Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Conferences & Meetings at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
A choice of conference venues can cater for groups of all sizes with ease and professionalism. Host your meeting in an exhibit or exhibition area, from the 1800s Omagh Meeting House to the Gilford Silent Cinema. Where else would you find such a unique blend of authentic character and modern meeting facilities?
Conferences and Meetings at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum can take place in the Irish Railway Gallery, Cultra Manor, Omagh Meeting House and the Silent Cinema.
The Irish Railway Collection at Ulster Folk & Transport Museums is one of the finest in Europe and provides a unique and unusual setting for a conference. So if you are looking for an inspirational venue – one that will transport your guests far from the humdrum of the corporate world, then the Irish Railway Gallery is the perfect location.
The Central turntable is perfect for a breakfast or evening meeting, lecture or seminar. A stage can be set up at either side of the turntable, depending on the number of delegates. A train sits in the centre of the turntable - it can be removed upon request. The capacity theatre-style, with the train in situ, is 200 and with the train removed, it is 500. Delegates may also enjoy a visit to the Folk& Transport Museum as part of their programme for the day.
Please note this space is not available between 10am and 5pm when the Museum is open to the general public and is best suited to either early morning breakfast or evening meetings.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet |
Cabaret |
Theatre |
Classroom |
Available for hire |
Floor Level |
Wheel-
chair access |
Min booking period |
| Irish Railway Gallery *Train in |
150 |
180 |
250 |
115 |
7am-9am or 6pm-1am |
Ground |
Yes |
2 hours |
| Irish Railway Gallery *Train out |
300 |
210 |
500 |
230 |
7am-9am |
Ground |
Yes |
2 hours |
* One train ‘Dunluce Castle’ is removed to accommodate larger functions.
This historic manor house lies at the heart of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum. Located just 7 miles from Belfast, it is an ideal venue for conferences or meetings from 10-300 people.
There are 4 rooms available for hire. The Kennedy Room, the largest room, is ideal for a conference plenary session, while the Evans, Conor and Ferguson rooms are perfect for breakout sessions or smaller meetings. Each room has audio-visual facilities for your use. Please note that we do not provide an AV technician to oversee your meeting as part of our facilities hire, but this can be arranged for an additional fee. Alternatively, you may wish to bring in your own AV equipment and technician.
All of the meeting spaces are accessible and there are disabled bathrooms on the ground floor and gents/ladies on both floors.
It is possible to hire all of the spaces at Cultra Manor, providing unlimited private access for your delegates and also to have the grounds of the Manor available for any icebreaker or teambuilding sessions which may form part of your day. Delegates may also enjoy a visit to the Folk and Transport Museum pre or post conference.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet |
Cabaret |
Theatre |
Classroom |
Hrs available for hire |
Floor level |
Wheel- chair access |
Min booking period |
| Kennedy Room |
150 |
115 |
200 |
115 |
7am-1am |
1st floor |
yes |
4 hours |
| Evans Room |
80 |
60 |
100 |
60 |
7am-1am |
ground floor |
yes |
4 hours |
| Conor Room |
30 |
24 |
30 |
24 |
7am-1am |
ground floor |
yes |
4 hours |
| Ferguson Room |
---- |
---- |
25 |
---- |
7am-1am |
1st floor |
yes |
4 hours |
The Omagh Meeting House is located within Ballycultra town. It is the first building on the right hand side after the Folk Museum car park. This is an ideal space for smaller meetings where a theatre -style layout is preferred, without the formality of a traditional conference room.
The meeting house is a T-shape with church seating for between 250-300 delegates, split between ground floor level and 3 galleries on the upper level. Due to the style of seating, it is best suited to shorter meetings (approx 1-3 hours). There is a raised pulpit area which can be used as the lectern for speeches/presentations. You will need to bring your own audio-visual equipment.
Other buildings in Ballycultra town or the rural area may be used for icebreaker or teambuilding sessions, as part of your programme. Delegates can also enjoy a visit to the Transport Museum. The meeting house is an exhibit building and is not fully accessible. This space is available for early morning breakfast meetings for evening lectures but is not available during normal opening hours as it is an exhibit building.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet |
Cabaret |
Theatre |
Classroom |
Hrs available for hire |
Floor Level |
Wheel-
chair access |
Min booking period |
| Omagh Meeting House |
---- |
---- |
250-300 |
---- |
7am-10am
5pm-1am
|
2 levels |
no |
1hour |
The Silent Cinema is located within Ballycultra town. It is part of the Guilford complex, which also includes the photographer’s studio and Ballycultra tearooms. This is an ideal space for short meetings where a theatre style layout is preferred, without the formality of a traditional conference room. It can seat up to 120 delegates.
The Silent cinema is a unique location for a product launch or DVD presentation. Its permanent bench style seating is best suited to shorter meetings (approx 60-90 minutes). A small stage at the front can be used to address the audience. You will need to bring your own audio-visual equipment. Although we do not provide an AV technician to oversee your meeting as part of our facilities hire, this can be arranged for an additional fee.
Delegates can also enjoy a visit to the Transport Museum. The Silent Cinema is an exhibit building and is not fully accessible.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet Capacity |
Cabaret Capacity |
Theatre Capacity |
Available for hire |
Floor level |
Wheel-
chair access |
Min booking period |
| Silent Cinema |
---- |
---- |
120 |
7am-10am & 5pm-1am
|
Ground level |
No |
1 hour |
Additional information
Catering
Our resident caterers have a range of dining options and are happy to tailor menus for conference breakfasts, comfort breaks and lunch.
Car parking
There is free car parking at the Transport Museum for up to 305 cars and there are 8 disabled spaces.
Location
The transport galleries are part of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, situated 7 miles east of Belfast, near Holywood, on the main Belfast to Bangor Road (A2), just 15 minutes outside Belfast City Centre, with excellent access by road, rail and bus and close to Belfast City Airport.
Accommodation
There are a number of hotels close to the Manor, including the 5-Star Hastings Culloden Estate & Spa and the 4-Star Clandeboye Lodge Hotel. For further information and special offers on accommodation please go to www.discovernorthernireland/convention.
Accompanying person programmes
If your delegates are bringing their partners with them to Belfast for the duration of the conference, we can also offer accompanying persons programmes at Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
Event Services
We have a number of preferred suppliers with experience of setting up and executing a variety of events at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museums, from AV and lighting to stage hire. For further information please speak to our events team.
Events Team
Members of our dedicated events team are available to provide support and to facilitate your conference at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum. For further information on our conference & meeting facilities, or to organize a site visit, please contact our Events Executive on +44 (0) 28 9039 5108 or complete the short form below:
Contact our events team