Convene Expands Internationally With New London Location

Published on August 8, 2019 - By Allwork.Space - Press

• Convene to Open First International Location at Iconic 22 Bishopsgate Development
• Space Will Combine Convene’s Signature Meeting and Events Space and Premium Coworking Offering in the City of London
• The London location is set to open in September, 2020

NEW YORK (August 8, 2019) — Convene, the leading partner for commercial landlords in providing premium meeting and workplace solutions, today announced its first international location in London with plans for a 102,000 square-foot space* at 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London. The 1.2 million-square-foot building is being developed and managed by AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets on behalf of clients and will be the tallest structure in the City of London when it is completed.

When Convene’s first London location opens in September 2020, it will offer a variety of services for 22 Bishopsgate’s occupiers and the wider London business community. Convene WorkPlace will span nearly 51,000 square feet across two floors, offering approximately 600 desks in fully-furnished, amenitized, flexible work suites that can be customized for small to mid-sized companies with teams ranging from 10 to 100.  Convene WorkPlace membership includes hospitality services, spacious private and communal areas, award-winning chefs, reliable and secure technology, and the finest design touches in a distraction-free environment.

22 Bishopsgate will also include nearly 51,000 square feet of Convene’s best-in-class meeting and events space across two floors, with the capacity to hold 30-300+ person conferences, town halls, product launches, panels, and networking receptions. These state-of-the-art meeting and event spaces will be fully outfitted with built-in technology and serviced by dedicated production, IT, and hospitality teams including a full-service culinary team operating from an onsite commercial-grade kitchen facility.

“For Convene’s first international location, we’re excited to partner with a progressive landlord that shares our vision for the future of the workplace. 22 Bishopsgate is an incredibly unique, human-centric work destination with inspiring community and amenity spaces integrated throughout the building, making it the perfect fit for Convene,” said Convene CEO and Co-Founder, Ryan Simonetti. “Flexible, serviced workplaces have already had a tremendous impact in Central London, and Convene’s newest flagship location at 22 Bishopsgate will support companies requiring premium on-demand meeting and event spaces, as well as occupiers looking for hospitality-infused workspaces that offer the flexibility to expand and contract as business cycles change.”

Harry Badham, Head of UK Development at AXA IM – Real Assets, added: “The role of the office has changed, with an increasing understanding of the correlation between wellbeing and productivity, workplaces now need to do so much more than simply accommodate people. Convene is a very important addition to the 22 Bishopsgate community, doubling the amount of amenity space and providing a new events venue and premium workspace in London. The fact that Convene has chosen 22 Bishopsgate as its first international location also underlines our shared vision of the workplace of the future and London’s continued role as a world leading center of business.”

Convene was represented by CBRE. AXA IM – Real Assets was represented by JLL.

By the end of 2019, Convene will have 30 locations across six markets, totaling 1,500,000 total square feet of space. Last summer, Convene announced a $152 million Series D funding round to fuel its global expansion and launch new service offerings to redefine the workplace, meetings and events experience. The funding round included backing from a distinguished set of real estate companies, including Brookfield Properties, RXR Realty and Blackrock. Convene’s total equity funding to-date is $260 million, making it one of the world’s most capitalized flexible office companies.

*Equivalent to 130,000 rentable square footage in the U.S. 

About Convene

Convene (www.convene.com) designs and services premium places to work, meet, and host inspiring events. Through strategic partnerships with prominent commercial landlords, Convene operates a network of hospitality-driven locations in Class A office buildings across major U.S. cities, with plans to expand globally. Convene has raised $260M in equity funding to date, and has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a Best Workplace by both Inc. and Fortune Magazine.