IET Birmingham: Austin Court is a Grade II listed, multi-purpose events venue in the heart of the Midlands. Located in Brindley Place, on the doorstep of Birmingham’s canal network, it is home to 14 eclectic and adaptable events spaces that can accommodate up to 150 people. The venue caters for everything from conferences, award ceremonies and team building events to parties, wedding receptions and filming projects.
With its waterside views, historical charm, unique character and exceptional versatility, it is one of the region’s leading events venues. Its central location and excellent transport links, including an international airport, only enhance this, making it an easy and accessible destination for guests from across the country.
A winning combination
Austin Court’s unique mix of history and modernity inspires events which are overflowing with character and truly one-of-a-kind. Over its 200-year-long history, the venue has been a metal goods merchant, brewery, cycle company, storer of bunting for King George VI’s coronation, and much more. This remarkable heritage means stunning period features, including original beams, exposed brickwork and a gabled wagon entrance, add a charm to every event and make each one extraordinary.
Far from traditional in its facilities, events are then enhanced with the very latest event production technology including web streaming, staging, video conferencing, MP3 recording, and filming.
This combination of cutting-edge resources and a history that is solely its own means Austin Court creates events that cannot be found anywhere else.
Bring imagination to life
With 14 versatile events spaces, Austin Court can animate a client’s vision to deliver events which embrace originality and facilitate success.
Catering for events as diverse as gala dinners and drinks receptions to academic events and photoshoots, the venue is designed to meet needs and exceed expectations. Kingston Lecture Theatre, for example, features tiered seating, HD projector walls, LED coloured lighting, a private green room, foldaway laptop tables with individual power sockets, and a widescreen display for digital branding. Austin Court’s exquisite Waterside Room, with its double doors opening out onto the canal, is home to a beautiful beamed ceiling, exposed red brickwork walls, and an abundance of natural light. The venue’s idyllic outside Courtyard, meanwhile, wows guests with its picturesque scenery and tranquil ambiance right in the heart of the city.
Putting logistics in the capable hands of a venue with the imagination, expertise and enthusiasm to deliver even the most creative of briefs, clients can have confidence that an event at Austin Court will be a polished, seamless and stress-free affair.
Wow with technology
As the home of innovation, Austin Court ensures clients are at the forefront of industry advancements. The venue’s expert in-house AV team empowers clients to embrace digital innovation, with bespoke AV offerings tailored to meet specific needs. Its state-of-the-art facilities cover web streaming, staging, video conferencing, MP3 recording, and filming. This includes iet.tv, the venue’s own video and webcasting service to film or stream events. iet.tv can be utilised by clients in promotional videos, social media campaigns, and advertising and sales material.
To ensure its clients have access to the absolute best, Austin Court has invested in the very latest technology. This includes high-tech Logitech camera kits and microphones, as well as built-in screens and an audio system. The camera in its Kingston Lecture Theatre has been upgraded too, enabling speakers to dial in remotely to events and engage in two-way dialogue with audiences.
Determined to make events as easy, convenient and productive for guests as possible, Austin Court has also invested in a venue-wide WiFi upgrade. Whether to enable speakers to engage guests with their content, attendees to have access to information at their fingertips, or delegates to make connections which long outlive the event itself, all attendees can enjoy the fastest WiFi connection and, in-turn, the best opportunity to learn, create, engage and collaborate.
Wholehearted service
Austin Court offers a level of personal service which cannot be replicated in larger venues. With a firm commitment to over-delivering, and not over-promising, and with a team which prides itself on creating events which are a true reflection of each client, the venue puts customer service at its heart. This includes:
• Consistency – every event has the same event coordinator throughout its lifecycle
• Expertise – department specialists are always on-hand to provide solutions
• Simplicity – clients have everything they need under one roof, without the need for external suppliers
• Accessibility – inclusivity is built into event planning
• Reassurance – the entire team, from Reception to AV, is trained to resolve enquiries
Austin Court also utilises introductory visits to match rooms to requirements and discern budgets and objectives. Frequent calls and visits throughout the planning process then ensure swift responses to changes.
A venue that cares
The small venue with a big heart, Austin Court always demonstrates its commitment to corporate social responsibility through actions, not words.
Austin Court is operated by IET Services Ltd (IETS), a trading subsidiary of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The IET is a charity which works to engineer a better world through its expert international membership and perception-changing campaigns. Proceeds made via events or bookings at Austin Court (and its sister venue, IET London: Savoy Place), are reinvested by IETS into the IET, helping to make a tangible difference to the lives of young people and putting the building blocks in place for engineers of the future to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
A Greengage ECOsmart Gold Award winner, and on track to become net zero by 2030, Austin Court has embedded sustainability into its operations. Prioritising venue, energy, recycling and catering, its initiatives include converting all food waste into renewable resources, installing energy-efficient heating/cooling systems, sourcing 80 per cent of food from within a 30-mile radius, and using toilet tissue and hand towels manufactured from recycled paper. A champion for green events, the venue is also part of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Far more than an events venue, Austin Court is a place of learning, discovery and imagination, something it proudly shares with its guests. All have access to intellectual growth and professional advancement through the venue’s resources, engineering expertise, training opportunities, and permanent engineering exhibits which celebrate innovation and showcase ground-breaking inventions.
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