Get some space: meet the venue finders

Nobody would expect to see a Boeing 747 when visiting a West London university, least of all Ed Poland. The co-founder of Hire Space assumed he’d be checking out a typical classroom space that could be used for evening functions and events. A mocked-up passenger plane interior for training cabin crew was the last thing on his mind.

“The lady showing us round took us down a typical school corridor, opened a door and then there was this Boeing 747 interior,” Poland says incredulously. “It’s just one of many unusual spaces that you would never know about. We’ve also found these amazing rooftops, basements and vaults that were anonymous before we came along.”

Such discoveries have been made through Hire Space, a venue booking website with more than 5,000 spaces across the UK for meetings, conferences, Christmas parties, private dining and corporate entertainment. The website has venues ranging from swanky, plush rooms or rooftop bars to unique settings, including a masonic vault and a disused Victoria Line tube train.

The idea for the company came in 2011 when Poland and his old school friend Will Swannell were chatting down the pub about how recession-hit communities could make money from renting out their schools, community centres and church halls.