Business venues in Medway

Business venues in Medway: the short answer

• Biggest events: MEMS Priestfield Stadium in Gillingham, home of Gillingham FC, takes 10 to 700 delegates and seats 420 for dinner in its Great Hall.
• Historic setting: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, where the Royal Dockyard Church seats 200 in tiered rows.
• Conference hotel by the motorway: Bridgewood Manor, half a mile from M2 junction 3, with the Hythe Suite for 200 and bedrooms on site.
• Published day delegate rates: from £30 per person midweek at Bridgewood Manor and from £35 at Priestfield, both including VAT.
• Getting there: M2 junctions 1 to 4 serve the Medway towns, and high-speed trains run to London St Pancras.

Why Medway works for business events

Medway is one of Kent's biggest urban areas, and it gives organisers a real choice of setting within a few miles. You can run a sales conference in a stadium, a board dinner in a Georgian house and a training day in a community centre without leaving the area.

The towns grew up around the River Medway and the Royal Navy. Chatham's dockyard built warships for more than 400 years until it closed in 1984, and much of it now hosts events. Rochester, with its cathedral and Norman castle facing each other across the old town, adds character for dinners and client visits.

Practical access is the other draw. The M2 runs along the southern edge of the towns, the A2 and A289 link them, and high-speed trains connect several Medway stations to London via Ebbsfleet.

Getting to Medway

How	Details
By road	M2 junctions 1 to 4. Junction 3 serves Walderslade and Chatham via the A229, which also links to the M20 near Maidstone
By train	Strood, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham have trains to London, including high-speed services to St Pancras via Ebbsfleet and Thameslink services through the City
Parking	Priestfield Stadium has free parking. Bridgewood Manor has around 170 spaces, and The Historic Dockyard has ample parking with disabled bays

Choosing a venue in Medway

Conferences, exhibitions and big dinners

MEMS Priestfield Stadium is built for numbers. The Great Hall seats 420 for dinner or holds 750 standing, the Factory Bar takes 80 to 350 and the Piano Bar overlooks the pitch. Day delegate packages run from £35 to £41 per person including VAT, and the venue is available seven days a week. Check the fixture list before you book, as match days affect parking and availability.

Events with a sense of history

The Historic Dockyard Chatham offers spaces across an 80-acre site. The Royal Dockyard Church is a purpose-built theatre for 200. The Fitted Rigging House has two meeting rooms with video conferencing kit, and the Commissioner's House takes 15 to 200 on exclusive hire. For something different, guests can have drinks on the deck of HMS Gannet or tour the submarine HMS Ocelot.

Hotel meetings and residential events

Bridgewood Manor sits at Walderslade Woods, half a mile from M2 junction 3. It has nine meeting spaces for 20 to 200, led by the Hythe Suite, plus 115 bedrooms and a leisure club with a pool. Day delegate rates start at £30 per person midweek and 24-hour rates at £135, both including VAT.

Gillingham also has the King Charles Hotel on Brompton Road, and Chatham has The Charles Hotel, for smaller meetings and functions.

Small meetings, training and community spaces

For smaller groups, Medway has business centres such as Innovation Centre Medway and Sun Pier House in Chatham. It also has historic rooms at Eastgate House and the Huguenot Museum in Rochester, and function rooms at pubs including The George in Rochester. Sports clubs, social clubs and community centres in Gillingham, Rainham and Hoo suit low-cost training days and AGMs.

Planning tips for Medway events

• Check the football fixtures. If you're booking Priestfield, ask about home games before you confirm a date.
• Use Rochester for the evening. The old town's high street, cathedral and castle make an easy walk for a dinner after a day's business.
• Point drivers to the right junction. Most Chatham and Walderslade venues are quickest from M2 junction 3.
• Plan time at the Dockyard. Its venues are spread across a large site, so allow time for guests to find their way and add a tour if you can.

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