thestudio Birmingham

You can seat 240 theatre style or split a programme across 19 rooms on four floors, with New Street Station two minutes’ walk away by the venue’s directions. Wi-Fi, a screen or projector, a flipchart and on-site support come with bookings, so a small meeting needs little extra planning. The venue is at 7 Cannon Street in Birmingham city centre, and its operator says its first venue opened in the city in 1999.

Event spaces and capacities

You can run plenary, breakouts and lunch under one roof without hiring a second building. Innovate on the third floor is the largest room for theatre seating at 240, and Explore on the second floor takes 220. The venue does not publish room areas, standing reception figures or exhibition space. Its fire risk assessment, reviewed in August 2026, puts the main second-floor area at roughly 30 by 20 metres, so ask the team for room measurements if a stand plan depends on them. A dot means the chart gives no figure. Smile and Think can also be combined for 60 theatre style.

Capacities as published by the venue in its September 2026 room capacity chart, checked 11 November 2026. Banquet figures for Innovate and Explore assume no dancefloor or stage. With either, the chart reduces Innovate to 170 and Explore to 150.

For a drinks reception or summer event, the venue offers exclusive hire of its roof terrace spaces for up to 200 guests, with the adjacent indoor room included at no extra charge on its summer BBQ package, priced from £38.60 plus VAT per person. It also lists an atrium and bar on the second floor.

Getting there and parking

Delegates arriving by train have a short walk. Birmingham New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill are all within walking distance, and the directions page puts New Street two minutes away, though the venue’s main page says five. There is no on-site parking. The venue suggests Snow Hill Station car park (B3 2BJ) and New Street Station car park (B2 4ND), both about five minutes on foot, and offers 15% off Q-Park at the Mailbox if you pre-book.

The nearest disabled parking is on Waterloo Street, for Blue or Orange Badge holders. Suppliers can drive to the door by Temple Row and Cherry Street, and the venue advises unloading between 8am and 10am or from 6pm, because Cannon Street is a pedestrian zone at other times. Bicycles can go in the secure basement, but e-bikes and e-scooters are not allowed in the building. For electric cars the venue points you to Zap Map rather than listing chargers of its own.

Catering, AV and accommodation

You get one price for room, AV and food with the Day Delegate Rate, which covers a chef’s choice hot buffet lunch, snacks and unlimited drinks through the day. The lunch is always 50% plant based, and choosing your own menu adds £2 plus VAT per person. On-site chefs prepare the food. The venue does not publish a price list and quotes by event, though online booking is open from 24 hours to 30 days ahead, Monday to Friday, with AV and unlimited tea and coffee included.

In-house AV support is on hand. The largest rooms add a lectern and microphones to the standard screen or projector. Published extras are plug-and-play video conferencing at £205 plus VAT a day, a video conferencing system at £275 and live streaming at £555. The venue has no bedrooms of its own. Its hotel page lists Staybridge Suites three minutes away, Ibis Styles Birmingham City Centre eleven minutes and Hilton Garden Inn Brindleyplace nineteen minutes on foot.

If you need to report on sustainability, the venue says it holds a Gold Greengage ECOsmart rating, uses a 100% renewable electricity supplier and gives clients an event carbon calculator. Its January 2026 access guide says lifts serve the floors and every floor has accessible toilets, and that the building suits wheelchair users apart from Smile and Think, which are reached only by a small flight of stairs.

What to ask before you book

• Which capacity applies to your room? The chart gives Innovate 170 for a banquet with a stage, while the online room guide lists dinner figures of 150 and 250 without saying which set-up each covers, and the venue’s introductions still say up to 220 delegates.
• Will your suppliers fit the 8am to 10am or after 6pm unloading times, given there is no on-site parking?
• Who provides a hearing loop? The access guide says none is installed and tells guests to ask their organiser.
• Can your Thursday session work around the weekly fire alarm test at 10.30am?
• How much notice does the alcohol licence need for your event? The venue says rules differ by site, and it cannot hold civil wedding ceremonies.
• Which AV is in your contract for your chosen room? The venue says the package varies from space to space.

Related on Events Review

• Conference venues in Birmingham
• Conference and exhibition venues
• thestudio Leeds, from the same operator
• The ICC Birmingham
• The NEC
• Millennium Point
• The Exchange Birmingham
• Hilton Birmingham Metropole
• Choose the venue around the event, not the headline capacity
• Turn venue accessibility claims into a usable event plan

Sources: venue page, room guide, room capacities, directions, access guide, food, AV, sustainability, our story, hotels, pricing, online booking, summer events, special occasions, fire risk assessment, checked 11 November 2026.