Business venues in Maidstone

Business venues in Maidstone: the short answer

• Largest venue: Kent Event Centre at Detling, with 7,000 square metres indoors and a hall seating 1,200 theatre style.
• Largest hotel conference room: the Heart of Kent Suite at Mercure Maidstone Great Danes, seating 600 theatre style.
• Best for a memorable away day: Leeds Castle, with castle boardrooms, a 16th-century barn and on-site bedrooms.
• Published day delegate rate: from £48 per person including VAT at Delta Hotels Tudor Park.
• Getting there: M20 junctions 5 to 8 all serve Maidstone, and Maidstone East has direct trains to London Victoria.

Why Maidstone works for business events

Maidstone sits in the middle of Kent, which makes it a fair meeting point when your delegates are coming from all corners of the county. Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford and the Medway towns are all within easy driving distance.

It is also the seat of Kent County Council, and many public sector, professional services and membership organisations meet here for that reason.

The town's biggest advantage is road access. Four M20 junctions serve Maidstone, from junction 5 at Aylesford to junction 8 near Hollingbourne, and most of the larger hotels are only minutes from the motorway. That means free parking, no town-centre traffic and an easy run home after an evening event.

Getting to Maidstone

How	Details
By road	M20 junctions 5, 6, 7 and 8. The A229 links the town to the M2 and Chatham
By train	Maidstone East has direct trains to London Victoria. Maidstone West and Maidstone Barracks are on the Medway Valley line between Strood and Paddock Wood
Parking	Most conference hotels and Kent Event Centre have free on-site parking. Mercure Maidstone Great Danes alone has 500 free spaces

Choosing a venue in Maidstone

Large conferences and exhibitions

For anything over 300 people, two venues stand out. Kent Event Centre at the Kent Showground is the county's largest conference and exhibition venue, with the Clive Emson Hall seating 1,200 theatre style and the Brachers Building covering 3,000 square metres. Mercure Maidstone Great Danes is the largest hotel option, with 12 meeting rooms and the 600-seat Heart of Kent Suite.

Conference hotels near the M20

If your delegates are driving in, or staying the night, the hotels along the M20 are hard to beat. Each one is a few minutes from the motorway, with free parking and its own leisure club.

Delta Hotels Tudor Park at Bearsted is the pick for golfers. It has an 18-hole championship course alongside 13 meeting spaces, including the Thurnham Suite for 250, and 117 bedrooms. Nearby on Bearsted Road, ORIDA Maidstone has eight event spaces and 146 bedrooms, with the Invicta Suite taking up to 250.

Village Hotel Maidstone works well for shorter meetings, because you can book its rooms by the hour as well as by the half or full day. The Inspiration Suite holds 200. And for the biggest hotel events, there's Mercure Maidstone Great Danes at Hollingbourne, covered above.

Leadership retreats and client events

Leeds Castle is the one to pick when the setting matters. Castle boardrooms hold 16 to 30, castle rooms take up to 80 theatre style, the Fairfax Barn seats 180 for dinner and the marquee lawns take up to 500. Guests can stay overnight in the castle grounds, and falconry, golf and team activities are available.

Training days and smaller meetings on a budget

Maidstone has a large network of community and church halls, including centres in the town and village halls in Bearsted, Coxheath, Headcorn, Staplehurst and Lenham. They suit training sessions, workshops, AGMs and networking groups where a hotel package would be more than you need. Facilities vary from hall to hall, so check parking, Wi-Fi and kitchen access when you enquire.

Planning tips for Maidstone events

• Give clear motorway directions. Ask the venue which M20 junction delegates should use, and put it in your joining instructions.
• Book leisure hotels early for residential events. Hotels with pools and spas fill quickly for two-day conferences.
• Use the castle for small groups. Leeds Castle's boardrooms are at their best for senior teams of 16 to 30.
• Check catering rules at halls. Some community venues have a kitchen you can use; others ask you to bring outside caterers.

Looking for a specific type of event? See meeting rooms in Maidstone, conference venues in Maidstone, training rooms in Maidstone, awards dinner venues in Maidstone and Christmas party venues in Maidstone.