The James Watt Centre (formerly known as the Edinburgh Conference Centre) is a purpose-designed conference facility in the heart of Heriot Watt University’s Edinburgh campus. The Centre offers two dynamic and distinctive interlinking venues, which, can be utilised collectively or separately to suit your objectives. Connected by a spacious lounge ideal for registration and refreshments. The venue offers great flexibility whatever the size or objective of your event with competitive rates to suit all budgets.

• James Watt Centre 1: features a flexible well equipped auditorium which can either be arranged 465 tiered theatre, 192 cabaret, 200 dinner or 506m2 exhibition space with adjacent breakout space.
• James Watt Centre 2: provides a contemporary theatre offering collaborative tiered seating for 200; breakout spaces and an additional meeting room which includes built-in unified communication facilities.

Available: weekends, evening and vacation periods

James Watt 1

The James Watt Centre comprises a 465 seat auditorium with an extensive range of audio-visual equipment controlled from its own production suite; all included when hiring this facility. You can personalise your event with gobos, backlit staging, floor to ceiling banners and take full advantage of our three projection screens which can display various images, presentations and video simultaneously. This impressive auditorium is further complimented with two sub-dividable syndicate rooms around the perimeter. This facility can be hired exclusively offering a flexible registration desk, ample space, self contained catering area, air-conditioning and inclusive wifi throughout.

The Carnegie Room is a multi-purpose space that can be used to support events within James Watt 1 as additional social or expo space, or for informal group activity. The space has the capacity for 70 delegates and can be subdivided into Carnegie A (with capacity of 50) and Carnegie B (with capacity of 20). This facility includes 75 inch wall mounted LCD screen with HDMI laptop plug in and delegate wifi.

The Wardlaw Room is a multi-purpose space that can be used individually or to support events within James Watt 1 and has a maximum capacity for 50 delegates. Wardlaw can also be opened onto the concourse as additional social space and can also be subdivided into Wardlaw A and Wardlaw B with capacities of 30 each. The room does not include any inbuilt AV, however we can provide; 2 x 75inch frees standing LCD screen, lectern and HDMI Laptop plug-in.

James Watt 2

To compliment the versatile James Watt Centre 1, the James Watt Centre 2 Hall provides collaborative tiered seating for 200 with power at each seat. There are breakout spaces and an additional meeting room (Craig Room) which includes built-in unified communication facilities. This facility can be hired exclusively offering a private entrance, large foyer with dedicated registration desk, ample space, air-conditioning and inclusive wireless internet throughout.

The Craig Room is a multi-purpose space that can be used individually or to support events within James Watt 2. The Craig Room is a dedicated meeting room and is a great space for hybrid events and includes Unified Communications Boardroom, three LCD screens, three ceiling mics, 2 PTZ cameras (1 x front and 1 x rear of room), built in PC with touchscreen control, HDMI plugin with audio, Kramer via wireless collaboration device and wireless internet. The room can be accessed via the James Watt 2 Hall or the Gibson Room and comes set up as U-Shape for 22 as standard. The room, however, has a maximum capacity for 96 delegates theatre style (56 Cabaret / 32 Boardroom / 28 Classroom / 22 U-Shape).

The Gibson Room boasts natural daylight, easy access from the main centre foyer and has a maximum capacity for 100 delegates and includes delegate wifi. This facility does not include inbuilt AV but we can provide; 2 x 75 inch frees standing LCD screen, lectern and HDMI Laptop plug-in.

Audio Visual Equipment

JWC1 Auditorium and JWC2 Hall

The following facilities are standard as self drive / plug-in play and are purposed designed to be used without technician assistance. They include dual or single projection, touchscreen control, built in PC, touchscreen desktop monitor with built in camera, laptop/HDMi plugin with audio, Kramer via wireless collaboration device, auto-tracking PTZ camera, height adjustable teaching bench, Sennheiser HR hearing support, lectern mic and lapel radio mic, 2 x catchbox mic

James Watt 2 includes a document camera with recording facilites & USB connected

Alternative Event AV Package available in JWC1 Auditorium

The following facilities are standard in the main auditorium and are purposed designed to be used with technician. Single Projection with digital banners, lectern with microphones, 2 x handheld microphones and 2 x tie-clip microphones and up to 3 table top microphones.

Room Capacities

Site Plans