A – Ambassador Programme

Could you be our next conference ambassador?  Would you like to champion Cambridge as a destination for your industry event but don’t know where to start?  We offer a free programme of help and support to help you convince your peers that Cambridge is the place to meet! We’ll help you find the right venues, work with you on the bid, arrange site visits and hospitality for you and your key decision-makers, and we’ll be by your side the whole way. 

Nothing beats the feeling of having hosted a successful event here in our beautiful city – let’s make it happen!

To find out more, drop us an email or call +44(0) 1223 768740.

Check out our case studies for inspiration and information on events we have hosted in the past.

 

B – Blog

We’ve got our finger on the pulse of the meeting and event industry and our blog is a great free resource that we’re delighted to share with you all. From insider knowledge to top tips, take a look through our archive and you’ll find a wealth of information, from setting objectives for your event, to choosing the perfect venues, how to market your event and even how to choose the perfect catering.  We’ve gone behind the scenes with sommeliers, professional conference organisers and even College gardeners! 

Make sure you bookmark our blog page and sign up to our newsletter so you’re in the know when a new blog drops!

 

C – Colleges

The University of Cambridge is one of the world's oldest universities and leading academic centres and it often comes as a surprise to visitors that there is no single campus; the University is comprised of 31 Colleges and over 150 departments, faculties, schools and other institutions.

Each College has its own unique ambience with some buildings dating back to the medieval period and others with award-winning contemporary architecture.

Throughout the year a variety of spaces across the Colleges are available for day meetings and conferences, training events, team buildings, board meetings and private dining, and in the University’s vacation, delegates and leisure visitors can also stay in a Cambridge College – a truly one-of-a-kind experience!

Anyone can book an event in a College, and we’ll help you find the perfect venue in Cambridge whatever the occasion…

 

D – Dining

We have an incredible collection of the most unique event venues in Cambridge, perfect for private dining, gala dinners and special occasions. From grand Tudor halls to oak-beamed parlours, contemporary dining rooms, function suites, pavilions, and garden settings for groups of 8 to 800.

Exclusive, fine dining in a Cambridge College is a unique and memorable way to entertain key clients, reward staff or simply to celebrate in style. Bespoke menus are created by in-house teams and offered with fine wines from the College cellars. Guests are waited on by experienced butlers in ancient, majestic halls, some lit only by candlelight, or in historic dining rooms with warming open fires. Whatever the size of your group, we have venues that can offer you small intimate dining rooms as well as incredible options for gala dinners.

In Spring and Summer organisers can make the most of a selection of impeccably manicured gardens for drinks and canapés, tea parties or informal hog roasts in riverside or country locations.

With impeccable service, award-winning chefs and creative cuisine, private dining in Cambridge is an incredible experience for those who choose to dine and celebrate in our venues.  

 

E - Event Planner’s Toolkit

We know that working in the events industry is a busy and often stressful job but as a collective, event folk are great at sharing knowledge, there's no point in reinventing the wheel each time we run an event, right? That's why we've developed our Event Planners' Toolkit, it's packed with everything you need to help you stage a successful event in Cambridge.

Whether you need a professional conference organiser, or event insurance; tips for creating that special Cambridge experience or images for your event web site, we’ve packaged everything together for you. There’s a whole host of checklists to help you keep on track, a sample budget spreadsheet to help you get started with your planning, useful numbers for your delegate packs and so much more…

Let us know if we’ve missed anything!

 

F – Free Service

Meet Cambridge was founded in 1998 and almost 25 years later, our service remains completely free of charge.  We’re here to help you whether this is your first event or your hundredth!

We help thousands of event planners, party organisers and agents every year, it’s the quickest route to finding a venue in Cambridge and we’d love to chat to you about your plans.

With one single enquiry to our service, we can check availability across our whole portfolio, saving you precious time and leg work and we also give you access to My Event, your own enquiry portal where you can see responses from venues in real-time and keep track of all of your enquiries in one place.

Our team of friendly experts are on hand to help every step of the way; put us to the test today!

 

G – Gardens

Did you know that half of the city of Cambridge is green space? Why not check out a venue with a garden for your next event, we have plenty of choice!

Whether you would like to host a drinks reception or BBQ in a College garden or perhaps you need acres of space for a team-building or sporting event whatever the occasion, we can help.

From perfectly manicured gardens overlooking the River Cam, where guests could also enjoying punting, to meeting spaces that open up, allowing you to bring the outside in. 

Some of our venues offer garden tours or a talk from the Head Gardener, it could kick-start the day and build interest for the programme ahead.

The gardens have a practical purpose too with many Colleges growing fruit, herbs and vegetables for use in their menus – it doesn’t come much fresher than that!

 

H – Hotels

We have a wonderful selection of city centre hotels for you to choose from here in Cambridge and with the city being so small and compact you’re never more than a few steps between venues…

Our hotel selection includes large brands and independent properties, both traditional and contemporary and all with a focus on sustainability, there’s something to suit all needs, budgets and tastes.  Whether you need standard accommodation or high-end luxury, apartment style spaces or boutique rooms, the city has it all.  Accommodation is complemented with a range of meeting and dining options too, from large banqueting and conferencing spaces to smaller, intimate meeting rooms, co working areas, fitness centres, rooftop bars and gardens!

 

I – Independent & Impartial

The Meet Cambridge team are all locals and passionate about our beautiful city.  When you place an event enquiry with us, you can be sure that we know our stuff! We’re not a huge venue-finding agency dealing with destinations all over the UK, we’re local, independent, and impartial.  As our client, you can be sure that we know our venues inside out, we know all of the best and secret spaces, and we will always strive to provide you with the best service and advice.  We present you with all of the venue options for your event so that you can choose what suits you best and there’s never any obligation or charge to you for our services.

 

J – Just One Enquiry

With just one enquiry to our service, we can check availability at every venue in our portfolio that meets with your specification.

It’s a quick and easy way to find availability across a whole range of venues whatever your event.

We make it was for your to contact us, with a handy online enquiry service where you can submit the details or you can live chat with us on our web site, call or email us – we also have a call back service so we can reach out to you at a time that’s convenient for you.

As soon as we receive your enquiry, our experts get to work on finding the best venue for you; and they’ll be around to help you, every step of the way.

 

K – Knowledgeable Team

We are a small team of local experts who are all passionate about Cambridge and the options it offers for events of all kinds.

We know our venues inside out and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll know someone who does!  We’re great at connecting people and thinking outside of the box and most of all, we want you to have an incredible experience at your event, whether it’s your first event in Cambridge or your 100th.

We pride ourselves on offering a helpful and efficient service for our clients and we’re pleased to say that 99% of the clients that respond to our surveys would recommend us.

 

L – Location

Cambridge is in the East of England, just 60 miles North of London. Stansted airport is 30 miles to the South of the city and fast trains to and from King’s Cross take approximately 55 minutes.

The city is within 2 hours of all of the London airports and about 1.5 hours from Felixstowe port for journeys to and from Europe.

The city is best discovered on foot or in the traditional way by bike, with miles of cycleways to explore!

 

M – Multi-site Events

Cambridge is a beautifully compact city – you can walk from one end of town to the other in less than 30 minutes, although it would take you a few days to discover all the medieval streets, bridges and secret places. As a result, most of our venues are close to one another which means you can use the city as your venue – it’s much more interesting than any convention centre!

With a multi-site event, delegates actually get to see and experience our celebrated city and they certainly won’t get that bland feeling that they could be anywhere in the world.

We take the leg work out of it for you with a dedicated coordinator and a free administration service as well as a single set of terms and conditions to make contracting with multiple venues as easy as possible.

 

N – news

We keep up with venue news, so you don’t have to – whether it’s a new development, trends, or an industry topic under discussion, we’ve got our fingers on the pulse of all things events in Cambridge.

If you’d like to receive our news and invitations to our events and those at our venues, why not sign up to our mailing list, and if there’s an issue or topic you’d like us to explore, let us know and we’ll get onto it right away!

 

O – Outside Spaces

Why not use some of our amazing outdoor space during your next event – half of the city of Cambridge (7 square miles) is green after all, and we have lots of venues with amazing grounds, in and out of town...

There’s also something nostalgic about being outside in an unusual context that takes you back to those rare afternoons at school, when the teacher would let you sit under a tree for a lesson…

To get your delegates in the best frame of mind for learning, why not start with a run, bike ride, yoga exercises or perhaps a mindful walk…

There’s nothing like an inspirational space for a quiet, contemplative moment. It can allow delegates to consolidate and reflect on their experiences and learning.

 

P – Portfolio

Our portfolio features over 50 incredible venues from historic Cambridge Colleges to hotels, museums, and unique spaces in and around the city.

Discover the very best of conference and meeting rooms, private dining rooms and ancient halls, contemporary learning environments and auditoriums.

Whether you need a place to meet, to brainstorm, to dine or to sleep, we’ll find the perfect setting for you.

 

Q – Quality

The standards in our venues are high, our venue teams go above and beyond to ensure that you have an exceptional experience when you host an event in Cambridge.

Over 60% of our venues are members of the Meetings Industry Association, which gives you, as an event manager, peace of mind that these venues have gone through a rigorous process of validation with scrutiny in a range of areas: the quality of the meeting and events facilities, commitment to delivering a healthy and hygienic environment, standard of service delivery, compliance with legislation and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the environment.

 

R - River Cam

Once an important trade route, the River Cam winds its way through the heart of Cambridge.  Today it’s a major attraction where visitors can while away a few hours gliding along on a traditional punt, watching the world go by.

The river flows along the famous College Backs and a trip along this stretch of the river will reward you with the most stunning views of some of the most iconic architecture in the world.

For those feeling brave, you can take to the water in a hire craft, or you can book a chauffeured punt so you can sit back and relax with an expert guide and perhaps a glass of fizz or two!

 

S – Sustainability

Making eco-friendly choices, even small ones, can make a world of difference…

Our venues have policies in place to show how they are working towards creating sustainable buildings.  Activities range from harvesting rainwater to offering charging points for electric cars; refillable glass water bottles to ground-source heating; solar technology; food waste reduction, recycling and even bee keeping.

Cambridge city holds a Silver Award as a Sustainable Food City and it’s currently going for Gold and Cambridge City Council has the vision to be net zero by 2030.

There’s so much more we can do though, if you need help and advice about making sustainable choices for your next event, do reach out.

 

T – Technology

Event technology is moving at fast pace and there’s so much to consider and new formats to get to grips with.  Throughout the pandemic, many of our venues have invested in their in-house technology to allow organisers the opportunity to extend their events to remote delegates and speakers.

For larger and more complex hybrid events, our venues will work closely with expert providers and many offer packages so you can be safe in the knowledge that your events will run to plan.

Who knows what our future events will look like, but technology is certainly enabling us to connect at scale in ways that were unimaginable pre pandemic and we’re excited to see where technology might lead us to!

 

U – University of Cambridge

Our portfolio also includes venues at the University of Cambridge, offering some excellent facilities for both day and residential meetings.

The University’s Institute for Continuing Education, Madingley Hall is an elegant 16th century country house with 14 well-equipped meeting rooms capable of accommodating up to 100 delegates, and tasteful en-suite accommodation, all within seven acres of spectacular gardens and grounds, designed in the 18th century by ‘Capability’ Brown.

The University’s Faculty of Music, houses one of the city’s largest event spaces, West Road Concert Hall, the auditorium seats up to 499 people in an air-conditioned, raked, theatre-style layout. Six breakout rooms with capacities from 40 to 100 in a variety of layouts are complemented by the large, bright foyer (340sq.m), ideal for exhibitions, registration, networking, and catering.

 

V – Variety of Events

We can host a huge variety of events in our venues, from large residential conferences to small, intimate dinners and everything in between.

From residential conferences to seminars; day meetings, product launches, training, and workshops to team building, accommodation, private dining and award ceremonies; garden parties, gala dinners, weddings and celebrations – we’ll help you find the perfect setting!

 

W – Weddings

If you have recently said ‘yes’, we can also help you find the perfect venue for your wedding service and celebrations.

Whether your taste is for a contemporary room, a historic venue, a quirky space, or indeed a combination of styles, we can help you.

For a truly memorable experience, you can also celebrate your special day in style at a Cambridge College. From grand halls to intimate, candlelit oak-panelled rooms as well as architecturally stunning modern venues, for civil ceremonies and receptions.

Our portfolio also includes country houses, hotels, museums and unique properties in stunning locations in and around the city.

 

X – eXceptional eXperiences

We had to cheat a little with this one but one thing you can be assured of is that when you host your event in Cambridge, you and your guests will have an exceptional experience. 

Cambridge is a special and unique destination; a meeting, a lunch, pint or coffee shared with peers can change everything for one person, or indeed for the world, as many Cambridge ideas have.

Meeting in person is, and always will be, the most effective form of communicating and doing business – with gurus across the world agreeing that a smile and a handshake still beat a hybrid or virtual event.

Check us out, an exceptional experience awaits!

 

Y – You and Your Event

We are here for you, we pride ourselves on offering a personal service whether you are organising an event for 2 people or a thousand, we exist to make your job in finding the perfect venue easier, quicker and without fuss.

Most of our clients come to us by referral from other clients and we take that as a huge compliment, but we don’t rest on our laurels, and we are always striving to make our services better for you.

We love to chat events and we’re always keen to hear your ideas and plans, why not get in touch today!

 

Z – Zzzzzz

Yes, we can also help with sleep – well, we’ll help you find the perfect place to rest your head, the rest we’ll leave to you…

Why not try the unique experience of a stay in a Cambridge College and experience the city from the inside.

In the University's vacation periods, at Easter, summer and Christmas, our academic venues offer a variety of bedroom styles, giving small groups and individuals the opportunity to stay in a College. Whatever your preference, there is a College for your stay. Contemporary buildings mingle with ancient settings offering styles to suit all budgets – from single standard bedrooms with shared bathroom facilities to executive double en-suite hotel-style rooms.

Stay in a Cambridge College is a useful online booking system that allows you to browse available Colleges for your stay, it's quick and easy to use, just choose, book and pay online.

 

Make an Enquiry today 

Meet Cambridge can help you find a venue and host the perfect event in Cambridge.

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