The refurbishment of Chatham House's main conference facility during the summer of 2008 included both an overhaul of the physical space and a dramatic upgrading of its communications capacity. Our conference facilities had previously been refurbished in 1996 and the pressures on Chatham House to serve not only as a venue for debate but also as a preferred location for developing ideas and communicating messages to a global audience made the recent overhaul necessary.

The hall and entrance area were both renovated to create a bright, attractive and comfortable space. The hall ceiling height was increased and a modern air-conditioning system was installed. The capacity for flexible setup options was put in place to facilitate panel discussions, 'conversations' and major lectures.

The technical capacity was greatly increased to allow video-conferencing to involve outside speakers and webcasting capability to stream and record events. New cabling was installed to provide a single point of connection for broadcasters to screen footage live from Chatham House. The sound and lighting systems were both replaced.

The Joseph Gaggero Hall is named in recognition of the gift towards the 2008 renovation project by the Gaggero Foundation and in recognition of Joe Gaggero, a long-standing member and supporter of Chatham House. The gift, combined with the many contributions we have received from our individual members via the Annual Fund appeal, has covered the entire cost of the refurbishment and enabled us to move forward without having to draw on our reserves.

Joseph J Gaggero CBE is the President of the Bland Group of companies. He has worked throughout his career to promote closer relations between Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco and Britain. The Gaggero Foundation is an independent private charitable body established by the Gaggero family through the Bland Group.

Chatham House remains indebted to Sir John Power and his family, after whom the institute's first conference hall in the garden behind 10 St James's Square was named. The name of the hall was transferred to the current space when it was adapted into a conference hall in the 1960s following the redevelopment of the site.

Audio history of the John Power Hall (mp3)