Kia Oval

There’s a couple of things that strike you about the Kia Oval when you first get a taste of all that they have to offer. The first is that, despite its age and its history, this place is really modern and cool. The suites have a fresh charm to them, in a way that seems impossible for a nearly 200-year-old cricket ground. The design of the meeting spaces and even breakout areas are charming and funky, while still bringing in touches of the history that this amazing venue has to offer. It’s kind of like a retro football kit - hints from the past - but still so cool.

We’re not exaggerating about the amount of meeting spaces this place has to offer, in fact, we to be honest if anything, we’ve undersold it, the Kia Oval actually has 55 events spaces, we’d forgive you for being overwhelmed by it. There’s no need to fret about picking the right space though, the events team here were seriously fantastic - an amazing group of professionals who knew every nook and cranny of this colossal London venue. From the catering staff, security, reception staff and more - each and every personnel at this venue was kind and respectful during our visit - you love to see it.

Speaking of incredible staff - the dedicated events team at the Oval includes Events Managers and Sales Directors are on board to help you with every step of the process of booking, planning and organising your event here.

What kind of events do they put on? You may ask. Well - we went in, maybe a little narrow minded - the cricket centric history of the place meant we expected everything to be tailored, first and foremost, around that. But boy, was that not the case! This is not just about cricket, there was the facilities for meetings and conferences of course, but also dinners, weddings and even Expos! Inside the stands lies all of this fantastic space for exhibitions, there’s over 1,500m² in the blank canvas Jardine Suite - plus an additional 2,000m² across other rooms in the same stand. This inventive use of interior stand space was a proper testament to how inventive the team at The Kia Oval have been, at being able to find opportunities to customize and create great spaces - in way other venue’s might not have thought possible!

There’s a really fantastic blend at the Oval of corporate and private style events - we loved this too, and their range of meeting spaces gets this mix across, this is a great spot to work hard and play hard - you could happily use these facilities for an entire day of team building, fun and drinks. As easily as you could use it for some more business focussed events like presentations or boardroom meetings.

The creativity doesn’t stop there. We’re a big fan of sustainable practices at The Delegate Wranglers - particularly those that are more than just a written pledge, and The Oval have done just that with some of their inventive ways to achieve their goal of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030 They’ve installed solar panels on the roof of the Galadari Stand, changed the light bulbs in the ground to LED, created and maintained a Living Wall of climbers and shrubbery that covers a huge part of the interior and exterior of the JM Finn Stand (not to mention how cool it looks!). All of this work hasn’t gone unnoticed either, with the venue recently being, awarded the Green Meetings Gold standard accreditation - more to love!

Listen, what’s a good venue without some good grub!? The Oval has that in spathes - The team joked that despite conferences being their bread and butter - they still have stacks of high standard food with their on-site catering facilities. With so many different types of meeting spaces on offer, you can imagine that the kinds of food that the Oval can supply massively varies - There’s multiple menu options for anything you can think of Summer Parties, Snacks, Canape and bowl food or even a chefs choice menu that can be applied to any sort of event!

The team here kept it simple with their pricing too with a DDR that includes all breakfast lunch and dinner per delegate throughout the day! The catering process is impressively flexible too - with the catering on offer either in room, or in a separate space, as nearly all of the rooms at The Kia Oval have kitchens attached, or are on the same floor as a large kitchen space - which is well equipped to fill hungry bellies! Once again, we found the catering staff to be exceptional and prepared to fill any request, they were on the ball and proud of their 40% plant-based menu. Not just this, but if a client wants food that isn’t on their set menu, the team here were ready to go above and beyond to see if they could meet any request!

Now - team building. This place is a haven for any client that wants to put on a fantastic outdoor event. While never dampened by the rain - The Kia Oval comes to life in the sunshine and sees 8 fantastic outdoor spaces/terraces that can all be used however you desire! Each size is varying in size and capacity, from a ten-person smaller area, to a 600 person behemoth of an outdoor events space.

Surely it goes without saying too, this being The Oval and all, that if you want it with your event, there’s cricket nets and a sports centre that can be used alongside whatever kind of event you’re putting on. We didn’t get the chance to have a go here - but we will be back!

So finally, before we take you into the meeting space highlights, we just wanted to break down the utterly ridiculous amounts of meeting spaces - and how the venue makes them work - because sadly, we only have three highlights! Across three stands within the ground, they split up most of their event spaces, there’s 29 in the JM Finn Stand, 4 in the Galadari Stand and 12 in the Pavilion stand. The first of these, the JM Finn Stand has been beautifully redeveloped into a four-tier grandstand that really impresses. It offers the most versatile types of space and has plenty of breakout rooms throughout! The Galadari Stand has also recently been renovated and has the largest and most high-spec spaces of anywhere in the venue. Lastly, the beautiful Pavilion is the cricket-home of the ground, yet still boasting many charming event spaces! Let’s get into our picks!

Meeting Space Highlight: Duchy Suite

Location: 2nd Floor, Galadari Stand
Natural light: Yes
Size: 517 Sqm
Reception: 650
Theatre: 420
Cabaret: 380
Dinner: 380

The Duchy Suite will hold up to 420 theatre style with a separate cloakroom area on the same floor. This room also has 6m high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. Even more impressive is the direct access onto 2 private terraces as well as access into the Pavilion for breakout spaces! What a fantastic space.
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Meeting Space Highlight: Long Room

Location: 1st Floor, Pavilion
Natural light: Yes
Size: 135 Sqm
Reception: 120
Theatre: 100
Cabaret: 100
Dinner: 100

The Long Room is the most historic room within the Members Pavilion. Built in 1898, the room is steeped in history, with portraits of the Surrey greats adorning the walls. The huge windows and high ceiling allow for plenty of natural daylight and the doors lead out directly to the side of the pitch, so your guests can take their coffee breaks and lunches whilst taking in spectacular pitch side views.

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Meeting Space Highlight: Corinthian Roof Terrace

Location: 4th Floor, JM Finn Stand
Natural light: Yes
Size: 700 Sqm
Reception: 600

The oval says this is their hidden gem, and we’re inclined to agree… sitting right at the top of the JM Finn Stand, this covered area can hold up to an impressive 600 guests on an informal basis. There are spectacular views of the pitch on one side and the impressive London skyline on the other side. There are food service stations, bars and even a DJ booth on the Corinthian Roof Terrace, making the area perfect for summer parties or post-conference drinks.
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Summary
Wow is a word we don’t use too often, but this fabulous and legendary cricket venue is so much more than that. There’s such an amazing mix of flexibility, modern, traditional and versatile spaces and its location makes it an absolute winner too! There’s literally, something for every type of meeting, conference, exhibition, training course or party you would wish to hold. Go and have a site visit with Sam and the team now, you’ll love it! We were knocked for six by the place!