Central Hall Westminster recently played host to the annual Grand Challenges meeting held between 24th and 26th October 2016. The meeting was co-hosted by the Wellcome Trust, Grand Challenges Canada, USAID, the EC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The three-day conference saw 1,800 delegates attend a plenary session in the venue’s Great Hall on the topic of new UK and global innovations that help achieve sustainable development goals. This included an interactive discussion with Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Priti Patel MP and was moderated by Natasha Kaplinsky, British Newsreader and Television Presenter. Central Hall’s Production Service Partner, White Light, provided complete production support for the conference and was responsible for lighting, a PA system designed specifically for the space and video projection.
Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Westminster, commented: “We were delighted to have been chosen to host the Grand Challenges annual meeting and support such an important cause that shares our values for a more sustainable future. At Central Hall we have been working on a number of sustainable initiatives over the past five years to help reduce day-to-day carbon emissions and aim to continue developing this in 2017.”
Grand Challenges was launched in 2003 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation and other funders continue to launch new Grand Challenges initiatives, both independently and in partnership. Together they form an expanding network of research and funding partnerships spanning across areas of global health and development.
