Business Design Centre

What Business Design Centre does

Business Design Centre Ltd. (formerly the Royal Agricultural Hall) is a premium event venue and flexible workspace provider in Angel, Islington, Central London, operating from a Grade II-listed heritage building at 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH. The company offers three core revenue streams: event venue hire (hosting exhibitions, conferences, awards ceremonies, trade shows, and public events across spaces including the Auditorium, Gallery Hall, Atrium, Mezzanine, Executive Centre, and meeting rooms), showroom leasing (primarily to interior design, lighting, tableware, and lifestyle brands), and creative office space rentals. The venue hosts 100+ events annually, with a named customer base spanning Villeroy & Boch, Zumtobel Group, Wienerberger, PureGym, London Doctors Clinic, and others as long-term showroom and office tenants.

The underlying technology stack is modest and operational rather than proprietary: a WordPress-based website (businessdesigncentre.co.uk), an exhibitor online ordering platform, EntrySign visitor management, Hotjar behavior analytics, and MailChimp email automation, maintained by third-party providers including Cattini Designs, March Branding, and PilotBean Ltd. There is no proprietary AI/ML capability. The business relies on an integrated partner ecosystem for event delivery, with The Good Eating Company providing catering since 2003, plus AV (Aztec), signage (Onward Display), furniture hire (Yahire), logistics (WES Logistics), security (Teamex UK), and portering/cleaning (Teamwork).

The company makes money primarily through quote-based venue hire (multi-year event contracts), annual showroom and office leases, and pass-through revenue from event service partners. It is a private limited company registered in England and Wales (Company No. 01593648), with a wholly-owned subsidiary, Upper Street Car Park Ltd. (Company No. 01636570), operating adjacent parking. In 2025, the company was acquired by Excel London, and CEO Dominic Jones announced his departure after 26 years, triggering a leadership transition with internal promotions across commercial, venue sales, and exhibition services. The venue is B Corp certified, carbon neutral, and publicly committed to Net-Zero before 2030.

Name

Business Design Centre

Legal name

Business Design Centre Ltd.

Website

https://businessdesigncentre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Business Design Centre is a heritage Central London event venue and workspace operator offering venue hire, showrooms, and office leases to event organizers, exhibitors, and resident brands; it hosts 100+ events annually and was acquired by Excel London in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conference and Exhibition Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multipurpose Event Center Operations (Civic Centers, Community Event Complexes) (MPAGALAE), Specialty & Entertainment Venue Property Management (BPAJAGAO)

Keywords

• Conference and exhibition venue
• Event space rental
• Showroom leasing services
• Creative office space
• Live event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venue Space Rental: Primary revenue stream from hiring venue spaces including auditorium, conferences, exhibitions, meetings, showrooms, and office spaces. Revenue is generated through rental agreements with event organizers, exhibitors, and companies seeking flexible workspace.
2. Showroom and Office Space Leasing: Long-term leasing of showroom and office units to resident businesses. Residents include interior design showrooms, healthcare providers, fitness studios, professional services firms, and event-related businesses.
3. Catering Partnership: The Good Eating Company has been the appointed catering partner to the Business Design Centre since 2003, managing delegate catering and event hospitality services.
4. Event Services: Additional revenue from event-related services including audio-visual equipment, signage, security, porter services, cleaning, delivery/logistics, and parking through various third-party providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Business Design Centre is a premium conference and exhibition venue in Central London (Angel, Islington) that hires out event spaces for exhibitions, conferences, awards ceremonies, meetings, filming, and live events, and lets permanent showroom and office units to resident businesses. Ancillary venue services include catering through appointed partner The Good Eating Company (since 2003), audio-visual, signage, security, porterage, cleaning, delivery/logistics, and on-site parking via Upper Street Car Park Ltd.

Product overview

Business Design Centre is a premium event venue and flexible workspace provider located in Central London (Islington). The company operates as a single-venue hospitality business offering three interconnected core services: event venue hire (for exhibitions, conferences, awards ceremonies, and live events), showroom spaces (for retail and brand display), and office spaces (for businesses seeking creative workspace). The venue is historically known as the Royal Agricultural Hall (originally built for the Smithfield Club Cattle Show) and has operated for over 160 years as a business events destination. The company also provides catering services through its long-standing partner The Good Eating Company (appointed since 2003), and houses numerous resident businesses in its showroom and office spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Venue Hire Premium venue hire service for exhibitions, conferences, awards ceremonies, exams, filming, meetings and other live events, targeting event organisers and corporate clients. Spaces include the Auditorium, Gallery Hall and Atrium, Mezzanine, Executive Centre, and multiple meeting rooms across the heritage Central London building.
• Showroom Spaces Permanent showroom leasing for businesses wanting to display and showcase products (interior design, lighting, tableware, lifestyle brands) to customers visiting the venue.
• Office Spaces Flexible creative office rentals for businesses seeking workspace in North London, with access to venue amenities and the BDC connected community.
• Catering Services Catering services for events and delegates, delivered through partner The Good Eating Company (appointed catering partner since 2003), covering delegate meals and bespoke event dining.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ graduates have showcased their work at New Designers exhibition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Good Eating CompanycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2003The Good Eating Company has been the appointed catering partner to the Business Design Centre since 2003, providing comprehensive catering management for events and delegate dining. Their operational team delivers personal service ensuring events are successful with quality produce sourcing.
• Aztec Event ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAudio-visual service provider engaged by the Business Design Centre for event technology, equipment, and technical support services.
• Onward DisplaycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLarge format exhibition printers based within the Business Design Centre specializing in exhibition signage, graphics, and branding for events and conferences.
• YahirecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEvent furniture hire company that has been an event partner of the BDC for over 8 years, providing furniture, catering equipment, barriers, linen and event accessories. Now has showroom and office on site.
• WES LogisticsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivery services provider for deliveries to and from the venue for events and exhibitor logistics.
• Teamwork (UK) LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPorter, cloakroom and cleaning services provider engaged for event operations and venue maintenance.
• Teamex UKminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSecurity and staffing services provider for venue and event security needs.
• EntrySigncoreTechnology or IntegrationVisitor access management system used when visitors access the building to meet with tenants, staff or non-event personnel.
• MailChimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing platform used for email communications, newsletters, bulletins, and announcements to customers and prospects.
• Cattini Designs, March Branding & PilotBean LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite maintenance providers managing the Business Design Centre website and online ordering platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Barbican Centre: Central London arts, conference, and exhibition venue with similar heritage architecture, mixed-use hall/room inventory, and corporate client base; directly competes for conferences, product launches, and cultural events.
• Olympia London: Major central London exhibition and conference venue undergoing major redevelopment; competes directly with BDC for the same event organizer and corporate exhibition bookings in the West London / central London MICE market.
• QEII Centre: Westminster conference and events venue offering tiered auditoriums and meeting rooms; directly comparable for corporate conferences, government events, and association meetings in central London.
• etc.venues: UK provider of central London conference, training, and meeting venues with multiple locations; competes for the same mid-sized corporate meeting and training bookings that BDC serves with its Executive Centre and meeting rooms.
• 30 Euston Square: Central London venue combining event spaces with permanent office tenants (Royal Statistical Society); structurally similar to BDC's hybrid venue-plus-tenants model, targeting professional associations and corporate clients.
• The Royal Horticultural Halls: Central London heritage-listed event and exhibition venue offering comparable flexible halls and meeting rooms; similar heritage positioning and central London corporate clientele to BDC.
• ILEC Conference Centre: London conference and events venue near Earl's Court offering exhibition halls and meeting rooms; comparable mid-sized London MICE competitor targeting corporate conferences and exhibitions.

Broad incumbents

• ExCeL London: Largest exhibition and conference venue in London and parent of Business Design Centre post-2025 acquisition. Directly comparable as a London MICE venue, but operates at significantly larger scale in Docklands and serves mega-events BDC cannot host.

Regional players

• Manchester Central Convention Complex: Large UK regional convention and exhibition venue in a heritage building; comparable operating model to BDC at larger scale but serving the North of England rather than central London.
• ICC Birmingham: Major UK regional conference and exhibition venue; comparable in product offering (auditoriums, halls, meeting rooms) but geographically distinct from BDC's central London base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheBDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLbfxQnmPGD5AN49yAId8ww
• Facebookfacebook.com/176633989052314
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/business-design-centre-group-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/bdclondon

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Business Design Centre