WPA, in partnership with Heart of London Business Alliance, welcomed members to an evening reception at BAFTA to celebrate the return of workers and visitors back to the West End.
The event focused on the West End’s role as a global centre for creativity and innovation, and the role of culture in attracting people back to Westminster. The event took place at 194 Piccadilly, where members enjoyed drinks, canapés and speeches, followed by exclusive guided tours of BAFTA’s newly renovated headquarters next door before they open to the public. The £25m transformation project has doubled the building’s capacity, installed state-of-the-art technology and created a new floor devoted to BAFTA’s learning and new talent programmes.
We reflected on the role of the West End’s artistic institutions and creative placemaking in the area’s recovery. Heart of London Business Alliance has been working in partnership with Westminster City Council to deliver an inaugural season of public art via its new Art of London initiative – which uses art in all its forms to turn the West End into a vibrant “gallery without walls”. Art of London places arts, culture and innovation at the heart of destination marketing campaigns to draw visitors back to the area.
The reception was addressed by Cllr Paul Swaddle, Westminster City Council’s Cabinet member responsible for culture, tourism and public art and Ros Morgan, Chief Executive of Heart of London Business Alliance.
