In a market dominated by scale and spectacle, new venue brand TOGETHER is taking a different path – one built on calm precision, seamless delivery, and genuine human connection. Founded by Elliott Sparsis and Declan Cassidy, the brand’s debut venue at 88 Wood Street reflects their shared belief that the events industry works best when it puts people first. CMW speaks with the pair about what inspired TOGETHER’s creation, how thoughtful design can shape collaboration, and why a slower, more intentional approach may be exactly what London’s meetings landscape needs.
You have built your career in London’s meetings and events scene. What key experiences or moments convinced you it was the right time to launch your own venue brand, TOGETHER?
We have spent our careers within London’s meetings and events world, working across real estate and hospitality. Over time, it became clear that the sector had drifted away from what really matters. Spaces were getting bigger and more complex, but the experience was often inefficient and surprisingly impersonal.
COVID brought that into sharp focus. Corporates began questioning why so much meeting and event space sat within their own footprints when it wasn’t designed for how people actually work or connect. At the same time, expectations changed – people wanted fewer, better moments together.
TOGETHER came from that shift. The name itself is rooted in a well-known African proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That idea reflects how businesses are thinking now. We bring people into a space designed for collective thinking, helping them connect properly and plan how to grow together over the long term.
Looking back over your previous leadership roles in hospitality and workspaces, which lessons most directly shaped the concept behind TOGETHER and how you want it to feel for organisers and delegates?
The biggest lesson was how damaging misalignment can be. Too often, venues oversell and underdeliver. Responsibility is split across multiple suppliers, communication breaks down, and the organiser ends up carrying the pressure.
TOGETHER was designed to remove that friction: one team, clear ownership, and proper preparation. The people selling the space understand exactly how it operates on the day, which builds trust quickly.
We’ve also learned that calm doesn’t happen by accident. When a venue feels steady and well-run, organisers relax and delegates show up better. That sense of ease is something we design deliberately.
Why did you choose 88 Wood Street specifically as the home for TOGETHER’s first venue, and what did you see in that building or location that others might have missed?
88 Wood Street is a remarkable building – a Richard Rogers design with a timeless architectural language. Lots of glass, lots of concrete, and a strong sense of arrival.
Clients encounter art the moment they walk through the door, which immediately sets a tone. It feels confident without being intimidating. What really stood out was how well the building supports flow. The light, the proportions, and the way people move through the space made it ideal for creating a considered, human-focused experience right in the heart of the City.
From a design and delegate-journey perspective, how have you reimagined the existing fabric of 88 Wood Street to create a space that stands apart in a crowded London market?
We started with the journey, not the rooms – how you enter, how the day unfolds, and how people move between moments.
Meetings and conferences can be overwhelming environments. When acoustics, light and transitions aren’t considered, energy drops quickly. We’ve designed the space to remove that friction: natural light, calm acoustics, tactile materials, warm hospitality and intelligent technology that supports the story rather than dominating it.
The result is calm precision. Everything feels intentional, but never showy.
Can you share what the current pipeline looks like for TOGETHER and how you expect the portfolio to grow?
Our focus right now is firmly on 88 Wood Street. That first space is the proof point, and getting it right matters more than moving fast.
We are exploring future locations, but growth will be measured. This isn’t about rolling out dozens of identical venues; it’s about building a considered portfolio over time, with shared standards, systems and values.
Talk us through the funding journey. How did you secure backing for TOGETHER, and what convinced investors this concept could cut through in London’s events landscape?
Ultimately, we are making a bet that being present and in a physical room becomes more valuable the further our world shifts towards artificial reality.
From the outset, we sought aligned partners rather than just capital – people who understand hospitality, long-term value and the importance of trust.
What resonated was the clarity of the concept. The market has plenty of space, but very little calm, credible delivery. TOGETHER solves a real operational and emotional problem for organisers. Our investors have bought into the depth of our team’s experience, combined with a clear point of view on how events should feel, which gave them confidence that this concept could genuinely cut through.
If you had to give CMW readers five clear reasons why TOGETHER at 88 Wood Street should be on every organiser’s shortlist, what would they be?
-
Experienced leaders and expert hosts who anticipate rather than react, creating a calm, confident experience throughout the day.
-
Sustainability and impact built into operations, not added on.
-
Full delivery in-house, removing the need to manage multiple suppliers.
-
A flexible auditorium with a 9m LED wall that supports immersive storytelling without distraction.
-
Chef-led menus that balance seasonality and sustainability.
What is the overall capacity and room configuration at TOGETHER, and what truly makes the space unique compared with other City venues?
TOGETHER features a 500-capacity auditorium in theatre style, alongside a secondary theatre space for up to 300 people. The rooms are designed to flex easily between large conferences, leadership sessions and more intimate meetings.
What makes the space unique is not just capacity, but how it feels at every scale. Even when full, it never feels frantic. That comes down to planning, proportion and a team that understands how to run a room properly.
Sustainability is under intense scrutiny in the business events sector. How is TOGETHER addressing this in practical terms?
We believe business should be a force for good, and that belief is built into how we operate.
TOGETHER is the first London meetings and events operator on the path to B Corp certification. We are B Corp Pending, committed to world-class social and environmental standards of performance, accountability and transparency.
In partnership with One Tribe, every event hosted at 88 Wood Street contributes directly to certified climate action projects, helping to reduce carbon emissions and protect rainforest. We also provide a Live Impact Dashboard onsite that tracks an event’s environmental footprint in real time, alongside a post-event report with measurable data clients can share internally.
Sustainability isn’t a claim for us – it’s something we measure.
Is TOGETHER aligned with any charity or community causes, and how can clients create positive social impact through their events?
Yes. TOGETHER supports James’ Place, a charity providing life-saving treatment for men in suicidal crisis.
Mental health matters deeply to us, particularly in high-pressure working environments. We want TOGETHER to stand for care, not just performance.
Alongside this, our partnership with One Tribe allows clients to create measurable climate impact through their events. Whether it’s mental health, environmental action or responsible sourcing, we make it easy for clients to deliver commercially successful events that also do some good.
