Where to hold a business event in Eastbourne

By Martial Chaput, published 7 October 2026.

Eastbourne has a room for almost every business event, from a boardroom for 14 to halls for over 1,000. This guide groups the venues local organisers use by the size of the event, with the capacities each venue publishes.

Capacities come from each venue’s own website. Rooms are refurbished and renamed from time to time, so ask the venue for prices and current availability, and confirm the details for the exact room you book.

Small meetings and training (up to 30)

• Eastbourne Library: a meeting room for 14 in a boardroom layout, with a large monitor. It is on the second floor, reached by stairs or lift, and is wheelchair accessible. Hire by the hour, Monday to Saturday.
• FOUNDRY, The Beacon: the conference suite at 78 The Beacon has large interactive screens with video calling built in, and the team can arrange catering. It is a short walk from the station; ask FOUNDRY for capacities by layout.
• Hydro Hotel: the Meads Room and Hornsby Suite each take up to 16. The Hornsby is on the third floor, with a lift opposite.
• The Lansdowne Hotel: a lower ground floor room for boardroom meetings of up to 14.

For a community workshop, GATHER at The Beacon is a ground-floor space with about 20 chairs, six tables and a 75-inch screen, for daytime events. Ask The Beacon about charges.

Breakfasts, workshops and seminars (30 to 120)

• Hydro Hotel: the Garden Suite takes 40 to 120 on the ground floor, with air conditioning and a private bar, and the Wedgwood Room seats up to 100 theatre style. The hotel offers a breakfast meeting package, with the room from 6:30am to 10:30am, and the Eastbourne Unltd Chamber often holds its breakfasts here.
• The Lansdowne Hotel: seven function rooms for 2 to 120 on King Edward’s Parade, all with daylight. One room with a private bar takes up to 120 for networking and launches. Catering ranges from light lunches to formal dinners.
• Royal Sovereign Suite, Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club: up to 100 theatre style or 80 cabaret, with its own bar, AV equipment and a lift. The Chart Room takes 16 boardroom style or 25 theatre style. Free parking in the Waterfront car park opposite.
• Towner Eastbourne: Studio 1 seats 80 theatre style or 120 standing, on the ground floor. The auditorium has 84 raked seats, wheelchair spaces and an induction loop. The café bar takes 80 to 100 standing in the evenings. It is a 10-minute walk from the station.
• Wellshurst Golf & Country Club: near Hailsham, from 6 boardroom style to 150 theatre style, with breakfast on arrival and free parking for up to 100 cars. The Wellshurst Suite is on the ground floor with full disabled access and a hearing loop. The Hailsham Chamber holds its breakfasts here.

Conferences, dinners and awards (over 120)

• The Grand Hotel: 17 meeting rooms, all with natural daylight. The Compton takes 300 theatre style, 120 cabaret or 400 for a reception, and has a stage area. The Silverdale and Compton rooms host private dinners for up to 200.
• Welcome Building, Devonshire Quarter: Shackleton Hall seats 550 theatre style and Mallory Hall 400, with the Johnson and Orwell Room for 60. Free WiFi and in-house AV and lighting technicians, about 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from the station.
• Winter Garden: the Floral Hall seats 800 theatre style or 500 cabaret, or takes 1,400 standing, and the Gold Room seats 400 theatre style, with in-house AV and lighting technicians, a licensed bar and a car park nearby. Trafalgar runs the Devonshire Quarter venues, including the Welcome Building, in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council, so book through Trafalgar.
• Eastbourne College: the Jennifer Winn Auditorium seats up to 230. Most college spaces are free only in the school holidays.

Community halls nearby

• Hailsham Civic Community Hall: 150 to 180 people, with a stage, kitchen, drop-down projection screens (bring a projector), sound and lighting, and free parking.
• Polegate Community Centre: the Henry Twine Hall seats 220 in rows or 150 at tables, with a kitchen and hearing loop. A PA and projector cost extra.

Tips for booking a venue

1. Book early. Allow six to twelve weeks for a hotel room and longer for the big halls or anything in December.
2. Check step-free access for your room. Ask about lifts, accessible toilets and hearing loops for the exact room, not just the building. Several good rooms are upstairs.
3. Plan how people will get there. Give walking time from the station and name the nearest car park in your event listing. Free parking is a real draw at venues outside the town centre.
4. Confirm early starts. For a 7:30am breakfast, check when the doors open and when the kitchen team arrives, and ask for a set menu that covers dietary needs.
5. Test the AV before the day. Check screen connections, microphones and WiFi, and whether the projector costs extra.

Once the venue is booked, submit your event to What’s On in Eastbourne. The guide to getting people to your business event covers the rest.

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