After 24 months of rethinks and renegotiation, it is finally happening: Convene, the New York-based meetings-and-workplace venue provider, is to open its first UK operation in spring 2022.

The announcement comes almost exactly two years after Convene revealed it had agreed to take floorspace at AXA IM Alts’ 1.2M SF 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper in the City of London on 8 August 2019.

The opening date means a postponement from the autumn 2021 date quoted by AXA as recently as May this year. It is also appreciable smaller than the 102K SF first agreed in August 2019 — it will now be 51K SF.

The idea of signing a traditional lease was nixed by the coronavirus pandemic, and it has been replaced by an operational agreement with AXA IM Alt.

Convene is pressing ahead with events space but not workspace.

“The agreement is signed. Convene is set to open in the spring of 2022. 22 Bishopsgate will be an incredible space to hold an event, incorporating Convene’s legendary hospitality services and award-winning interior design touches, in a distraction-free environment. Moreover, the space will be capable of hosting hybrid meetings and events via Convene Studio, which is the company’s production services and virtual event technology solution,” Convene said in an exclusive statement to Bisnow.

The Convene signing emerges days after New York law firm Skadden Arps Slater Meagher & Flom signed up for 65K SF at 22 Bishopsgate. The deal means the building is now 60% let.

Skadden is expected to move its 250-strong London team to 22 Bishopsgate in late 2022. It has agreed a 15-year lease.