With Edinburgh being the capital city of Scotland and being home to the Scottish parliament, government, and Scotland’s supreme courts, you can tell that this city means business. But Edinburgh is also a city of culture and history, making it a great tourist destination that brings roughly 5 million tourists per year to the city. The city also hosts both the Edinburgh International and the Fringe (the latter being the world’s largest annual arts festival). We are showing that Edinburgh is a perfect city to host a wide variety of events and is home to an even more comprehensive range of venues. Here at Helm, we’ve compiled this list to show you just a few of these venues that Scotland’s capital has to offer you. 

This list was created with you, the event planner, and your guests in mind handpicking venues that are closest to the city centre with a wide range of public transport, boosting the turnout to your event as well as its popularity. Whether it’s a formal or casual venue, you need we’ve got you covered. 

1. Exhibition space @ Custom lane 
Location: 1 customs wharf, Edinburgh, EH6 6AL 
Capacity: up to 60 guests
Price: £130 per day (9:00- 17:00)
Travel: 1-minute walk to Sandport Street bus stop

With the minimalist design and vast, open space, the exhibition space is a great, versatile venue with the ability to cater to any event you can throw at it. The venue is perfect for product launches, art exhibitions and workshops. Your guests will find the venue spacious and light-hearted, giving them space to breathe and be as creative as they can. It has the space to mingle with other guests without feeling cramped, enhanced with an abundance of natural lighting, giving the appearance of even more space for your event. Exhibition spaces are always the go-to venues to show off your creations, whether it be art or innovative designs for the future, and at the exhibition space at custom lane, you don’t need to look any further.    

2. The Bar @ The Counting House:
Location: West Nicolson Street, 36, Edinburgh, EH8 9DD
Capacity: up to 60 guests
Price: £45 per hour
Travel: 1-Minute walk to Chapel street bus station and a 2-minute walk to surgeon’s hall bus station

With its comfortable, rustic design, The Bar at The Counting House is an excellent venue for any social event, including office parties, business meetings, workshops and product launches. This historic house has almost two centuries worth of history. It also benefits from an in house catering service, a fully stocked bar, audio setup equipment, and its very own events manager making sure that your event is the best it can be. A bar is a place that inspires creativity and productivity within your guests and gives them an area in which they can relax and feel the history of the venue, which will only further inspire the guests of your event. If you want a venue that is full of history and dedication, look no further than Counting House and inquire using the link above.

3. BrainBox @ Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh City:
Location: High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1TH
Capacity: up to 10 guests
Price: £37 per guest
Travel: 1-minute walk to museum of the childhood bus station

As the name implies, this space is a great, versatile venue for out of the box thinking, creating and designing. The brain box is perfect for workshops, business meetings and days when you just need to get out of the office. In this room, your guests will feel that the space that they’re in sows the seeds of creativity and imagination that will propel your event into the creative stratosphere. The hotel team designed the room with an AstroTurf floor, beanbag space, game table, and an entire wall that can be used as a whiteboard to brainstorm all the ideas that your event will produce. Whether it’s a couple of hours or a whole day you’re spending here, check out the link above to inquire about the venue.

4. VIP Boardroom @ Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal mile:
Location: George IV Bridge, 1 Edinburgh, EH1 1AD
Capacity: up to 35 guests
Price: £350 per day
Travel: 2-minute walk to Mound place bus station

The VIP Boardroom is a great place to handle crucial business within a formal, professional setting that will impress your clients by adding some luxury to your: business meeting, product launch or networking event. The space was designed to impress, and at the VIP Boardroom, it does that and more with the room flooded by natural lighting and a sleek interior design. The guests of your event will find the space perfect for getting work done and be as proactive and productive as they can due to the formality and professionalism of the venue, which comes with many facilities that will boost the popularity and success of your event.

There are many venues within the Hotel, so check out the link above to find the perfect venue for you.

5. The Gallery @ Whitespace Gallery
Location: East crosscausewayside, 76, Edinburgh EH8 9HQ
Capacity:  up to 60 guests
Price: £200 hire per day/ £90 per Thursday evening
Travel: 1-minute walk to east crosscauseway bus station

The Whitespace gallery is a blank canvas that allows you as the event planner to create whatever kind of event you want in the gallery: a product launch, networking event, seminar, or workshop. This space has the power to handle it all. This space is a small and intimate venue that will encourage your guests to mingle and chat, but it never feels small. The gallery is a great tool to open your guests’ creative minds, boosting the turnout of your next event.

6. SSCreenroom @ Scotland study centre:
Location: Nicolson square, 29, Edinburgh, EH8 9BX
Capacity: up to 16 guests
Price: £60 per morning (9:00-13:00) £90 per day (9:00-17:00)
Travel: 1-minute walk to Nicolson square bus stop and two minute-walk to Potterrow bus stop

The SSCreenroom is an excellent venue for a small intimate gathering. Being a workshop, film premier, business meeting and seminar. The venue is a cinema-style seating meeting room with a fully kitted out projector that will allow you to show off your product in all its glory. The SSCreenroom is a small venue; however, its design is to bring people together to produce a more creative and productive work environment that will make your guests create new ideas and products. It’s also a great place to get out of the office and just relax and watch a movie with your colleagues/friends in your private screen. And who wouldn’t want that?

Check out Tagvenue’s page on SSCreenroom on the link above!

7. Bellfield Brewery and Taproom:
Location: Bellfield Brewery and Taproom, 46, Stanley Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5TB
Capacity: up to 130 guests
Price: £60 per hour or £360 per day
Travel: 3-minute walk to Marionville bus station

This Brewery and Taproom is a bright and comfortable space for you and your guests to enjoy your event, each other’s company and a nice refreshing pint of a variety of different ales, lagers and ciders pulled right Infront of you. This venue is excellent for networking events, product launches, corporate parties, workshops and team getaway days. At Bellfield brewery, your guests will enjoy the space to breathe and the atmosphere which inspires socialising and coming together. This venue is perfect for making your event popular with bar-style bench seating, locally sourced beverages, free Wi-Fi, and a dog-friendly approach. In an informal and casual setting, that will maximise the turnout for any event you wish to throw at the Bellfield Brewery and Tap Room.

Check out the link above to inquire directly with the venue and learn more about the team!

8. The Sung @ Bonham Hotel:
Location: 35 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, EH3 7RN
Capacity: up to 15
Price: £150 per session (8:00-17:00) (Currently closed due to COVID)
Travel: 2-minute walk to Drumsheugh Gardens bust station

The Snug provides a comfortable tucked away room to get business done within the Hotel. Its wooden panelling design and decorated ceiling make this venue perfect for formal events such as meetings, brainstorming sessions, team getaways and workshops. The formality of the venue doesn’t make it imposing for your attendees or make them feel claustrophobic, giving them a quiet space to get business done. The productivity that will come of any event you throw at the Snug will leave a lasting impression on your guests and boost your next event’s turnout.

Bonham hotel houses many other venues that might be perfect for your event, so click the link above to check them out.

9. Clubroom at Boteco do Brasil Edinburgh :
Location: Lothian Road, 47, Edinburgh, EH1 2DJ
Capacity: up to 80 guests
Price: £60 per hour or a £240 per session hire fee (19:00-23:00)
Travel: 1-minute walk to the exchange bus stop or a 12-minute walk to Haymarket train station

This Brazilian restaurant is the perfect place to host a night of laughs, music, and dancing; this venue has it all. With its Latino style and atmosphere, you and your guests can relax and enjoy the food, music and culture whilst at your event. Give your attendees an experience that isn’t commonplace and transport them to Botecos of Rio de Janeiro. Its style will make your guests easy-going and ready to converse and mingle, which will boost the popularity of your event and attendee satisfaction. So, book your next event at Boteco do Brasil and add an urban and Latin-American twist to your next event.

As you can see from this list, Edinburgh has a wide variety of ripe venues for picking. We hope you find these venues helpful and inspiring when trying to find your next venue for your big event. However, we recommend going and searching for more venues that can be even more perfect for your event. At Helm, we know that as an event planner, nothing is more satisfying than finding a venue made for your event. So go out and explore and see what Scotland’s capital has to offer you.