Nottingham Conferences, the University’s meetings, event and conference service support department, has won the Best Outdoor Space category in the first ever Academic Venue Awards, which took place on Wednesday 22 November at the Queen Mary University of London.

Following an investment of over £5 million into its outdoor offering — which has placed Nottingham Conferences at the forefront of outdoor academic spaces — the facility has hosted a number of major events which have successfully tested all aspects of the University’s operational campus infrastructure and capability from sports, security, logistics, catering and accommodation. This has resulted in a record breaking year for all business areas of Nottingham Conferences.

Andrew May, General Manager of Nottingham Conferences, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Best Outdoor Space category at the inaugural Academic Venue Awards. The win reflects the versatility of the outdoor space at the University as well as the efforts of the entire team who work tirelessly to maintain and enhance these spaces to enable us to deliver such a diverse range of events for our clients.”

The Academic Venue Awards are designed to celebrate the ‘best of the best’ through 14 carefully selected categories, as well as to bring together representatives from the UK’s top academic venues with event buyers to network, share best practice, highlight progress and celebrate success.