The final expert panel has been revealed for the Unique Venues of London Showcase, taking place at Somerset House on Tuesday 6 October 2026, completing the education programme with less than two weeks to go until the event.
Lyndsey Taylor, Founder and Director of Park Lane Events; Jo Jennings, Head of Events & Commercial Services at Historic Royal Palaces; Rebecca Levene, Head of Operations for Venue Hire at Somerset House; and Katherine West-Dargon, Head of Venues & Partnerships at Venufindr will take to the stage for:
Beyond the Myth – The Modern Reality of Unique Venues
Historic doesn’t have to mean complicated.
The session will challenge some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding London’s unique venues, exploring everything from event logistics and production to connectivity, technology and the practicalities of bringing an event to life within a heritage or cultural space.
The panel will discuss how today’s unique venues combine character and history with the infrastructure, technology and experienced teams needed to deliver seamless modern events.
Key themes will include: event logistics, AV & technology, accessibility of planning, flexibility and working with experienced venue teams.
Bringing together perspectives from venue finding, event planning and two of London’s best-known cultural and heritage organisations, the session will give event bookers practical insight into what it really takes to deliver an event within a unique venue – and challenge some of the assumptions that may previously have put planners off considering these spaces.
Kizzy Allott, Publisher of Event Industry News, said:
“We really wanted this session to tackle some of the questions and misconceptions we know event planners have about unique and historic venues. People can sometimes assume that an incredible heritage setting automatically means more complicated logistics, limited technology or restrictions on what they can create, and that simply isn’t always the reality.
“We’ve got a fantastic panel who understand these challenges from different sides of the industry, so I’m looking forward to a really useful and practical conversation. Hopefully it will give planners the confidence to look beyond the usual venue choices and discover just how much these spaces can offer.”
The session forms part of a three-session education programme running throughout the Showcase, alongside Purpose-Driven Events – Sustainability, Accessibility & Inclusion in Unique Venues and Designing Experiences for the Next Generation of Event Planners.
Taking place from 9am–2pm at Somerset House, the Showcase will bring together more than 70 of London’s unique venues under one roof, giving event professionals the opportunity to meet venue teams face-to-face, discover new spaces and save hours of venue sourcing and research.
Guests will also have the opportunity to network throughout the morning, enjoy breakfast and lunch from Butch Salads and discover alcohol-free drinks from Wild Idol and Pentire.
The event is being delivered by Event Industry News in partnership with Unique Venues of London, with the award winning RefTech as Official Event Tech Partner.
With less than two weeks to go, only a limited number of places remain. Attendance is free for event professionals who book events and venues, and buyers are encouraged to reserve their place and get the date in their diary.
Unique Venues of London Showcase
📅 Tuesday 6 October 2026 | 9am–2pm
📍 Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, London
🎟️ Register: https://uniquevenuesoflondon26.eventreference.com/registerhere
Author: Sam Hyland
Sam is the assistant content manager for Event Industry News (EIN). Sam is involved in publishing news stories, videos and podcasts. Sam also collates the latest stories for the EIN e-newsletter. If you have a press release or story you think we might be interested to know about please email features@eventindustrynews.com
