The Barbican secures MIA Gold accreditation for fifth time
The Barbican has strengthened its position as one of the UK’s leading venues for meetings and events after securing MIA Gold accreditation for the fifth time.
Awarded by the Meetings Industry Association, MIA Gold is the highest level within the MIA accreditation framework and recognises excellence across operational standards, customer service, compliance and the overall event experience.
The latest independent assessment again recommended Gold accreditation for the Barbican, with the venue achieving an overall score of 146 out of 150, equivalent to 97 per cent, alongside a venue facilities score of 90 out of 100. Assessors praised the venue’s clear reporting and feedback procedures, strong culture of training and review, effective communication between departments, and the commitment of staff across the business. The report also described the venue as “outstanding” in its continued investment in maintenance, upgrades and long-term sustainability.
Lee Dobson, Head of Event Management at the Barbican, said: “Securing MIA Gold for the fifth time is a fantastic achievement for the Barbican and a real credit to the teams who work so hard to deliver exceptional experiences for our clients and delegates every day. It reflects the consistency, professionalism and care that goes into every stage of the customer journey, from initial enquiry through to event delivery.”
“This reaccreditation is particularly meaningful as we continue to invest in our people, spaces and processes for the future. It gives clients added confidence that when they choose the Barbican, they are choosing a venue with proven standards, strong values and a genuine commitment to quality.”
The MIA accreditation process involves a detailed review by independent assessors against a broad set of criteria, including legal compliance, accessibility, service delivery, ethical business practice and quality management. Gold status is reserved for venues that demonstrate excellence throughout the business and across the full client experience.
The Barbican’s latest assessment highlighted the strength of its event spaces, its experienced team and its ongoing programme of improvement across the site. Assessors also noted the venue’s strong internal culture, staff loyalty and its determination to keep raising standards as it plans for the future.
Shonali Devereaux, chief executive, the MIA said: “We’re delighted that the Barbican has new secured MIA Gold accreditation for the fifth time. The iconic status is one of the sectors highest accolades and goes a long way in demonstrating excellence to prospects, clients and employees. This achievement is no mean feat, and we offer our sincere congratulations to the Barbican for such a remarkable achievement over many years.”
For organisers seeking a central London venue with proven operational excellence, outstanding facilities and an experienced delivery team, the Barbican’s fifth MIA Gold accreditation provides another strong endorsement of its quality and consistency.
To find out more about the MIA’s Gold accreditation, visit: https://www.mia-uk.org/miagoldaccreditation
About Barbican Business Events
The Barbican is one of the world’s leading conference and international arts venues. 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 HM Queen Elizabeth, unlike many other venues, 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.
The Barbican’s Business Events team contributes to the venue’s future success. To make the most of the Barbican’s rich culture and heritage, Barbican Business Events was created to bring together their expertise in three very different areas – the arts, creative learning and corporate business. This approach to corporate events is based on stronger, more in-depth partnerships with their artistic, creative learning and development teams in order to bring more creativity and rich content to events.
The Barbican provides a vibrant and Inspiring venue for corporate events, conferences, meetings and entertainment. The venue is capable of holding meetings from 10-2,000 delegates in spaces including a concert hall, theatres, a boardroom and conference suites that can accommodate 10-170 delegates and can be adjusted using sound proofed sliding. As part of its wider investment strategy, the Barbican spent £2.2m on a significant refurbishment throughout the Centre in the summer of 2016 including its Frobisher rooms and Level 4. The focus of the Frobisher refurbishment is designed to create an even stronger connection between the Centre’s main conference and meeting facilities and its arts spaces.
About the Barbican
A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbicanpushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over a million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas 1, 2 and 3, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, public spaces, a library, the Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre.
