venue finding service: https://zurl.co/HG0KV

Meet Sophie the Stegosaurus, one of our most famous residents! 🏛️🌟   Sophie is a striking sight in our grand Earth Hall and one of the largest and most complete Stegosaurus on display in the world.   First discovered in 2003, this Stegosaurus roamed the Earth around 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, in what is now Wyoming, USA.   At 5.5 metres long, you’ll first notice how small Sophie’s front legs are. Despite walking on all fours, the Stegosaurus descended from earlier dinosaurs which walked on their back legs, which means Sophie was most likely a very slow walker.   Since arriving at the Museum in 2014, Sophie has greeted millions of visitors every year since and has taken centre stage at many of our Earth Hall events, from lavish dinners and galas to red carpets!   Chat to our team today if you’re keen to host your next event with our resident Stegosaurus: https://bit.ly/3CFmgv9   #LondonVenues #LondonEvents #NaturalHistoryMuseum

Last month, our team welcomed MSc and BSc Events students from Manchester Metropolitan University to share the experiences and knowledge of our Events and Security teams in managing events at the Natural History Museum. 🏛️ It was truly a pleasure to engage with the next generation of event professionals and discussing best practices in event management and security. We're looking forward to continued collaboration and knowledge sharing in the future!   #LondonEvents #LondonVenues #NaturalHistoryMuseum #ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity

CHRISTMAS PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2025 🎄 It may be nine months away, but the festive period will be upon us in the blink of Father Christmas’ eye and our calendar is already starting to fill. But do not fret, as we have just launched our Earth Hall Christmas events packages for this year! Working with the fabulous Caper & Berry and Bespoke, we are now offering canapes & bowl food and seated dinner packages in our grandiose Earth Hall, with exceptional catering and full production to ensure a stress-free event under the iconic metallic globe. Alongside our full event management, these packages also include festive décor; a fully stocked bar; production options including accent lighting, Club DJ and booth, audio systems and microphones; and housekeeping, security and cloakroom. All our other unique Museum spaces are also available for full dry-hire – including full venue day hire – with catering, production and set design provided by our brilliant accredited suppliers. For more information about this brand-new package alongside our full Christmas offerings, contact the team via https://bit.ly/3CFmgv9 #LondonVenues #LondonEvents #ChristmasInLondon #ChristmasEvents #NaturalHistoryMuseum

Earlier this week, our very own Head of Events and Catering, Robert Wetherell, spoke at International Confex with our wonderful friends at KERB about all things events catering!   We’re fortunate to have been working with KERB since 2017 and in that time, we have seen the range of catering options we have been able to offer clients drastically diversify. From traditional sit-down meals to a food truck service delivering a range of delicacies, we have worked with KERB on events catering tens to over a thousand.   Robert and the panel spoke at length about the importance of sustainability, wellbeing and diversity at the heart of delivering outstanding events, as well as the growing all year-round popularity of street food-style bashes.   If you weren’t able to attend the panel, our team are always available to chat about how catering can elevate your next event: https://bit.ly/3CFmgv9 #LondonEvents #LondonVenues #NaturalHistoryMuseum #InternationalConfex

MEET OUR TEAM 👋 We're continuing our series meeting our fabulous Venue Hire team and this week, its the turn of our Events Operations Manager, Evie! - How long have you been at the Natural History Museum? ⏰ I started in August 2023 so a year and a half, which has flown by!   - What does your average day look like? 💼 As an Ops Manager, I don’t tend to have an average day. I could be running site visits, planning my events, meeting with suppliers, raising invoices or anything in between.   - Favourite space in the Museum? 🏛️ Whilst the whole Museum is stunning, nothing can beat Hintze Hall in my opinion. From the Victorian architecture to the exhibits, everything is awe inspiring. It also works phenomenally well as an events space, allowing us to run intimate dinners for two up to standing receptions of 1000+. I love the logistical challenges it presents and always get excited to see how creative our suppliers get in there.   - Career highlight? ⭐ I’ve had the privilege of working in several historic venues across London and plan some insane events, however my first event in the museum as an ops manager was a 1200 person Christmas party. We encountered many challenges but I’m so proud of how we all worked as a team. From cloakroom staff to security, it was a real team effort.   - Favourite item on display? 🐋 That’s a tough one, but I think Fern our new bronze Diplodocus in the gardens. So many people remember Dippy and I think it just makes the Museum to have such an iconic dinosaur back onsite.   - What are you looking forward to in 2025? 💭 Summer parties! We managed to get a few in at the end of last summer just as the gardens opened, but I’m so excited to run events in both the east gardens and the Darwin Centre. Both are such different options for clients but really allow you to host an event in such a green space in the centre of London.   - Favourite part of your job? ❤️ Without a doubt the team. Having worked in both our Sales and Operations team, I can say they are all phenomenal. So supportive and collaborative and just fun to be around. When you’re in the Museum until 2-3am, you need supportive people and I couldn’t do it without them.   - Best advice for delivering a successful event? 💡 Being organised, staying calm and asking questions. We work with so many amazing collaborators who are always able to advise on works best in the space.   - And finally, what's your go-to coffee order? ☕ Skinny hazelnut latte; iced in the summer. Gets me through all my late nights. #naturalhistorymuseum #londonevents #londonvenues

🌲 Have you visited our brand-new Garden Kitchen yet? 🌲 Our new events space has already welcomed hundreds of visitors to the Museum since it opened earlier this year and is already the talk of the town! A spacious open-plan area with wooden beams and far-reaching windows, surround yourself in nature in this space nestled within our beautiful Evolution Garden. The Garden Kitchen is now available for evening hire, perfect for the busy schedule of summer events ahead. Our team are always on hand should you want to come and see the new area, alongside our wealth of unique events spaces. Get in touch today: https://bit.ly/3CFmgv9 #LondonVenues #LondonEvents #NaturalHistoryMuseum

MEET OUR TEAM 👋 Get to know the team behind the magic. This week we meet our Senior Events Sales Manager, Katie, to chat all things events at the Natural History Museum! How long have you been at the Natural History Museum? ⏰ - 2 and a half years, which have flown by!   - Favourite space in the Museum? 🏛️ This is a tough one, Hintze Hall is the obvious answer, I mean look at it! Iconic doesn’t even cover it. But the new Gardens are truly stunning, a party on a sunny evening wandering the different paths and meeting our new dino, Fern with some amazing food and drink, I think it’s the perfect summer night! However, even as I am writing this, Earth Hall has such a special energy, dancing the night away under the globe… enough said!   - Career highlight? ⭐ I have had some amazing roles across the industry, built some insane events and worked with some wonderful people. But I think my career highlight is working for the NHM, even two years later I still love telling people about where I work and how our team generates income to help support the amazing work the Museum does. But honestly a large part is having the opportunity to build a team that are passionate, hard-working, like-minded people and achieving some phenomenal experiences for our clients.   - Favourite item on display? 🐋 Again, I hate to be a cliché but it is Hope the blue whale. I still walk the long way to the office when the Museum is closed to see her and say hi. Her story is inspirational to future generations of the world coming together to save the planet.   - What are you looking forward to in 2025? 💭 THE GARDENS! I cannot wait to utilise these amazingly rare outdoor spaces in central London. There are so many opportunities and new types of events we can take part of!   - Favourite part of your job? 💼 The team. Without a doubt. We laugh everyday. They all work insanely hard, are incredibly supportive and we enjoy each day, no matter how stressful. I am incredibly lucky to be part of such an amazing team.   - Finally, what’s your go-to coffee order? ☕ I am a mood order-er (if that’s a thing). Summer = iced ALWAYS / Winter = Skinny Flat White. Although I am partial to a Mocha.  #naturalhistorymuseum #londonevents #londonvenues

Day 2 at the London Summer Event Show! 🦖🏛️☀️ We're here until 5pm today, so come and say hi to our team and find our more about our exciting event offerings for 2025! #londonevents #londonvenues #londonsummereventshow #naturalhistorymuseum