The Barbican, a conference and international arts venue located in the City of London, has won the Sustainability Award at the London Venue and Catering Awards. followed by the hosting of the Sustainable Events Show and the announcement of a major exhibition.

On Friday 19 November, the Barbican won the Sustainability Award at the London Venue and Catering Awards, beating off competition from other well-known venues. In particular, the judges recognised the Barbican’s wide-ranging activities on sustainability, going beyond just the environment to include working with local communities and staff.

On Thursday 25 November, the Barbican hosted more than 800 attendees at the inaugural Sustainable Events Show, which included more than 50 exhibitors and 30 speakers from across the events industry.

Soon after Barbican International Enterprises announced Our Time on Earth – a major exhibition opening in May 2022 celebrating the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around the climate emergency. Through art, design, science, music and philosophy, the exhibition will present a range of radical visions for the future of all species, the organisers claim.

Jackie Boughton, Barbican Head of Events commented: “I am so proud of my whole team this week. Just a few weeks after the conclusion of COP 26, we are excited that our sustainability efforts to date have been recognised by peers and industry experts. Winning this award goes beyond just our business events department to incorporate the whole of the Barbican’s wider team, particularly those working tirelessly to improve every element of our infrastructure and facilities. We recognise we’ve much further to go, but we’re dedicated to finding more ways to address our environmental impact and achieve our target of reducing carbon emissions from our own operations to net zero by 2027.”

Sustainable Event Show organiser, Wesley Mendy, said: “What better place to hold our inaugural show, just days after the venue was crowned the best in the business by an industry leading panel of judges. The Barbican supported us throughout the entire organisation of a carbon-neutral event.”

The Barbican, located in the City of London, it is capable of holding meetings from 10-2,000 delegates in its fully equipped concert hall, theatres, conference suites and boardrooms. Barbican Business Events brings together the venue’s expertise in the arts and corporate meetings.

Built as part of London’s Barbican development and officially opened in March 1982 by Queen Elizabeth, Barbican was specifically built with the dual purpose of holding conferences and arts events presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and creative learning.