Venue at a glance
Edinburgh Corn Exchange operates as one of Scotland's largest adaptable event venues, with six distinct hireable spaces supporting everything from concerts and conferences to weddings, graduations, exhibitions, and awards ceremonies. The venue combines original architectural features with contemporary production infrastructure and in-house technical capability. The same building operates as the O2 Academy Edinburgh for live music.
As part of the Academy Music Group and Live Nation portfolio, the venue sits within a major live entertainment network while maintaining a strong corporate and private events operation.
Why choose this venue
The Exchange accommodates up to 3,000 standing guests and transforms between concert venue, conference hall, exhibition floor, and gala dinner environment.
Original wooden flooring, heritage architecture, and period features sit alongside LED lighting systems, integrated AV, hybrid-ready infrastructure, and in-house technical support.
Each main room has its own entrance, cloakroom, and private bar, allowing simultaneous events or large multi-stream conferences to operate smoothly.
Slateford station is a short walk away with fast rail connections to Haymarket and Waverley, and the area is served by numerous bus routes, making the venue practical for Scotland-wide events.
Planning details
Best for
- Large conferences
- Concerts and live entertainment
- Awards ceremonies
- Exhibitions
- Christmas parties
- Graduation events
- Large weddings
- Product launches
- Multi-room corporate events
- Scottish national events
Less suited to
- Ultra-luxury five-star events
- Small executive board meetings needing boutique privacy
- Rural countryside weddings
- Events requiring large amounts of natural daylight throughout
- Events needing hotel accommodation on site
- Events relying on on-site parking
- Fully step-free rail journeys via Slateford station
Catering
- Model In-house catering is provided by Saltire Hospitality. Styles include working lunches, hot fork buffets, three-course dining, canapés, drinks receptions, Asian cuisine, and graduation dining packages.
- External External catering is generally not permitted, although approved external caterers may be used in selected circumstances, particularly for weddings. Confirm with the venue.
- Bars Each major event space includes its own private bar. The venue's alcohol licence runs until 01:00.
- Dietary Specific dietary and allergen policies should be confirmed directly with the venue at enquiry stage.
Accessibility
- Features Step-free main entrance, with the pavement flush to the building on New Market Road
- Wheelchair spaces available (limited, first come first served)
- Accessible viewing area in the main hall
- Accessible toilet to the rear of the auditorium
- Drop-off and collection point at the main entrance
- Assistance dogs welcomed
- Sensory bags available on request
- BSL interpreters available with one month's advance notice
- Details Medical support room at the front of the venue
- Details Works with Attitude Is Everything and Nimbus Disability and accepts the Access Card scheme
- Caveat The building dates from the early 1900s, so some heritage access limitations apply. There is no lift to the balcony area, which is accessed via approximately 14 steps. Slateford station does not have step-free access to any platform, although the station does have an induction loop. Accessibility provision for specific event-space configurations should be confirmed directly with the venue.
Sustainability
- Details The venue operates under Live Nation's "Empowering the Earth" sustainability charter. Group-level commitments include a 100% renewable energy transition, zero waste to landfill targets, elimination of single-use plastics, responsible food sourcing, food waste reduction, sustainable transport promotion, and science-based emissions reduction targets. Venue-specific operational sustainability metrics are not currently published.
Space combinations
- Exchange + Concourse Large conferences and exhibitions
- Exchange + Baron Suite Awards events with breakout hospitality
- Baron Suite + Bistro Cottage Weddings and receptions
- Exchange + Newmarket Suite Conferences with training streams
- Full venue exclusive hire Large-scale multi-room events
Wedding notes
- Ceremonies Edinburgh Corn Exchange actively markets itself as a wedding venue and hosts ceremonies and receptions across multiple spaces, including the Baron Suite, Bistro Cottage, and Newmarket Suite, through to full-scale Exchange receptions for up to 1,000 seated guests. In Scotland, civil ceremonies are authorised through the registrar or an authorised celebrant rather than a premises licence, so couples should confirm ceremony arrangements and registrar notice with the venue and the local registration office.
- Scale From intimate weddings through to full-scale Exchange receptions for up to 1,000 seated guests.
- Notes Wedding packages include event management, atmospheric lighting, private bars, and flexible catering arrangements.
Compare event spaces
The Exchange
Flagship blank-canvas hall for major conferences and live events The Exchange is the venue's largest and most technically capable space, designed to transition between concerts, conferences, exhibitions, banquets,…
Pairs well with The Baron Suite, The Concourse, The Newmarket Suite
The Baron Suite
Mid-scale event suite with heritage features and atmospheric lighting The Baron Suite combines original wooden flooring and a star cloth surround with programmable coloured LED roof lighting. The…
Pairs well with The Concourse, The Bistro Cottage
The Concourse
Central reception and networking hub for large-scale events The Concourse acts as the operational anchor for larger events, connecting the Exchange to loading areas, catering, networking zones, and…
Pairs well with The Exchange, The Baron Suite
The Bistro Cottage
Characterful smaller venue with private outdoor decking The Bistro Cottage combines three interconnecting rooms with a private outdoor decking area, creating a more relaxed and social atmosphere than…
Pairs well with The Baron Suite, Bert’s Coffee Bar
The Newmarket Suite
Bright conference and training suite for smaller-scale events The Newmarket Suite provides a more business-focused environment for smaller conferences, meetings, and training days. Large windows and high ceilings…
Pairs well with The Exchange, The Concourse
Bert’s Coffee Bar
Informal breakout and social meeting space Bert's Coffee Bar is a smaller informal space that appears in third-party listings and the venue's own materials, where it is also…
Pairs well with The Bistro Cottage
Capacity matrix
| Space | Standing | Theatre | Cabaret | Classroom | Seated Dining | Dinner Dance | Seated | Layout | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Exchange | 3000 | 1500 | 700 | 700 | 1000 | 850 | - | - | Ask |
| The Baron Suite | 600 | 400 | 160 | 140 | 350 | 300 | - | - | Ask |
| The Concourse | 650 | - | - | - | - | - | 100 | - | Ask |
| The Bistro Cottage | 150 | 80 | 48 | 32 | 80 | 70 | - | - | Ask |
| The Newmarket Suite | 120 | 110 | 72 | 40 | 120 | 90 | - | - | Ask |
| Bert’s Coffee Bar | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50 | Ask |
Facilities and services
Facilities & Amenities
Getting there
Edinburgh Corn Exchange is located in the Chesser and Gorgie area of Edinburgh, approximately 2.5 miles south-west of the city centre.
AddressEdinburgh, city of Edinburgh
PostcodeEH14 1RJ
AreaEdinburgh, Scotland
Nearest stationSlateford Station — approximately a 10-minute walk
Good forAwards and galas, Christmas parties, Conferences, Corporate events, Exhibitions, Meeting rooms
- Slateford to Haymarket
- Slateford to Waverley
- Glasgow to Slateford
- Accessible from the A70, A71, the Edinburgh City Bypass (A720), M8, and M9 road networks
- Served by multiple Lothian Buses routes
- No on-site car park — drop-off point at the main entrance and limited on-street parking nearby; the venue recommends arriving by public transport
Frequently asked questions
Is it suitable for large conferences?
Yes. The Exchange accommodates up to 1,500 theatre style or 700 cabaret and is regularly used for major conferences, awards events, and exhibitions.
Does the venue host weddings?
Yes. Multiple spaces are used for wedding ceremonies and receptions, accommodating both intimate weddings and very large receptions.
Is parking available?
The venue does not have its own car park. There is a drop-off point at the main entrance and limited on-street parking nearby, and the venue recommends arriving by public transport given the adjacent Slateford station. Some older listings reference a 200-space car park, which the venue's current information does not support, so parking arrangements for large events should be confirmed directly.
Can the venue support live production and hybrid events?
Yes. The venue includes built-in AV, LED lighting systems, video conferencing capability, projection infrastructure, and in-house technical support.
Is it accessible by train?
Yes. Slateford station is a short walk away and connects quickly to Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley.
Can the whole venue be hired exclusively?
Yes. The venue supports both single-room hire and full exclusive-use multi-room events.