Exclusive: Imagination Gallery to close for events

The event space in the offices of agency Imagination will no longer be open for bookings from September 2012.

The gallery
The gallery

The Imagination Gallery, the purpose-built event venue in London's West End, is being repurposed as a private meeting space for Imagination's clients and internal teams.

Guy Stevenson, account services director at Imagination, told Event: "We have had the pleasure of hosting numerous prestigious events since the inception of The Imagination Gallery in 1996. The market place today is, however, very different. Our clients are increasingly telling us they would like a private facility to test ideas and innovations. It will be a flexible facility that will allow them to brainstorm ideas and us to work with them where appropriate."

The Edwardian building has been open for event hire for 16 years and has hosted fashion, automotive and launch events. It includes a six-storey Atrium with a translucent fabric roof which has been used for large-scale product launches.

The Atrium holds up to 350 people, while Imagination Gallery also includes a fifth floor gallery for up to 200 people and a sixth floor roof terrace with space for up to 50.

Stevenson told Event: "The venue has been about bringing vibrancy into the building through events. We very much want to keep that. What we're doing is aligning ourselves with the needs of our clients and making sure we give them what they want. We're looking forward to the future, but it is tinged with an element of sadness."

Gill Van Zwanenberg, manager of the gallery "From Vogue fashion parades to photo exhibitions, Christmas toy showcases to VIP cocktail parties, Daleks in the foyer to helicopters in the parking bay – we’ve had it all."

Employees who work at the gallery will continue to be employed by Imagination in other parts of the business.

Have you worked on events in the gallery? Will you be sad to see it leave the events scene? Comment below and let us know.

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