The London for Groups Awards 2023

The inaugural LONDON FOR GROUPS AWARDS took place on Tuesday 21 February 2023 at the lavish central London venue, Smith & Wollensky – hosted by TV presenter, chef & photographer Jonathan Phang.

The winners were decided by the combination of a public vote put to London For Groups readers – and our panel of expert judges.

AGTO Associate members were amongst the winners of the Awards with Irene Moore taking the Groups Organising Member Award and we are incredibly proud that our very own David Steele, AGTO Director was awarded

​THE AMBASSADOR CRUISE LINE AWARD OF RECOGNITION

              

 

WINNERS 2023

 

BEST HISTORIC VENUE – in partnership with Travel Editions

WINNER: Buckingham Palace – Royal Collection Trust

Shortlist:

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Tower of London – Historic Royal Palaces

Westminster Abbey

 

BEST IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE – in partnership with La Bodega Negra Soho

WINNER: Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience

Shortlist:

Frameless

Immersive Gatsby

Jurassic World: The Exhibition

Monopoly Lifesized

Peaky Blinders: The Rise

 

BEST OCEAN AND RIVER CRUISE – in partnership with Group Travel Today and Coach Touring

WINNER: City Cruises – City Experiences

Shortlist:

Ambassador Cruise Line

Bateaux London

French Brothers

Jason’s Trip – Regent’s Canal Tour

Thames River Sightseeing

 

BEST DINING EXPERIENCE – in partnership with Crazy for You

WINNER: Swingers West End

Shortlist:

28°-50° Oxford Circus

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience

Hard Rock Café, Old Park Lane

Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Covent Garden

Sophie’s Soho

 

BEST TICKETING PROVIDER – in partnership with Imagine Experiences

WINNER: Group Line

Shortlist:

DMT Groups

Encore TTG

Hospitality Line

Nimax Groups & Education

See Groups

 

BEST ON STAGE ENTERTAINMENT – in partnership with TINA: The Tina Turner Musical

WINNER: Magic Mike Live

Shortlist:

ABBA Voyage

La Clique – Underbelly

Palladium Panto – Crossroads Pantomimes

 

BEST ACCOMMODATION PROVIDER – in partnership with Nimax Theatres

WINNER: Hard Rock Hotel

Shortlist:

Hilton London Metropole

Royal National Hotel

Strand Palace

 

BEST MUSEUM OR GALLERY – in partnership with New Meridian

WINNER: Science Museum

Shortlist:

Museum of London

National Army Museum

National Gallery

National Maritime Museum

The Florence Nightingale Museum

 

BEST GUIDED TOUR – in partnership with Sophie’s Soho

WINNER: The Old Royal Naval College home of the Painted Hall

Shortlist:

Camden Town Brewery

Imagine Experiences

Royal Albert Hall

The Tottenham Experience

Wimbledon Stadium and Lawn Tennis Museum

 

BEST TOUR OPERATOR – in partnership with The Play That Goes Wrong

WINNER: Dunwood Travel

Shortlist:

City and Village Tours

Interchoice

Tailored Travel

Travel Editions

 

THAT’S THE TICKET BEST ATTRACTION

WINNER: Up at the O2

Shortlist:

Cutty Sark – Royal Museums Greenwich

Kew Gardens

London Eye

The View from the Shard

Tower of London

 

BEST EDUCATIONAL VISIT – in partnership with The School Trip

WINNER: Kidzania

Shortlist:

Matilda the Musical

The Golden Hinde

Wicked

WWT London Wetland Centre

ZSL London Zoo

 

BEST PRIVATE HIRE VENUE – in partnership with West London Queer Project

WINNER: London Transport Museum

Shortlist:

Hotel Chocolat Vaults

Smith & Wollensky

Strand Palace

 

GROUPS PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR – in partnership with AGTO

WINNER: Katie Weller – National Gallery

Shortlist:

Adele Godden – Hospitality Line

Ben Delahunty-Jones – Group Line

Harmesh Sansoa – Old Royal Naval College

Jonathan Cruikshank – See Groups

Sophie Dart – Nimax Groups & Education

 

BEST ROAD TOUR – in partnership with Hotel Chocolat

WINNER: Swinging 60s London

Shortlist:

B Bakery

Big Bus Tours

Brit Movie Tours

Golden Tours

Toot Bus

 

BEST WEST END PLAY – in partnership with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers

WINNER: The Play That Goes Wrong

Shortlist:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

The Mousetrap

The Woman in Black

Witness For The Prosecution

 

BEST WEST END MUSICAL – in partnership with Smith & Wollensky

WINNER: TINA: The Tina Turner Musical

Shortlist:

& Juliet

Back to the Future The Musical

Disney’s Frozen

MAMMA MIA!

Moulin Rouge

Pretty Woman the Musical

The Phantom of the Opera

 

LONDON FOR GROUPS ORGANISING MEMBER OF THE YEAR – in partnership with MAMMA MIA!

WINNER: Irene Moore – Epsom & Ewell U3A

Shortlist:

Anne Barnes – Metropolitan Police Sports and Social Association

Jackie Ames – Unity 70

Neil Edeson – Complete Pleisure Limited

Patricia Crooks – Freemans Sports & Leisure Club

Shirley Ward – Shirley Tours

 

THE AMBASSADOR CRUISE LINE AWARD OF RECOGNITION

WINNER: David Steele