Events & Venue Hire

Conference Exhibition Areas

Light, open and airy, our exhibition spaces are perfect for showcasing of information stands or stalls.

Conference Reception Area

This area benefits from its own reception area located on fourth floor adjacent to the conference facilities, the main staircase and a lift to all floors service it.

Conference rooms are available to use for meetings or video conferencing (VC) with other businesses and institutions. Our conference rooms have state-of-the-art VC equipment and many of them have flexible layouts allowing them to be used for a variety of purposes.

The Henry Charnock Lecture Theatre

Our raked seating lecture theatre accommodates 132 delegates, is fully air-conditioned and benefits from a superb large scale projection system and screen making it perfect for presentations, seminars, conferences, plenaries or lecture series.

This room will hold 135 people seated which is set out as 132 fixed raked seats and space allocation for three wheelchairs. (This number must not be exceeded under any circumstances for health and safety reasons. Aisles and fire exits should not be obstructed at any time.)

AV Capabilities (Supported by NOC team only)

• Built in LCD Projector which can be operated by On site PC or via VGA to laptop (MAC via converter)
• 16ft ×9ft front projection screen
• Speaker podium with built-in goose-neck microphone and PC prompter screen.
• Available 2 × neck hanging microphones
• Fully dimmable lighting (full and partial ceiling)

Above included in room hire cost

Front Stage

• Presenter lectern built in non-removable
• Clear Space, additional panel table can be added maximum of six delegates
• Wheelchair access to stage via adjacent chair lift

Additional Items (available at extra charge)

• Hand held roving microphones
• Panel table microphones
• Stage illumination / dressing

Seminar Room

The Seminar Room will hold 106 people seated classroom style and 180 people theatre style.

It benefits from built in projection and PA system, the projection consists of three projection units down one wall aiding visibility of all present.

Exhibition/Breakout space

The Exhibition / Breakout space can be configured in many layouts allowing room for catering and networking a small number of exhibition stands, poster boards or if you require small tables for individual one to one meetings.

Benefiting from natural daylight, this area could be atmospherically illuminated for a nominal fee.

We work with a number of contractors including logistics, Audio Visual, Event Theming.

Parking is limited at the NOC, however a multi-level parking facility is available a short walk away, The centre is serviced directly from Southampton Airport, Parkway and Central Train stations by the Unilink bus service which has a drop off and collection point directly outside of the NOC main entrance, this service also operates across the Southampton city centre.

There are many hotels within easy walking distance of the NOC and we would be happy to provide you with a list of these. Negotiated local rates are in place with some of the local hotels, which would be available to your delegates.

Conference rooms are available to use for meetings or video conferencing (VC) with other businesses and institutions. Our conference rooms have state-of-the-art VC equipment and many of them have flexible layouts allowing them to be used for a variety of purposes.

The NOC marquee is a modular temporary structure 45m long by 15m wide, however, as a modular space the length can be increased in multiples of 5m. Hire of the space is for a blank canvas, enabling the user to tailor the space to their needs.

Our nominated contractors can provide quotations for carpets, linings, heating furnishings, lighting and Audio Visual equipment and services. The structure can be located in various locations on the NOC estate including the dockside area, in this location floor to ceiling glass windows can be hired to enable stunning views of the Empress Dock and the port of Southampton beyond. Interiors can be arranged to suit your event needs.

Flexible Layouts

The structure will comfortably seat 300 delegates with rear projection, an exhibition space for 30 table top exhibits that doubles as a hospitality service area. For dining, the structure will seat 350 with a rear projection stage or dance floor, and 400 for a banquet. Stand up receptions 600 – 800 guests.

Security Services

Security services provided by the NOC security team, additional charges may apply depending on the type of event taking place.

The NOC Waterfront Café is the perfect location to host an evening reception or a formal dinner, overlooking the Empress Dock and busy Port of Southampton beyond the café has a continually moving view of the “Gateway to the World”.

Using our nominated suppliers we are able to transform the café to meet your needs. Catering is provided by the professional hospitality services team of the University of Southampton, ranging from stand up canapé receptions through to a formal fine dining experience.

The view from the full height windows is an ever changing image of the activities within the Port of Southampton.

Flexible Layouts

The café will comfortably seat 150 delegates on formal long tables and 110 or circular banquet tables. For a stand up reception with Poseur tables, 200 – 250 delegates can make the most of this unique waterfront location.

The Beverton and Swallow rooms are named after significant Oceanographers from the past 100 years, whose works have had a direct impact on NOC delivering its research. Each of these rooms have natural daylight and stunning views across the port of Southampton, the Cruise Capital of Europe.

Seating / layouts

Theatre (seminar): 25
Classroom with Tables: 16
Open Square: 16
Café: 18

Audio Visual Equipment

Ceiling mounted data projector with connections for HDMI and VGA
Wall mounted screen
White board
Flipchart
House Telephone