Venue Lab to open 55,000 sq ft centre for new culture

Venue Lab, a leading manager, owner and activator of spaces, has signed for circa 55,000 sq. ft of space in the Royal Docks to deliver an expansive centre for new culture and music. The Beams will be an incredible raw and industrial destination offering a range of versatile interior and outdoor spaces for up to 5,000 people.

Located in the heart of East London in the Royal Docks and on the River Thames, the venue is easily accessible by the DLR and is only a short walk from London City airport.

The Beams, which can be hired exclusively, will offer a similar aesthetic to Venue Lab’s award-winning Printworks London site in Canada Water. A joint venture between Venue Lab’s parent company Broadwick Live and landowner British Land, Printworks London has transformed the former newspaper printing works into one of London’s most successful and acclaimed venues.

As with Printworks London and other spaces in the Venue Lab portfolio, The Beams will operate under a hybrid model, with a flexible and inspiring environment, providing an unrivalled landscape for filming, photo shoots, music, cultural events, brand events, large scale set builds, exhibitions, fashion shows and the arts.

Venue Lab has an enviable track record of working with brands such as Nike, Aston Martin, Netflix, Apple TV, QuickBooks, The Royal Ballet & Dior, with Printworks London also recently forming the backdrop for new Hollywood release The Batman.

Once London’s gateway to world trade, today the Royal Docks is one of the UK’s most important regeneration stories. This vast area in the borough of Newham is re-emerging as a commercial and cultural hub of global significance, and an exciting new waterfront.

The announcement of The Beams reflects Venue Lab’s strategy to curate spaces that can create destinations and deliver long-term value for partners. Current spaces include the 119,200 sq. ft Printworks London in Canada Water, 13,680 sq. ft Exhibition London in White City and 108,000 sq. ft Depot Mayfield in Manchester.

Simon Tracey, Chief Operating Officer of Venue Lab, comments: “Drawing on our existing experience of transforming underutilised spaces to create valuable environments for all stakeholders, the launch of The Beams will bring an exciting new venue to a prime location in the Royal Docks, an area which is undergoing significant change.”

The Beams will open in April 2022.