Science and Industry Museum

You can run a daytime conference of up to 250 theatre style in the Conference Centre and move guests into a gallery of working engines or the replica of the world’s first stored-program computer for the evening, all at one city centre address with one events team and one caterer. That saves you a second venue and a transfer between them. The museum stands on Liverpool Road, on the site of the oldest surviving passenger railway station, and the Science Museum Group runs it.

Event spaces and capacities

You get two kinds of space here. By day there is a refurbished Conference Centre on the second floor of New Warehouse, a Grade II listed building, with six rooms you can hire singly or take over as a whole, plus a foyer around a glass atrium for lunches, breakouts and exhibition stands. By evening there are galleries. The Revolution Manchester Gallery is the largest, at 270 for dinner and 450 standing, and Power Hall, Power Up and the Textiles Gallery each take receptions of up to 150. The 2026 brochure also lists the top floor of the 1830 Warehouse at 300 theatre style. The venue does not publish room areas or a classroom layout.

Capacities as published by the venue on its conferences and meetings pages, its dinners and receptions pages and in its 2026 corporate events brochure, checked 5 November 2026. The Code Room also seats 14 boardroom style. The venue says final numbers depend on the set-up.

Getting there and parking

Your delegates can come by train without needing a car. The venue says Deansgate station is about a 10 minute walk away and that Manchester Airport is within easy reach. There is no parking on site, although the museum mentions parking nearby, so budget for public car parks or tell guests to use the train. The venue does not publish loading details for exhibition stands, so ask before you plan a build in the foyer.

Catering, AV and accommodation

You deal with a single in-house caterer rather than sourcing your own. Benugo is the museum’s exclusive catering partner, with packages that run from canapés to seated dinners and bespoke menus on request. For conferences the brochure lists hot and cold buffets, a working sandwich lunch and freshly baked goods.

Studio One and Two have a built-in AV system, and the Atom, Engine and Code rooms each come with an LCD screen, a flipchart and free Wi-Fi. The brochure says every Conference Centre room is set up for hybrid calls. The Revolution Manchester Gallery has a media wall. For anything more, the team will share a list of recommended AV and entertainment suppliers, and you may bring your own. Paid add-ons include a Q&A with museum explainers at the Baby computer replica, a cotton spinning demonstration on 19th-century machinery in the Textiles Gallery and a demonstration of the working engines in Power Hall.

There are no bedrooms on site. The museum says many city centre hotels are within walking distance and its team can advise on corporate room rates. On access, the venue says the museum is fully wheelchair accessible, with step-free access, wheelchair-accessible lifts, accessible toilets and baby changing in the Revolution Manchester Gallery, quiet rooms and hearing loops.

What to ask before you book

• The FAQ gives 200 as the largest daytime conference, the brochure says rooms run up to 300, and the Studio page shows 250 theatre style. Confirm the figure that applies to your layout.
• The Engine Room and Code Room pages give higher numbers than the conferences overview (40 against 14, and 14 against 9). Ask which is right for a seated meeting.
• The 1830 Warehouse appears in the 2026 brochure but not on the website’s list of spaces. Check that it is bookable on your date and which layout its fourth figure of 150 covers.
• A multi-million-pound restoration has left scaffolding visible and some buildings closed. Ask which areas and entrances will be affected on your event day.
• Galleries are offered for evening events. Ask what time you can get access to set up and when guests must leave.
• Prices are by bespoke quote only, and the sales line is staffed 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Ask for a quote that covers room hire, Benugo catering and any add-on demonstrations together.

Related on Events Review

• Conference venues in Manchester
• Historic event venues
• Unusual event venues
• Manchester Museum
• Manchester Town Hall
• The Midland Hotel, a historic conference hotel in Manchester
• Manchester Central
• Glasgow Science Centre
• Coventry Transport Museum
• Turn venue accessibility claims into a usable event plan
• Choose the venue around the event, not the headline capacity

Sources: hirethescienceandindustrymuseum.com, Conference Centre, FAQs, Food and Drink, About us, Contact us and the Corporate Events Brochure 2026, checked 5 November 2026.