Catalogue description Records of The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre was designed in 1980 and opened in 1986. It was initially intended as a secure venue within which the government could meet its obligations for hosting international meetings within central London. In the first design brief there was no intention that the centre should be available for commercial use but the anticipated running costs were such that by 1983 minor design changes were being introduced which would allow it to be used in a non-governmental capacity.

From 1986 to July 1989, the centre was part of the London Conference Division of the Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment. In July 1989 the Conference Centre was established as an Executive Agency, although responsibility for its the policy and financial framework within which it operated remained with the Department of the Environment.

The centre provides and manages fully secure conference facilities for national and international government meetings up to the highest level, and is also marketed commercially as a facility for both government and commercial use.

The centre is managed by a chief executive, supported by five functional managers with responsibility for business, security, engineering, presentation facilities, and finance and administration. Each year the chief executive issues an annual report.