Choose an alternative Birmingham venue for your next event

With the Commonwealth Games due to start at the end of July we thought it was a good time to revisit some of the alternative venues available to event organisers for their conferences, meetings and events.

Birmingham is located in the heart of England and has great connections from not only within the UK and but also worldwide. Because of this it is often chosen as a conference destination for both national and international events.

There are 36,000 bed spaces available for delegates and a wide range of world-class venues, hotels with state-of-the-art facilities.

However, you may be looking to hold your event in one of the unique venues that Birmingham can offer so hear is a snapshot of some of the more unique venues that the city can offer for corporate events.

Digbeth is one of the most distinctive parts of Birmingham and is less than a ten minute walk from the Bullring & Grand Central.

As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into apartments, retail and also event spaces from which we have highlighted 3 below.

The Custard Factory is home to a hive of creative businesses as well as exclusively independent shops, cafes, bars and event spaces.

The Custard Factory was built by Alfie Bird to produce the famous eggless Bird’s Custard in 1902. Today it has been updated to combine its industrious edge with original Crittall windows, exposed steels and high ceilings along with contemporary interiors.

The largest venue within the Custard Factory is the Factory Works, a contemporary, bright space showcasing its industrial architecture ideal for any event. It can accommodate a maximum of 288 cabaret or 400 boardroom style

Arch 21 is a great space for a pop up event, filming or product launch due to its front location on one of the busiest streets. It is a self-contained industrial style space situated under the railway arch and can accommodate up to 100 guests.

The Courtyard Boardroom is located in the heart of the Custard Factory and can accommodate up to 12 people for a meeting, away day or even a store room for the larger events.

The Orwell Suite is another boardroom located in the Greenhouse  building. This room can take up to 12 people boardroom and is ideal for private meetings and away days.

A former Unitarian chapel restored in the early 2000, offers something different to your event with hand-picked unique furniture, modern artwork, and bright, open spaces.

Fazeley Studios makes a great setting for conferences, meetings, networking events and gala dinners.

The Fazeley Room is the largest space taking up to 210 theatre style or 130 cabaret. It is a bright room with views overlooking the Courtyard. This room also has drive in access.

Studio 7 has its original windows and period features blended with contemporary design whilst still retaining its Victorian charm. Ideal for events up to 100 people theatre style or cabaret style for up to 45 delegates. This room is also perfect for product launches.

The Social Boardoom is the smallest room on the ground floor and can take up to 12 boardroom style. This room has natural daylight, air conditioning, and plasma screen so ideal for meetings and away days.

photo courtesy of Tom Bird

The Old Library is a beautifully restored Victorian building, and is the last remaining of Birmingham’s five original Free Library’s opened in 1866. Located just 1/4 a mile from Birmingham City Centre, in the heart of Digbeth.

The main space is a light and airy space flooded with natural daylight. Full of period features including vaulted ceilings and iconic arch windows. It can take up to 100 people theatre style or 100 cabaret. There are also 2 smaller meeting rooms which can be used as breakout rooms or a small meeting. They can be used in conjunction with the main space or as a standalone meeting.

Thinktank is an award winning science museum housed inside the Millennium Point building.

There are 5 event spaces and of course as the Museum is open to the public during the day there are some spaces which have daytime restrictions but are fantastic for fabulous evening events

The Event Suite has its own dedicated entrance plus a reception area to meet and greet your guests. This blank canvas space offers 300m2 which can be partitioned into one, two or three areas. The Event space is located next door to the Futures Gallery which can be used for arrival refreshments, lunchtime break or a drinks reception post event.

Thinktank can also offer the following event rooms:

The Thinktank Theatre is a tiered, 180 seat auditorium. Ideal for large presentations offering projection onto three screens. Event organisers have the use of the built in projectors, microphones and sound system.

If you want to wow your delegates with a unique and immersive presentation – why not use the 69 seated domed digital Planetarium for your event? Or why not book this space for your delegates to enjoy a 360-degree shows – you have 35 to choose from!

The Past Gallery is available for evening hire and can accommodate up to 200 people for a dinner or drinks receptions for 350. This Gallery is dedicated to the industrial heritage of Birmingham, complete with steam engines, cars and trains.

The Future Gallery is also available for evening hire but you can also use this space for a Breakfast event. The Future Gallery can accommodate up to 50 people for a dinner or drinks receptions for 150 guests. This Gallery showcases space exploration, robots and scientists’ predictions for the future.