About Reading

Reading is the largest town in Berkshire, England. During the Saxon era, Reading was referred to as “Raeda” in the 6th century. The famous River Thames that runs through the capital city of London also runs through Reading. Known as a retail and leisure destination, Reading has just over 200,000 residents and a major university on its land. The University of Reading is an extension of the iconic University of Oxford, giving this university a prestigious atmosphere and an excellent reputation for being one of the top schools in the world.

Reading has had a significant impact on the technology industry as it was the initial starting point for the company Hewlett-Packard. In the 21st century, it also became the grounds for Microsoft and Oracle. Once these two big brand companies came to Reading, they paved the way for other large companies such as Huawei, Verizon and Virgin Media.

Conference Room Space Options in Reading

Organising a conference, whether big or small, can be nerve-racking, as you don't want to disappoint your delegates! However, you don't need to do it all by yourself. With the help of several suppliers around the city, you'll be able to pull off a successful conference that will delight all guests. When finding a conference space in Reading, you will want to look at the other aspects you need to elevate the gathering.

• AV Hire
  Hiring audiovisual technology for your conference room is one of the basic requirements you need to attend to, since your esteemed guests will be speaking or presenting to the delegates. There are several AV rental companies in Reading that can offer their AV equipment for a day or two, and deliver and pick it up once the conference ends.

• Catering
  Catering is an excellent addition to the conference. Since conferences usually last for a few hours, and chances are some of your guests will be coming from out of town, your guests are bound to get hungry. Most catering places offer buffet tables, in which your attendees can just help themselves as the conference goes on. Alternatively, dishes can also be served to your guests by waiters. Whatever type of catering service you offer, your attendees will appreciate it a lot.

• Furniture Hire
  If you have hired a blank space for your conference room, you'll need to hire tables and chairs to keep your guests comfortable. Hiring furniture from a third party company allows you more freedom to choose items that will fit your theme.

Conference Room Companies in Reading

• Mother's Kitchen
  Mother's Kitchen is run by a small business owner named Irene. The business makes fresh, homemade and locally sourced foods. They offer buffets, desserts, afternoon tea, and a selection of cakes and sandwiches. Just because the business is small does not mean this kitchen only handles small-scale events! Mother's Kitchen have already catered for weddings, parties and christenings, and they offer discounted prices if you have over 70 people at your event.

• Berkshire AV Hire
  Berkshire AV Hire has over 15 years of experience in the audiovisual industry and is a certified expert in conferences and corporate events. This business carries lighting, LCD screens, projectors, audio and more in their stock. All of Berkshire’s equipment is PAT tested, and all of their professional technicians are up to date on software testing.

• Expo Hire Thames Valley
  Expo Hire is a significant business that carries items to many places within the United Kingdom. Their Thames Valley branch provides catering and event equipment to offices, workplaces and large-scale events and exhibitions around Thames Valley, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe and the surrounding areas. They charge a small delivery and collection fee and offer indoor and outdoor furniture such as tables and chairs, catering equipment, stages, lecterns and tripods. If you need furniture for your conference space, Expo Hire has you covered!

Pros and Cons of Conference Room Spaces in Reading

Pros

• Not crowded
  Reading is quite a large town, but it is not overly populated compared to other major cities in England. You will find you can move through the streets quite easily here without delay, and noise from the streets should be minimal. You'll be able to hold a peaceful and quiet conference here in the city.
  
  
• Walkable city centre
  If your chosen conference room lies in the city centre, it provides an advantage to your guests as they can easily walk to the venue.

• Transportation
  Reading has a phenomenal bus system that goes everywhere with multiple stops. If you or your guests don't have a car to drive around, then the buses are a great option to get to the conference room location.
  
  
• Start-up location
  Reading has seen significant economic growth in the past years due to the presence of business start-ups and high employment rate in the city, among others. This kind of atmosphere will be very welcoming to an event such as a conference, as you'll be able to potentially gain business partners or sponsors here.

Cons

• Expensive
  Although Reading isn’t as crowded as other expensive areas in England, the cost of living is still on the steep side. Take note of this while looking around for a conference space as the prices may be higher here than in other places. However, with proper research, you should be able to find something that will suit your budget and preferences.

• Not many attractions
  If your conference guests are from out of town, they might find the city a little underwhelming in terms of places to go or things to do. There are places such as libraries, parks and museums, but that's about it here.

Best Conference Space Rooms in Reading

• Hilton Reading Hotel
  The Hilton Reading Hotel is four minutes from the Reading city centre. All the rooms and suites here are multipurpose. It has eight function rooms, a ballroom and fourteen meeting rooms that can be tailored to your needs. They also have dressed boardrooms for conference purposes.

• Warbrook House Hotel
  The Warbrook House Hotel is a Grade I listed building built in 1724. It has over ten meeting rooms that can accommodate 120 people, a coffee lounge and a restaurant. This hotel primarily functions as a space for conferences, meetings, team-building events and product launches. There are over 200 free parking spaces as an added bonus.

• Green Park Conference Centre
  The Green Park Conference Centre has Grade A conference facilities. There are five meeting rooms, all of which have views of Longwater Lake and Green Park just outside the grounds. This conference centre can hold up to 200 guests and offers in-house catering that includes BBQ and canapes, free Wi-Fi and parking.