The Best Event Spaces to Hire in Manchester
Our team recently travelled up to Manchester to look at 25 new venues they would be joining our collection. We pride ourselves on only recommending venues we have visited personally, not just in London but across the UK. Our visits involve getting a feel for each space, speaking to the inhouse event teams, the catering staff and the managers to fully understand how they work and how an event at their venue will look and feel. We made such that our Manchester venues were a diverse mixing, from 5 star hotels to rooftop bars, to ensure no matter what your event or style we could offer you the perfect space. Below we have picked our favorite 10 venues from the trip.
Doubletree by Hilton
A stunning 4 star hotel opposite Manchester Piccadilly Station, the Doubletree by Hilton has on site restaurant and bar perfect for a range of events. The Store Street Exchange has been designed with Manchester’s industrial heritage in mind with exposed brick walls and wood flooring., while the leather chairs and marble decor ensures a luxurious edge to events. A highly flexible venue that can cater for intimate private dining for 16 up to parties and celebration for 300 guests.
The hotel also boasts the Skylounge, a stunning private dining space with a view that takes your breath away. Floor to ceiling windows and a private balcony, this space is sure to impress and can accommodate up to 40 guests.
Manchester Art Gallery
What a wonderfully different place to hold your next event! This is such a versatile venue, with a quirky twist. The perfect place to have drinks receptions that flow, as guests meander their way around the gallery talking and gazing at the beautiful displays of artwork that are on offer. This is a venue has traditional and modern styles throughout adding to the guest experience as they move from main spaces to breakouts and seated dinners. With the ever changing artwork, guests can be constantly impressed.
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel
An award-winning hotel set inside the historic Grade II listed Free Trade Hall, one of the city’s oldest and most iconic buildings, the Radisson Blu Edwardian is a highly impressive and versatile venue. Located in the heart of Manchester and having been recently refurbished it offers 22 modern meeting rooms and a spectacular events room with a capacity of 550. There is also an onsite restaurant, Peter’s Square Kitchen, that serves a mouthwatering fusion of Mexican and Japanese cuisine.
20 Stories
A rooftop bar and restaurant in the heart of Spinningfields, 20 Stories offers 360° views of Manchester and is one of the city’s most impressive venues. This D&D restaurant is the first to be Manchester based, and boy haven’t they gone out of the way to impress! The restaurant benefits from an outside terrace with views of the city and lots of stunning foliage and flowers, which is covered for all year round use. The restaurant works well for an array of corporate events from private dining for up to 14 guests to parties for up to 600 when you exclusively hire the whole venue.
The Albert Hall
One of Manchester’s most renowned music venues, the Albert Hall is a popular venue for events. The venue oozes character, with high ceilings, open brickwork and large stained glass windows. Able to cater for conference and corporate events, as well as parties and celebrations, there is an inbuilt stage, an impressive lighting setup and room for nearly 2,000 guests.
The Lowry Hotel
The Lowry Hotel feels somewhat like an art gallery when you enter the lobby, with its cool and contemporary check in desks, large windows and walls covered in artwork. There are a number of spaces at the hotel including 8 meeting rooms, a large ballroom and restaurant.
Science and Industry Museum
The Science and Industry Museum sits on a historical site; the location of the first inter-city passenger train station. Available for evening hire only, the main space houses the world’s first computer along with other displays of Manchester’s industrial past, combined with up to date AV and a built in photobooth. A short walk across the courtyard takes you to the Museums 1830 Warehouse which has a number of raw yet classy galleries with exposed brickwork and original wooden floors, perfect for product launches and dinners. The conference centre on the top floor of the Warehouse still carries the industrial feel, with natural daylight, views over the city and built in AV.
The Midland
Surely one of Manchester’s oldest and best know hotels, The Midland oozes elegance from the moment you enter the lobby and their event spaces carry through that traditional feel. From wood panelled to duck-egg blue with beautiful plasterwork, this hotel boasts 14 versatile rooms which can be hired individually or in conjunction with each other and are great for anything from smaller meetings, to banqueting, to conferences with a difference. To top it all off the hotel restaurant, Mr Coopers, can also be privately hired and serves traditional, seasonal British food in a stunning setting.
Flight Club Manchester
Already established in a number of other major cities including London and Chicago, Flight Club has finally arrived in Manchester. Social darts, mouth watering food and a comprehensive drinks menu makes this a popular venue for private parties and team building events. With semi-private areas or the option to exclusively hire the venue, the Flight Club Manchester can cater for up to 300.