Convene Launches Parent Company To Serve Gathering Needs Across A Growing House Of Brands

In a digital-first world where people are livestreaming, hosting webinars and holding other virtual events, there’s still a need for human connection. 

A 2024 survey conducted by Cvent in partnership with The Harris Poll found that 78% of business leaders say in-person or face-to-face meetings are “absolutely necessary” or “very important” within their companies and 89% believe they are a vital part of the future of their workplace. Now, demand for in-person events is also on the rise. This year, a Cvent survey of event planners found that 66% expect to increase the number of in-person off-site meetings they manage compared to the previous year.

One company that’s focusing on this is Convene Hospitality Group, or CHG, the recently launched parent company uniting Convene and etc.venues. Through a growing house of brands, CHG aims to not only serve the meetings and events industry but also partner with landlords to create hospitality-driven destinations across all asset types.

Under CHG’s umbrella are three brands. Convene focuses on premium, full-service meeting and office experiences. London-based etc.venues is its select-service hospitality brand, concentrating on spaces for small meetings and corporate training. And lastly, The Mallory is its high-touch brand for bespoke events.

“We spent the last year deep-diving into where our clients are going, and they increasingly want unique tentpole experiences and marquee destinations to host events,” CHG Senior Vice President of Real Estate Brian Holland said. “After the purchase of etc.venues, and now with Convene, we took a step back and realized we’re already a multibranded company. We are what Bonvoy is to hotels, but in the meetings and events industry.” 

Holland sat down with Bisnow to outline how CHG is navigating the event and meeting space, how this is supporting landlords with underutilized buildings, and what the future holds for the company.

Partnering With CHG

Holland said one of the key strengths of CHG is it can help landlords deploy revenue-generating services for their buildings. 

“Landlords are not often prepared to self-operate,” he said. “Whether that means opening a workplace floor in their asset, operating a meeting, an event or amenity, it's tremendously labor-intensive and a distraction for their core business. Convene Hospitality Group, however, especially on the meeting and event side, is equipped to drive returns that are much, much higher than our competitive set.”

Holland added that CHG’s track record for attracting major tenants is what’s drawing landlords to the company. When the Convene brand was looking to open London’s largest above-ground meetings facility at Sancroft, the anchor tenant in the building discovered that Convene wanted to sign a lease, and that was the No. 1 factor that led the tenant to eventually select the building, Holland said. 

“Major firms globally are colocating with CHG in our assets, so we’re in the mix in all these conversations now,” he said. 

He added that landlords come to CHG because its brands can help drive the best value by attracting the right tenants. The firm collaborates with its landlord partners and analyzes the optimal strategy to make the best use of their assets. 

Expanding With etc.venues

After acquiring etc.venues in 2023, CHG has not only used the brand to expand its range across the U.S. and the UK but also to host a variety of small- to medium-sized events. While the Convene brand originally focused on Class-A trophy buildings, Holland said the firm is getting more involved with revamping empty or underutilized Class-B spaces with etc.venues, enabling landlords to repurpose these properties and turn them into valuable assets. 

“We’re sitting in an environment right now where there's so much distress, and while Class-A is performing incredibly well, there’s a huge amount of Class-B and C offices that are primed for repositioning over the next cycle,” he said. “This is where we can get creative as a multibranded company, adding a ton of value to landlords looking to convert these properties into something more profitable.”

He added that CHG has a full development and hospitality team in-house that can advise on brand fit, strategy, design and procurement to help its landlord partners revitalize these properties and transform them into spaces where they can attract, retain and engage tenants. 

Creating Bespoke Experiences With The Mallory

Another part of CHG’s vision is to create bespoke and experiential experiences in warehouses and storefronts. One example is the redevelopment of the historic Terminal Warehouse in New York’s West Chelsea district. CHG is the anchor tenant in the 1.3M SF office and retail complex, signing a lease in October to create an independently branded venue called The Mallory. This event space will span more than 50K SF across three floors and is slated for completion in Q3 2026.

The Mallory not only pays tribute to the building’s original designer, George Mallory, it is also a versatile event destination for galas, award ceremonies, weddings and other special occasions, Holland said. The venue will also serve as a bespoke conferencing center and lounge for the Terminal Warehouse tenants’ employees. 

“People are looking for more bespoke and experiential experiences like The Mallory because the stakes of bringing people together are higher than they have ever been,” Holland said. “Hybrid work is here to stay, and that means when we come together, you can’t get that wrong. And because you can’t get that wrong, companies are spending a lot more money than they ever have to get it right in the expectation that these are high-impact experiential events.”

Holland said CHG’s future is looking bright, not only with expanding its NYC presence this year but also by building a framework for its brands to grow globally over the next two years.

“There are a lot of dots on the map, particularly in the United States, where we don’t have coverage,” he said. “You’re going to see us do two things: We’re going to double down in markets where we already have a presence, then we’re going to be expanding into key growth markets, both in Europe and other parts of North America.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Convene Hospitality Group and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.