Emirates Old Trafford

You can put a 1,000-seat plenary, its breakout rooms and its delegates’ beds on one site here, with free parking for event guests and the Old Trafford tram stop right outside the ground. The venue says it handles events for 10 to 1,000 people and supports them with its own event duty managers, IT support and event planners. Emirates Old Trafford is the home ground of Lancashire Cricket on Talbot Road in Trafford, about three miles from Manchester city centre by the venue’s own measure. Its event spaces sit in two connected buildings, the modern Point and the Pavilion, first built in 1895 and since redeveloped at a cost the club puts at £7.5m, plus The Edge inside the on-site Hilton Garden Inn.

Event spaces and capacities

You get one large hall that divides into three, five suites and nine Executive Boxes in the Pavilion for breakouts, and a restaurant space in the hotel, so a growing programme does not have to move buildings. The Point is the largest room, with 1,125 m² of floor space, a 7.4 metre ceiling, daylight, a mezzanine bar, a private balcony and a ground floor reception area. An indoor bridge links it to the Pavilion. Outside, the venue offers four car parks as open-air event space for marquees, launches and stalls, with a stated capacity of 1,200. The venue lists dinner dance figures as well: 800 for the whole of The Point, 400 for two sections, 160 for one, 200 in the Members’ Suite and 140 in the 1864 Suite.

n/p means the venue does not publish that figure. The Emirates Lounge is listed for 60 in casual seating (80 on the hire overview), the Club Suite for 40 at dinner, The Boardroom for 24 around the table, Executive Box 1 for 18 and Boxes 2 to 9 for 14 each, and The Edge for 140 in casual seating. Capacities as published by the venue on its spaces page and each room page, checked 5 November 2026.

Getting there and parking

Your delegates can arrive by tram without a transfer. The venue gives Old Trafford as its nearest Metrolink stop, directly outside the ground, and says trams from Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate-Castlefield and Victoria stations run straight to it. Event bookings get complimentary parking in a 500-space car park, with vehicle entry from Talbot Road and Great Stone Road. Public tariffs run from £5 for up to two hours to £18 for 24 hours, and hotel residents pay £10 per 24 hours. The club says the car park becomes the Fan Village during the cricket season, so public paid parking only runs from October to March. There are 22 cycle racks on site, and the nearest EV charging point is 0.9 miles away. The venue does not publish airport or motorway directions.

Catering, AV and accommodation

You can keep delegates on site overnight. The four-star Hilton Garden Inn has 250 bedrooms, 136 of them with balconies over the pitch, plus accessible rooms and new King and Twin suites. Exclusive hire of The Edge needs at least 100 guests and 100 booked bedrooms. Every suite has its own bar, the Members’ Suite has a dedicated food service station, and The Boardroom has built-in hybrid kit, table power sockets and a large screen. The venue lists Wi-Fi in its event spaces. On sustainability, the club says it composts food waste, uses local suppliers, sends no waste to landfill through its waste contractor, buys renewable electricity and is a member of the British Association for Sustainable Sport. It does not publish a catering policy or delegate rates.

What to ask before you book

• Your dates against the cricket calendar, concerts and Manchester United home games, since the car park turns into the Fan Village in summer and United matchdays carry a £15 parking charge.
• Whether free event parking holds for your numbers, as the room pages list 500 spaces in some places and 600+ in others.
• Floor areas for the Pavilion suites and The Edge, since the room pages give square metres only for The Point.
• A classroom count for The Point and the Members’ Suite, which are not in the published layouts.
• The hotel room block needed for your event, given the 100-bedroom minimum for exclusive use of The Edge.
• Step-free routes between The Point and the Pavilion bridge, since the venue calls The Point, The Edge and every Pavilion suite except The Emirates Lounge fully accessible and puts accessible toilets on the first floor of The Point.

Related on Events Review

• Conference venues in Manchester
• Stadium and sports venues
• Conference and exhibition venues
• Old Trafford
• Etihad Campus
• Manchester Central
• AO Arena
• Edgbaston Stadium
• Headingley Stadium
• Trent Bridge
• Lord’s Cricket Ground
• Choose the venue around the event, not the headline capacity
• Turn venue accessibility claims into a usable event plan

Sources: venue hire, The Point, The Pavilion, The Edge, outdoor spaces, plan your visit, car parking, hotel rooms, accessibility and sustainability, checked 5 November 2026.