When a leading fashion brand turned the QEII Centre’s Churchill Auditorium into a catwalk in September, it was exactly the kind of event Saf Ismail had in mind when she became chief executive just over a year ago. She sat down with Conference News to look back on her first year in the role and her plans for the venue.
Ismail came into the role with a clear ambition to build on the QEII Centre’s already strong foundations, whilst also creating a more commercially focused, collaborative and forward-thinking organisation.
Her first year has reinforced just how important people are to a venue’s success. She says: “Their commitment, knowledge and long-standing client relationships are among our greatest strengths. We have a strong pipeline of repeat business every year because of this, and what I’d like to focus on moving forward is how we can not only maintain this but diversify and attract a broader mix of brands, organisations and new audiences who are looking for more creative, experience-led events and who perhaps haven’t historically considered us.”
She adds: “My ambition hasn’t changed, but I now have an even greater appreciation of the need to balance commercial growth with investment in our people, our infrastructure and the long-term success of the Centre.”
A 40-year-old building in 2026
Opening in 1986, the building now faces the challenge of balancing the character and heritage of a venue that has been operating for 40 years with the rapidly changing expectations of today’s events industry. Ismail says: “Clients expect exceptional spaces, technology, connectivity and flexibility and our job is to make sure QEII continues to evolve alongside those expectations.”
The venue is continuing to invest in the core infrastructure of the building, including lifts, building controls, lighting and accessibility. However, this is only one part of the investment. QEII is also focusing heavily on AV, digital and technology capability, and how it can use that investment to make the venue more flexible, more brandable and able to deliver experience-led and hybrid events.
Ismail says: “We are already seeing clients use the building in different ways. An event for a leading fashion brand in September was a great example of how our spaces can be transformed and demonstrate that QEII can be much more than a traditional conference venue.”
Ultimately, she wants QEII to challenge perceptions of what a 40-year-old building can deliver.
Making Westminster part of the event
A unique selling point of the QEII Centre is that it is only a short walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, which gives the venue a powerful advantage. It offers an internationally recognised setting, strong transport links and plenty of nearby hotels.
But Ismail wants the venue to do more with its location. She says: “It shouldn’t just be why someone books QEII, it should be part of their event.”
She adds: “If you’re holding an event opposite Westminster Abbey, overlooking Big Ben and Parliament, we should be helping you make the most of that. Whether that’s a reception in the Mountbatten, the food, the branding or the production. The location can add something really special.”
As the venue heads into its fifth decade, Ismail also wants to attract a broader mix of clients and events. Alongside traditional conferences, she wants to bring in brands and organisations looking to do something more creative and experience-led. She says: “Having our teams and partners in-house really helps with that. We can bring together production, technology, food, content and branding and make the whole process much easier for the client.”
She adds: “For me, it’s about making much more of what we already have. We’re in an incredible part of London, and coupled with our people, expertise and ability to deliver exceptional experiences we can make the events we host here incredibly memorable.”
Dare to be bold
This ties into the venue’s Dare to Be Bold philosophy, which aims for QEII to be recognised as much more than a traditional conference venue. Ismail says: “I want us to be known for our hybrid approach to events, backed by some of the best technology in the industry, and to be recognised as one of the most trusted venues when it comes to technology and digital capability.”
The philosophy was put into action at a September fashion event, where the Churchill Auditorium was transformed into an immersive runway featuring a bespoke white catwalk, tailored lighting, customised seating layouts and nature-inspired soundscapes. Ismail says: “A guest walking into the Churchill would have experienced something very different from what they might traditionally associate with a conference centre. What delegates would have noticed wasn’t just the production itself, but how the venue had been completely reimagined around the client’s creative vision. Instead of seeing a traditional conference space, they experienced an environment that reflected the brand’s identity and brought the collection to life.”
Ismail also wants clients who come to the venue to find a team that understands their objectives, challenges conventional thinking and has the expertise to bring even their most ambitious ideas to life. Collaboration between the venue’s in-house teams was key to the fashion event’s success, with event management, production, security and Taste all working closely with the client to deliver a highly bespoke experience. This included dedicated backstage areas for models and production teams, enhanced security measures and carefully designed event flows.
For Ismail, Dare to Be Bold isn’t about being bold for the sake of it. It’s about helping clients challenge assumptions about what a venue can deliver and giving them the confidence to create experiences that genuinely engage their audiences. She says of the fashion event: “It showed how our spaces can be transformed to support fashion shows, luxury brand activations and other creative experiences, while still delivering the operational excellence and attention to detail that clients expect.”
The venue still wants to appeal to its established clients too. Here, its role is to understand exactly what each client needs, anticipate any challenges and bring together the right expertise to deliver it seamlessly. Ismail says: “We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Being bold means understanding what success looks like for that particular client and shaping the event around them. Ultimately, Dare to Be Bold is about having the confidence to do what’s right for each client rather than simply following a formula.”
The venue has also seen a sharp rise in bookings from AI and technology companies, which have quite distinct priorities. These companies expect security, privacy, speed and seamless connectivity, but they’re also looking for partners who are open to doing things differently.
They also tend to work at a quicker pace than other clients, with shorter lead times and more stakeholders involved. Ismail says: “We’re often working not just with the client, but with specialist production, experiential or PR agencies so there’s an expectation that we can respond quickly and adapt as the brief develops.”
She adds: “In an industry where AI is continually redefining what’s possible, our role as an event venue is to demonstrate that the human expertise behind an exceptional experience is just as important as the technology itself. Ultimately, our clients bring the ambition, and our people bring the expertise, creativity and confidence to help turn that ambition into reality. That’s where our Dare to Be Bold philosophy really comes to life.”
Building for the venues of tomorrow
When it comes to the building itself, it’s important that it has the infrastructure and technology to support its clients’ ambitions. The investment programme is about much more than maintaining a building that is entering its fifth decade – it’s about making sure QEII remains relevant, resilient and capable of meeting the increasingly sophisticated demands of the events industry.
Technology is central to this, especially as clients expect greater flexibility, more sophisticated production and seamless connectivity. QEII’s in-house production expertise also allows the venue to work closely with organisers from the earliest planning stages, exploring how its spaces and technology can support their objectives.
Ismail says: “For me, the real ambition is to combine the character and location of an established London venue with the flexibility, technology and service standards that clients will expect from the venues of tomorrow.”