Five years, 4,400 bookings and 654,000 teas and coffees: The Eastside Rooms celebrates Birmingham milestone

Purpose-built venue marks five years since its first booking with figures that show the scale and variety of events it has brought to the city.

Birmingham’s purpose-built conference and events venue, The Eastside Rooms, is celebrating five years since taking its first booking in 2021, having since welcomed thousands of meetings, conferences, dinners, training sessions, celebrations and exhibitions.

Anniversary figures show that the venue has recorded 4,400 bookings, served 654,000 teas and coffees and prepared 218,123 delegate lunches during its first five years. The numbers reflect both the scale of the operation and the breadth of business and social events that have taken place across its 23 flexible rooms.

The detailed breakdown includes:

• 600 conferences attended by 111,400 people

• 2,804 meetings involving 83,653 attendees

• 553 banqueting events welcoming 112,750 guests

Amongst these, The Eastside Rooms has also hosted 120 association events, 313 training events, 30 exhibitions, 30 weddings and 150 Christmas events.

The milestone is particularly significant because the venue began trading during COVID, one of the most uncertain moments the events industry had faced. Its first booking came while organisers and venues were still navigating restrictions, changing guidance and questions about how quickly people would return to meeting face to face.

“When we took that first booking, nobody could predict exactly how the market would recover. Five years later, these figures show that the appetite to meet, learn, celebrate and do business face to face remains incredibly strong. What has changed is what organisers expect. They want flexibility, reliable technology, clear value, thoughtful food, stronger support for wellbeing and inclusion, and a venue team that understands why their event matters,” said Ross Hogarth, Director of Revenue at The Eastside Rooms.

Located in Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter, The Eastside Rooms was built specifically for modern events. Its facilities range from smaller meeting rooms to the 880 square metre Affinity Suite, the largest pillar-free event space in Birmingham, which can host up to 1,200 delegates in theatre style. The adjoining 195-bedroom Aloft By Marriott hotel allows organisers to combine event and accommodation requirements on one site.

Over the five years, the venue has built a growing reputation across corporate, association and membership events. Major milestones include:

• Winning Business Events Venue of the Year at the West Midlands Tourism Awards

• Taking Gold for Best Venue at the 2025 Memcom Excellence Awards 

• Becoming the first UK venue to achieve Gold Neuroinclusive Venue Accreditation.

The Eastside Rooms has also helped Birmingham secure events with a wider economic and intellectual impact. These include the 12th International Ceramics Congress, which will bring more than 600 international delegates to the city in 2028 and is expected to contribute more than £1 million to the regional economy.

“The big numbers are worth celebrating, but every one of those bookings represents an organiser placing their trust in our team. Our success has been built by people across sales, operations, food and beverage, production, housekeeping and the hotel working together. The next five years are about building on that experience while continuing to listen, adapt and give organisers and delegates the support they need,” concludes Tim Sparrow, General Manager at The Eastside Rooms

As it enters its next chapter, the venue is continuing to develop its offer around the priorities shaping the market, including neuroinclusive event planning, smaller and more focused meetings, training, association events and the role venues can play in supporting Birmingham’s wider business, academic and sporting ambitions.