Convene is an award-winning hospitality brand that designs and operates meeting and event venues as well as flexible office space. With a network of venues across the US and U.K., they are exclusively located within Class A buildings and are purpose built and full service, providing everything clients may need for an exceptional in-person experience while still allowing ample room for customization.

Nestled between historic London landmarks in Paternoster Square, Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s is a one-of-a-kind venue with impressive scale. The location spans 45,000 square-feet across two floors and features a total of seven unique meeting rooms - including a 900-person plenary room, the largest single above-ground event space in City of London - and can accommodate a total of 1,200 guests.

The design of the venue draws inspiration from the surrounding local craftsmanship and nearby contemporary architecture boasting a neutral backdrop that contrasts the bold interior design elements intended as a nod to the Elizabethan Era, including vibrant pops of rich color, textured wall panelings, and intricate ceilings.

Led by a hospitality-first mindset, Convene is a premium venue provider that operates as a partner for meeting and event planners. With the flexibility to tailor various components based on program needs, Convene offers: curated F&B packages prepared on-site by an in-house, executive chef-led culinary team; advanced in-room technology operated by on-site AV technicians; extensive branding opportunities and digital signage; event production resources; and a five-star service team.

Based on the location, size, and scale of Convene Sancroft, St. Paul's - as well as growing demand for experiential events - the venue was selected to be transformed into a fully built out Christmas Market, serving as a turnkey Christmas party destination.

Globally, we are witnessing an experience-driven economy, whereby individuals are prioritizing experiences above all else. In response to the growing trend for experiential events, global hospitality company Convene has introduced The Convene Christmas Market at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul's.

Planning a large company Christmas Party for 500 - 1,000 guests can be a massive undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Convene is dedicated to serving as a partner for meeting and event planners, not just a place - with The Convene Christmas Market, it offers a fully-curated, premium Christmas experience that allows clients to “wow” guests with an extraordinary evening while streamlining and simplifying the planning process.

The Convene Christmas Market at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s comprises a fully built out indoor Christmas market with themed food and beverage stalls, an Apres Ski-inspired lounge area, and winter wonderland decor.

Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s was transformed into an immersive holiday party destination that required a two-day build-out to create a Christmas Market-like setting complete with festive food and beverage stalls, a fun-fair activity center, and Apres-Ski-inspired lounge areas; a turnkey holiday party experience, the only thing clients had to do is reserve their night.

In 2024, the build out was in place from December 9 - 20 and included:
- Festive food and beverage stalls serving gourmet hot dogs, a selection of arancini, a raclette bar, artisanal pizzas, a dessert stall with donut wall, fresh churros with customizable toppings, mulled wine, and a selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks
- A lounge designed to resemble the living area of a ski chalet inclusive of twinkle lights and a faux fireplace
- A Fun Fair setup with a selection of games and activities
- A lounge area projecting It’s a Wonderful Life on screens where guests can take a reprieve from all the activities or sit at a picnic table to enjoy the festive fare
- “Instagrammable” moments set throughout the venue including a winter sleigh ride, a faux ski run, and a winter wonderland
- A stage and dance floor in the Grand Hall ideal for a DJ or live music performance

With Executive Chef-led in-house catering at each location, menus at Convene are intentionally designed to provide nourishing and energizing cuisine to sustain attendees throughout the duration of the day. Dishes are seasonal yet regional, featuring premium, locally-sourced ingredients that thoughtfully cater to all dietary needs with each meal package including delicious vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options.

For The Convene Christmas Market, the culinary team based at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s developed a unique and on-theme menu that included gourmet hot dogs, a selection of arancini, a raclette bar, artisanal pizzas, a dessert stall with donut wall, fresh churros with customizable toppings, mulled wine, and a selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks.

Hospitality is at the core of everything Convene does - that means fully anticipating client needs and providing everything required to ensure a seamless meetings and event experience. It serves as a true partner for meeting and event planners, supporting clients with a dedicated hospitality team that provides full-service event production resources and in-house offerings like catering and AV.

Convene has established relationships with preferred external vendors for everything from entertainment, impressive high-end decor, gifting and favors, step-and-repeats, branded signage, and more. For The Convene Christmas Market at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s, the team has specially curated top-tier partners to create an immersive and extraordinary evening of gourmet cuisine, festive cocktails and mocktails, holiday-themed activities, and live entertainment, all within an Apres Ski-inspired winter wonderland.

By building out a turnkey Christmas Market event destination that is in place for two weeks, this allows for up to 10 unique events to be held without having to duplicate production and construction efforts. Much of the decor is also rented and comes to the market as a second life and will have use beyond this activation.

In its inaugural year (2024), the Convene Christmas Market at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s reached 80% sellout with an average event size of over 610 guests. It is one of the few Christmas party venue options in London that can serve between 500 and 1,000 guests – and it was intentionally built to both serve the experience economy while providing a seamless, turnkey planning experience.
This premium festive event experience has been fully curated by Convene, bringing together a special mix of preferred partners to simplify and streamline the planning process for clients while allowing them to “wow” guests with an extraordinary festive-themed evening. With all decor, catering, and festivities - including games, activities, and entertainment - already contracted and on-site, the only thing clients have to do is reserve their night.
Forvis Mazars stated, “We had an incredible Christmas party at The Convene Christmas Market. The theming was immersive, the food was amazing, and the team both organising and onsite during the party were so helpful and friendly! I couldn’t believe how well the venue was adapted to create the perfect party atmosphere.”