Business

Dining

Events

What is the venue hire cost and what does it include?

Venue hire costs £35,000 + VAT for Saturday events, with reduced pricing available for Monday-Wednesday bookings. This includes exclusive use of the venue, staffing, security, and cleaning, but excludes food & beverage and AV/production services.

What are the capacity limits for different event formats?

The venue accommodates up to 3,400 guests in theatre style seating, 670 guests maximum in dining format for private/corporate events, 3,600 fully seated for public ticketed events, or 5,300 with part-standing configuration. The minimum requirement for dining format events is 350 guests.

What are the mandatory additional costs beyond venue hire?

A minimum bar spend of £25,000 (ex VAT) applies to events. De-rig day costs £1,650 + VAT per hour with access from 7am and completion required by midday at the latest.

What booking requirements apply to new promoters?

New promoters must provide two references from similar sized UK venues (2,500+ capacity) where they have held events recently. The venue requires completion of a detailed form with company information and reference contacts before proceeding with any booking.

What are the venue's operating hours and access times?

The venue provides access from 9am with events licensed until 1am. Event windows typically run 7pm-1am for evening events, with full exclusive hire from 9am on the event day.

What technical and production facilities are included?

The venue includes a sound package, technical manager, 10 backstage dressing rooms/production offices, full branding potential, 6 digital poster sites across the front of the venue, and a service yard for production parking and loading bay. AV/production services are available as additional costs.

What staffing and services are provided with venue hire?

Venue hire includes a dedicated event manager, basic security personnel, front of house and cloakroom personnel, event first aid, and event cleaner. Additional staffing requirements would incur extra costs.

Are there restrictions on event types or guest numbers?

The venue will not consider events that would only sell significantly below capacity (such as 1,400 tickets when full capacity is available). Events with fewer than 350 guests in dining format or those deemed too small for the venue scale will be declined.

What is the booking process and timeline?

Initial availability is held on 'second pencil' or 'third pencil' basis. New clients must complete a detailed application form including company information and venue references before bookings can be confirmed. The venue may decline bookings that don't meet their criteria.

What catering and bar arrangements are available?

The venue has foyer bars that can cater for drinks receptions before or after main events. A minimum bar spend of £25,000 (ex VAT) applies, and the venue can accommodate various catering formats from standing receptions to formal dining arrangements.