The University of Chicago

The Chicago Booth School of Business operates one of London's most technically advanced conference centres from One Bartholomew Close in Barts Square — a 43,796-square-foot facility spanning three floors, where every room is hybrid-enabled and the 'Unapologetically' art collection lines the walls. For corporate events that benefit from academic prestige without academic austerity, this is a venue where the institution's name does serious work before the first slide goes up.

The University of Chicago's London Conference Centre

The building houses a spectrum of spaces calibrated to different event scales. The Grand Hall takes 230 in theatre or 96 in cabaret for keynotes and large conferences. The MBA Classroom seats 104 in a tiered semi-circle designed for interactive presentations. An Executive Classroom holds 52 with natural light. Four conference rooms handle boardroom meetings for 4 to 22, while 15 study rooms and 7 office spaces provide breakout capacity that most standalone venues lack entirely. The 1st Floor Lounge — 300 standing — serves as the venue's primary networking and reception space, its open layout and contemporary finish designed for the kind of structured socialising that happens between conference sessions.

Technology and Academic Credentials

State-of-the-art hybrid AV across every room is not a marketing claim — it reflects a facility built for a business school that operates between London and Chicago. Professional tech support, built-in PA systems, high-speed connectivity, and three-phase power are standard throughout. The Wall of Nobel Laureates and the 'Unapologetically' art collection — addressing globalisation, identity, and memory — give the building a cultural texture that generic conference centres lack.

The University of Chicago's Barts Square Location

Positioned at the City-Clerkenwell border, One Bartholomew Close benefits from the convergence of St Paul's, Barbican, Farringdon, and City Thameslink stations — all within a short walk. The Barts Square setting is quiet and self-contained, a contrast to the busier thoroughfares nearby that works in the venue's favour for events requiring focus. The centre is available for external hire when not in academic use, and the events team supports both corporate and institutional bookings across the full range of spaces.