Convene Hospitality Group Secures $230 Million in Strategic Growth Capital
May 1, 2026
After creating Convene Hospitality Group (CHG) as a platform to support growth, I’m proud to share a major milestone in our journey: We’ve secured $230 million in strategic financing to help accelerate our vision as a global, multi-brand hospitality organization creating the places and experiences that bring people together.
Fueling Our Growth
If you’ve been tracking the headlines in this volatile economy, you know this funding is a powerful validation of our business model. It comes at a pivotal time as we acquire, build, and expand a unique portfolio of brands, which include Convene, etc.venues, NeueHouse, and special event venues like The Mallory and The Aperture.
The way we work and connect has evolved quite a bit since our early days. Our clients no longer just want a space; they’re looking for high-design environments, state-of-the-art production, and human-centered hospitality to make it all happen. This capital gives us the fuel to meet those expectations by focusing on:
Global Expansion: Scaling our footprint across major markets worldwide to be where our clients need us most.
Strategic Acquisitions & Signings: Pursuing thoughtful deals to further diversify our expanding portfolio of brands.
Innovation & Technology: Up-leveling our production capabilities and digital tools to ensure every gathering is a seamless experience.
What’s Next for Convene Hospitality Group
CHG is having a robust year of growth, especially in our hometown of New York City. We celebrated the opening of Convene 555 Broadway, located inside the Scholastic Building in SoHo.
We’re also leaning into the demand for immersive experiences with the launch of The Aperture and The Mallory coming later this year. These spaces are designed to host the city's most noteworthy brand activations and social events. It’s a new adventure for us and one we’ve been primed for.
To Our Partners and Teams
This achievement is shared with our incredible CHG team and our clients around the world, who continue to push us to innovate. Thank you for your partnership and trust as we continue to blur the lines between commercial real estate and world-class hospitality.
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Choosing a venue for a major corporate event can feel like the single most important decision an event planner has to make. Brand USA is a destination marketing organization that has hosted its annual Travel Week U.K. and Europe conference at etc.venues County Hall in London since 2019, which brings together exhibitors, media, strategists, and industry leaders from 20 countries.
Located on London's Southbank, County Hall is a bustling hub, housing hotels, an aquarium, a playhouse, and art exhibitions, all inside a restored landmark once serving as the city government's headquarters. This grand Edwardian Baroque-style building overlooks the Thames, offering clear views of The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and is adjacent to the London Eye observation wheel. Inside, etc.venues County Hall occupies 68,000 square feet (6,317 square meters) across two floors, featuring 30 mixed-use meeting rooms, including four commercial kitchens for communal dining or private culinary events, with the capacity to accommodate up to 400 guests. The real measure of a conference venue isn't just the view, but the service, the logistics, and the seamless execution on the day.
Knowing they are the destination experts, we consulted Brand USA Director of Events Alexis Adelson and MMGY Event Manager Natasha Rowe about their experiences this year at the Brand USA Travel Week U.K. and Europe conference. MMGY Global, a UK-based integrated marketing company specializing in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, served as the third-party agency supporting the planning process for the Brand USA Travel Week event.
We invite you to read our clients' candid behind-the-scenes account regarding their collaboration with the etc.venues team and understand why this event has returned to our London property for the past six years.
“The client used to have an old branding vendor and each time there were issues, like the artwork would peel off the wall or the measurements were not accurate. This year through myself and our tech manager we completed all the branding, remeasuring the venue ourselves to ensure each piece would be accurate.” — Gemma Robbins, SVP Prime Capital
Miami Design Conference 2026
Panel Discussion at The Aperture
Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to host an event at etc.venues County Hall in London
Choosing a venue for a major corporate event can feel like the single most important decision an event planner has to make. Brand USA is a destination marketing organization that has hosted its annual Travel Week U.K. and Europe conference at etc.venues County Hall in London since 2019, which brings together exhibitors, media, strategists, and industry leaders from 20 countries.
Located on London's Southbank, County Hall is a bustling hub, housing hotels, an aquarium, a playhouse, and art exhibitions, all inside a restored landmark once serving as the city government's headquarters. This grand Edwardian Baroque-style building overlooks the Thames, offering clear views of The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and is adjacent to the London Eye observation wheel. Inside, etc.venues County Hall occupies 68,000 square feet (6,317 square meters) across two floors, featuring 30 mixed-use meeting rooms, including four commercial kitchens for communal dining or private culinary events, with the capacity to accommodate up to 400 guests. The real measure of a conference venue isn't just the view, but the service, the logistics, and the seamless execution on the day.Inquire about new bookings with CHG.
We recently hosted two interactive campfire sessions for the London Experience Week at Convene 22 Bishopsgate, including a hybrid session with author of “The Experience Economy,” Joe Pine. After engaging in the week’s activities, one thing’s clear: Immersive isn’t a buzzword, it’s the direction events are moving. Immersive and experiential consumer-focused events have been here for a while. The conversations, showcases, and experiences at London Experience Week demonstrated that the shift is undeniable for the business-to-business (B2B) world.
As the director of UK sales at Convene Hospitality Group, I’ve seen an exciting shift for our global portfolio of brands and for our partners who have embraced immersive and experiential events. If businesses want an event to cut through, connect, and convert, elements such as immersive tech, intentional design, and AI-driven personalisation aren’t optional; they’re expected.
Welcome to the Experience Economy
We’re living in what Pine and London Experience Week organisers called the "experience economy," one that incorporates aesthetics, engagement, customisation, and has the power to transform quality of life. As Mat Duerden, a professor of experience design and management at Brigham Young University, put it in his session How Stories Create Social Connection, the most powerful experiences follow three stages: anticipation, participation, and reflection. Leaders now recognise the cycle to amplify events, building excitement before, engaging deeply during, and continuing the conversation as attendees walk out of a session and engage on social media. Memorable events create impact as a result of the story your audience takes with them.
So, what’s changed? People want to feel something and are more attuned to when a brand is simply going through the motions to sell a product. B2B events should follow this approach to translate their mission and message with immersive and tangible activations. Guests want to throw themselves into the experience and have a say in how it plays out. They’re not just there to watch; they want to be a part of it. Experiential events deliver just that.
Events have shifted focus from the speaker to the audience
The event landscape has shifted dramatically from traditional speaker-style formats to fully immersive and experiential environments. We're seeing the evolution from a passive attendance listening to a presentation to meticulously designed activities, such as hands-on learning and engagement between guests driving the session. More interactivity can also require more room to expand with additional breakout spaces. Delegates demand more, and their expectations are more heightened than ever.
The “flight to experience” is real: What entices people to leave their screens and join events in person is no longer content alone, but how attendees can interact and respond to the content. It's F&B that is healthy and sensory, thanks to menus with fresh ingredients tailored to guest preferences. It’s spatial design that brings in natural light and is conducive to creative work sessions for groups in a range of sizes. It’s also technology that makes sharing resources and curating a personalised agenda feel seamless. This fusion creates more than an event, it creates a memory.
Personalisation Can't Be Optional
AI content was everywhere at London Experience Week, but not in a showy, sci-fi way. Instead, it quietly shaped the attendee journey. Event planners can use AI tools in several ways to enhance an AI tools can create greater accessibility during events with real-time and accurate closed captions and translation. AI-driven cameras follow an on-stage speaker to get the best angles, and AI-generated highlight reels save time when looking to continue the conversation after an event is finished. Intelligent lighting tracks speakers as they walk, and auto-level adjustments based on the time of day dim to see a digital display.
Similar to how smart buildings can access and adjust the lighting in underutilised rooms or the temperature to improve efficiencies, digital platforms are looking to build smart scheduling based on your travel times, calendar, and interests, which could improve engagement and avoid burnout at conferences or other multi-day events. (If you’re interested in digging deeper, our team has previously reported on emerging event trends for audio-visual technology.)
Exploring this level of customisation allows business leaders to create large-scale events that feel tailored and help attendees feel seen, valued, and more connected.
Immersive events can create impact at any scale
In this era, events aren’t just functional, they’re driven by emotion. On behalf of Convene, I’ve been able to experience a range of hands-on events that created impact regardless of the size or scale. We partner every day with clients to streamline the planning process for experiential elements and immersive activations with our Enhancement Program.
A perfect example of this is our annual Christmas Market at Convene Sancroft. Thoughtfully curated to engage all the senses, guests walk through a wintertime market with log cabin-style vendors and snow on the ground (fake snow, but still impressive for an indoor environment). Guests can visit the raclette bar or an aprés ski-style lounge with sleighs they can climb into for a fully experiential environment. From gourmet food stalls and atmospheric decor to personalised gifting and hands-on moments of interaction, the market transforms festive tradition into a memorable, multi-sensory journey. It was so inspiring to see the look of awe on the guests' faces as they wandered through the experience.
As a venue host and partner, we saw Micebook EXPO 2025 welcome almost 700 global event professionals into the Convene Sancroft, St. Paul's, which had been transformed into a tropical rainforest complete with trees and stages covered in foliage. The decor not only wowed attendees but also spoke to the theme of sustainability and conservation. Convene participated as one of over 150 exhibitors that interacted with guests in the marketplace. On a smaller scale, guests were invited to write down a sustainable promise to pin on a “tree” throughout the event. I saw how impactful it was for guests to add their voice to the collective.
The best events spark connection, curiosity, and meaning by connecting people to the goals and mission of a project or company. The events that get remembered and talked about are those that speak to the whole person, not just their professional interests.I’m proud to say that Convene has been at the forefront in support of experiential events as a venue partner, and we are always exploring new ways to approach event production.
The Bottom Line: Immersive events are here to stay
London Experience Week 2025 sent a clear message: It wasn’t just a preview of future trends; it validated how we have evolved to support our global clients and event planning partners. Immersive design in B2B events isn’t about spectacle for its own sake. It’s about creating meaningful, memorable experiences that forge genuine connections between fellow innovators in the industry. Immersive and experiential events deliver long-term value and shape how people feel about your brand.
For B2B event planners and event venues, the bar has been raised. The future belongs to those ready to go beyond “wow” and into “why.” It’s time to design events that don’t just impress, but matter.
We'd love to bring your next immersive event to life. Connect with our event professionals to learn more about our Enhancement Program and event planning offerings.
Protecting brand and client privacy: GDPR compliance for businesses is a strict requirement in the UK. At CHG, we approach handling attendee data with AI with robust security protocols and transparent data usage policies. Trust is paramount.
Alleviating fears around job security: While AI automates certain mundane tasks, it also creates new roles requiring different skill sets. Event planners and businesses alike should focus on upskilling teams to increase efficiency and expand capabilities that might have been too costly or time-consuming if performed manually.
Brexit Implications for UK events: Navigating data flow and other potential complexities is essential for tech providers based outside the UK when international events are hosted there. Nevertheless, AI can streamline cross-border collaboration and communication, effectively bridging these gaps.
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