Hosting an Urbano event

Urbano and our host venues
Created in 2010, Urbano grew out of our early days running a vibrant business community in Shoreditch from the early 2000's.

Today, with over 20 years of connecting those who own, run and manage small businesses, most with turnovers over £1 - £5M, Urbano can connect your venue to this valuable audience, who themselves spend on summer and Christmas parties, client lunches, team building and after-works social gatherings.

Urbano connects venues and their marketing, sales and events teams to this audience by firstly hosting a showcase event with us. 

We promote our event at your venue via mailers to our database of 60,000 business subscribers, including links to your venue website (see stats below).

Your venue then becomes a Host Partner of Urbano, enjoying the benefits of Corporate Membership of Urbano, including the ability to promote your seasonal offerings, including Christmas party packages, and other special occasions and offers on Urbano Opportunities Notices and member events calendar.

This partnership provides your venue with unique opportunities throughout its membership to connect and promote your space to this unique business audience.

Please read on for more details of hosting with Urbano and if you would like to discuss becoming a Host Partner, send an email to Urbano's Connector-In-Chief, Mark Herring which you can find at the bottom of this page.

HOW TO BECOME AN URBANO HOST PARTNER

In return for sponsoring ONE URBANO EVENT - which includes all space, food and drink costs of an event type and date we agree together (see list below), we offer these venues in return a Host Partner Urbano Membership to run for 12 months from date of hosting agreement.

Hosting requirements

Networking Breakfast: 09:30 - 11:30 - Host provides showcase breakfast/brunch menu, including juice and coffee for 22 (max) attendees. 

Networking Lunch: 12:30 - 14:30 - Host provides showcase lunch menu for 26 (max) attendees plus a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. (Menu agreed on booking))

Networking Evenings: 18:00 - 20:00 - Host provides 2 drinks pp (wine/beer/soft drink) + canapes/nibbles. Space and hospitality for up to 30 people.

Top Tables: These exclusive events, usually consisting of three-course lunches. Sponsorship is negotiated on an event-by-event basis, starting with offering a free glass of wine to attendees in return for promotion links and venue description on Top Table mailers.

VENUE PROMOTION
Each venue hosting an Urbano event is promoted on at least two event mailers sent to our subscribers, including a link to the venue's website, description of the venue's core services and map link.

Urbano event mailers are opened by an average of 35-55% of the thousands who receive our mailers. 

Sample statistics from a recent series of Urbano event mailers:

Total mailers sent: 72, 213
Average open rate: 49.18%
Click-throughs to host website: 9,695

Urbano Host Partners
Recent Urbano event host venues have included Cafe Murano, Hide Piccadilly, The Italian Greyhound, OXO Tower, Lambeth Palace, Social Eating House, Cafe Du Marche, Conrad London St James, Oliveira Kitchen, Princess of Shoreditch, Quo Vadis, Cinnamon Kitchen, The Italian Greyhound and Shuffle Club Shoreditch.

Connections: Those who book our event with you will enjoy a sample of your hospitality. They also share their experience via Instagram and other social channels, but perhaps more importantly tell others in their business networking circles.

At the Urbano event you host (except Top Table events), your team can mix and mingle with the event attendees. For every event, you also get exclusive use to the full contact details of those you have hosted (and we don't allow other venue representatives at our event with you).

* Directors or equivalent of Urbano host venues do get a free place at sponsored Top Tables, subject to agreement.


UPCOMING URBANO & MEMBERS' EVENTS
Host Partners can promote their own events, including wine tastings, showcases, summer and Christmas party packages etc on the Urbano website calendar and mailers.

Italicised events below are available to host.

Tuesday April 29th Urbano business networking breakfast at Italian Greyhound, Marylebone

Wednesday May 14th Urbano Members networking reception at the House of Lords

Tuesday May 20th Urbano networking breakfast at UK REiiF 2025 (Leeds)

Wednesday May 21st Urbano networking evening at UK REiiF 2025 (Leeds)

Thursday June 12th Urbano Urbano speaker breakfast with Lady Mayoress of The City of London, Florence King, sponsored by CAMA Group, hosted by Greenwoods

Wednesday June 25th - Members Summer Networking Evening

Thursday July 10th - Summer Top Table Networking Lunch

Wednesday July 23rd - Summer Networking Lunch

Thursday September 11th - Speaker Networking Breakfast with Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger, sponsored by CAMA Group, hosted by Seddons

Thursday September 25th - Top Table Networking Lunch

For all upcoming events from Urbano and its members, click here: Urbano Calendar

* Except where a date is reserved for a Top Table, we try to give our Host Partners their choice of event format so please discuss your preference with us

Promote your venue throughout the year
Urbano Host Partners can also promote their own events, such as wine tastings, cocktail classes, special menus, Valentine's Day etc via Urbano's weekly Opportunities Notices and our monthly event calendar mailers, which features links to our Corporate Members and Host Venues' upcoming events.

We also share these on Urbano's social media channels, including Instagram and LinkedIn.

Recommendations
At the centre of the Urbano web, we often get asked to recommend venues for client and team meals, members' own networking events, summer and Christmas parties etc.

Christmas
We list and promote our Host Venues' Christmas party offerings via links on our mailers. The sooner your menus are prepared, the sooner we can promote!

FOR ALL HOSTING ENQUIRIES

If you would like to discuss showcasing and promoting your venue to our community of high-level business connections, please email Mark Herring, Connector-In-Chief at Urbano.