Have your team knocked you for six with their hard work recently? Why not repay the favour with an incredible awards ceremony at the unbeatable home of cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground?! An iconic venue with a surprisingly central location, this spot is a winner for all sizes and styles of ceremonies.
Whether you're looking for an awe-inspiring backdrop for dinner and speeches, or for something a little more quirky and intimate, you'll be spoiled for choice at Lord's. Here are 5 of the venue's fabulous spaces that will work wonders for an awards ceremony.
1. The Long Room
If you want to give your team the chance to follow in the footsteps of legends, the Long Room is the way forward. Graced by every player to step foot on the pitches here, this ornate and historic space is an inspiring spot for speeches and a sit-down meal. Combined with the adjoining Long Room Bar, the venue can accommodate up to 300 guests for canapés and drinks, or 200 for lunch or dinner.
Surrounded by artwork depicting the evolution of the sport from the 18th century onwards, it's impossible not to be inspired by the grandeur of this room. And what could be better for an awards do than a space that's been the springboard of legends for centuries?
Looking for something slightly smaller but equally impressive? Check out the elegant setting of the Writing Room, seating up to 60 guests.
Capacity: 200 dining; 300 reception
2. The Nursery Pavilion
A more modern addition to the history of Lord's, there's a reason The Nursery Pavilion continually comes top of the scoreboard for large receptions. With copious amounts of space for tables and dancing (1000 square feet in fact), there's room for everyone in the company to join the celebrations. While it's not part of the main building, this tented venue looks directly out onto the pitch, and features the added benefit of being a blank canvas space so you can decorate it however you choose!
Capacity: 600 dining; 900 reception
3. The President's Box
If you're after a more intimate setting, you can't get much more exclusive than the President's Box for a small event. This prestigious space is ideal for a daytime ceremony, where guests can enjoy the views from the venue's elevated position, and with a bit of luck (and carefully-planned timing), even catch a training game through the wall-to-wall windows. Want to get even closer to the action? Step out onto the stand through the glass doors, and you're practically pitch-side.
With award-winning catering from the in-house team, lunch and dinner parties are a guaranteed success here (though keeping heads facing speech makers might be difficult if there's a game down below!). Suitable for up to 48 guests dining, or 80 for a reception, you'll be fielding pleas for an invitation left, right, and centre.
Capacity: 48 dining; 80 reception
4. Thomas Lord Suite
Overlooking both the Pavilion and the Harris Garden, the Thomas Lord Suite is a large and hugely versatile venue for an awards ceremony. With a capacity of 250 guests for a dinner dance, and an open-plan layout that can be arranged in any table configuration, the suite is ideal for medium to large events. And with the option of using the venue's own caterers or bringing in your own, this space is about as flexible as they come.
Capacity: 250 dining; 500 reception
5. The Museum and Film Theatre
If you're after a slightly more low-key, quirky event space to celebrate your team's MVPs, why not stage the ceremony in Lord's MCC Museum and Film Theatre? The world's oldest museum dedicated to sport, this setting provides a totally unique style of entertainment, which is guaranteed to engage even non-connoisseurs of cricket.
Let your guests mingle as they wander through the fascinating exhibits, including artefacts from the early days of cricket, and then bring them together for drinks and an intimate ceremony in the Film Theatre. You could even screen a video of some office antics - not many people can say they've been featured on the silver screen at a world famous sports ground!
Capacity: 200 reception; 55 theatre
We could spend all day listing the endless stunning spaces Lord's plays host to - like glamorous, glass-fronted Pelham's - but we think we've thrown enough at you for now. For an added bonus, though, we'll share two more factors that make us fans of Lord's straight off the bat.
Outdoor spaces
Of course, Lord's couldn't exist without its iconic grass cricket pitch, but it harbours more incredible outside areas up its sleeves. For a start, there's the rooftop spaces, including The Pavilion Roof Terrace, which are ideal for some al fresco drinks and pre-ceremony socialising. And near the entrance to the Pavilion is the enchanting Harris Garden, a haven of green amongst the city buildings, which provides a perfect assembly point for a champagne welcome.
A super central London location
For such a large expanse of green, Lord's Cricket Ground is located incredibly close to the heart of the city, bordering Regent's Park and just a 10 minute journey from Baker Street Station. With connections from Paddington and Baker Street making it easy for all guests to reach the venue, it's an ideal location all round.
If this hasn't convinced you that Lord's is the answer to your awards ceremony queries (and we can't imagine why not), you can check out some of our other top venues for awards ceremonies on our website instead. Otherwise, it's 'over' and out from us - unless you'd like to know more, of course, in which case just get in touch below!
Author
Jessamy Cowie
Jessamy channels her passion for sustainability and cultural events into shining a spotlight on innovation and inspiration in the events world, and heading up Hire Space's sustainability committee.
