New University venue offers unique conference facilities
June 2011
A spectacular new £20m copper-clad building at the heart of the University of York's Heslington East campus expansion is enjoying a burgeoning reputation as a modern, creative venue for events, with a strong focus on networking for local businesses.
The Ron Cooke Hub is designed to bring the academic and business community together to strive for mutual success. It incorporates four research centres, the University's Corporate Training Unit, the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning of Enterprise and Springboard - a small business incubator managed by York Science Park Ltd.
"The Hub creates an exciting space for academics, businesses and entrepreneurs to engage and deliver impact on the global stage", explains Professor Nicola Spence, Chief Executive of Science City York, the company behind the bid to secure funding for the stunning new facility.
While the capacity for innovation is the driving force of the Ron Cooke Hub, its purpose-built spaces allow it to achieve its potential. At the heart of a stunning, four-storey, open atrium is the ‘3Sixty' - an immersive media space with four screens giving a 360-degree display space with over 30 speakers. This space is proving highly exciting for local designers and for businesses to enhance presentations - the space is perfect for marketing and product launches.
Around the central atrium, which can house up to 30 exhibition stands, is a range of meeting rooms. Sian Fraser, Marketing and Sales Manager for York Conferences said, "The new facilities have given us a fantastic opportunity to offer a very corporate facility and service. In addition, the University is achieving its long term aim of bringing together the academic and business worlds in this wonderful new venue."
Outside the building, and running the full length of the campus expansion is a lake with three ‘floating' pods containing meeting rooms. The pods provide a stunning lakeside view for up to 18 delegates and contain everything the modern conference venue requires.
At the top of the building, the Lakehouse is a flexible meeting space for up to100 delegates and gives a striking 270 degree view of Heslington East.
On top of the 3Sixty is the "Island of Interaction" an open space furnished with whiteboards, beanbags, tables and chairs which is regularly used for networking events and research discussion.
The venue has been used by a number of local organisations; the building recently hosted local financial services group JWP Creers' "A world in movement - prospects for 2011" event, education group Higher York's "Safeguarding the vulnerable" policy event and the Yorkshire Business Forum. Future events include the York Professionals Annual Dinner and the TEDx York event - "a new STEAM age- -, which discusses the arts and its impact on Science.
The Ron Cooke Hub has been developed thanks to funding awarded to Science City York from the European Regional Development Fund in Yorkshire and the Humber.
You can host a truly outstanding event in the Ron Cooke Hub by contacting York Conferences using the details below:
