Business at the Barbican

The Centre for Arts and Conferences

Your Centre in the City Your Centre in the City: and how to use it to promote your business (1987) by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Nice doing business with you

It wasn't just the Barbican's Exhibition Halls which were geared towards entertaining business people drawn to the City of London.

Your Centre in the City Your Centre in the City: and how to use it to promote your business (1987) by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Your centre in the city

Much of the rest of the building was kitted out to cater for businesses and their clients.

Your Centre in the City Your Centre in the City: and how to use it to promote your business (1987) by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Location Location Location

It extended one of the original aims of the project - to bring back life to the heart of the City.

Conference Discount Fares: Leaflet Conference Discount Fares: Leaflet (1981) by The Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Well-connected

The advertising made a point of the variety of transport options for getting to the Centre.

Leaflet: Centre de Conferences du Barbican Leaflet: Centre de Conferences du Barbican by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Bienvenue

As it was intended to be an international hub, some of the promotional material was aimed at overseas audiences, like this one in French.

Your Centre in the City Your Centre in the City: and how to use it to promote your business (1987) by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre

Original fittings

This brochure advertises the hospitality options. It's a record of how things originally looked in the Barbican's cafes and restaurants.

Barbican Conference Room (1982) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Ashtrays

These meeting rooms in Frobisher Crescent still serve the same purpose, but the furniture and fittings have changed. Indoor ashtrays, for instance, have long since been removed.

Barbican Lava Lamp - Full View by Photography by Max ColsonBarbican Centre

Lava Lamp

The sheer number of events has left behind objects which have found their way into the archive.

Barbican Lava Lamp - Close View by Photography by Max ColsonBarbican Centre

Barbican - inspiring business

They're often very connected to the fashions of the time, like this Barbican-branded lava lamp. 'Barbican - inspiring business', it says.

Barbican Lava Lamp - Close View by Photography by Max ColsonBarbican Centre

A gift?

It may have been made to be given as a free gift to guests, but this one was kept back on the shelves. It is now part of our Archive collection.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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