The Global Lounge offers vibrant, bookable spaces which can be reserved by students and staff, free of charge. You can use our space to run events, hold meetings or for social gatherings. Find out more about what the Lounge has to offer by using the drop down menus, or book now using the button below.
The Global Lounge is open to visitors from Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm, unless events are running. We also offer 'bookable hours' during term time for you to utilise the space to run your own meet-ups and/or events. As our space is popular in demand, we prioritise bookings that meet our objectives in line with the Global Lounge’s ethos. When making the decision which bookings/events to approve or prioritise, we pay particular attention to:
- Celebrating cultures, building communities, promoting a social exchange, or expanding knowledge
- Introducing new users to the Global Lounge
- Meeting our strategic objectives
Our Space:
Our flexible event space can be used for a diverse range of occasions such as mingles, socials, speaker-led events, workshops, craft sessions, small fairs, cultural celebrations, film screenings and other engaging activities. (We are less equipped to accommodate performance-led events).
- We offer advice and expertise on event planning to help you make the most of your events.
- We have 27 tables and 126 seats at your disposal.
- We can give you a tour of the space to help you visualise your future event
- Technical specification: 1 projector with the projector screen, 1 built-in PA system, 2 mobile speakers, 4 stage lights, 2 mics with stands, 1 built-in mic and 1 lectern, 3 TV screens
- As a little gift from us, your event attendees can help themselves to free tea and coffee
- The Global Lounge space is usually divided into the areas depicted in the floorplan below. Please note however that this is primarily a guide outlining the varied bookable spaces. As such, the furniture might be arranged differently on the day. Our offer for your specific reservation will depend on the size and nature of your event and will be discussed with you upon booking.
Types of Bookings:
- Meet up booking – a reservation of a selected area within the Global Lounge, whilst the rest of the space remains open to other users (for example reserving one of the sofa areas, or reserving a/some table/s). This is best suited for study group meetings, coffee mornings, lunchtime catch-ups or to play board games.
- Collaborative event booking – event that we co-create with students and/or staff members, whether with an individual, independent student/friend group or an affiliated Bristol SU society. Generally these events will be open to all students and staff to attend.
- Private booking – booking from a group or individual to use our space for an independent event. This booking type would usually require supervision from a Global Lounge staff member to ensure safe and effective use of our facilities, and is exclusive – to your audience only.
How to book?
It will depend what type of booking request you have – please select the relevant booking option from the ones listed below.
The University is home to hundreds of micro-communities. The Global Lounge is a perfect space for such diverse groups to come together for meetings and informal social gatherings. The rest of the space will remains open to other users. This is best suited for study group meetings, coffee mornings, lunchtime catch-ups or to play board games.
Conditions
- Reserved space with free tea, coffee and snacks
- Up to 40 expected attendees
- Specific space layout is not required
- Equipment such as projector or microphone is not required
- Other visitors might be sharing the space nearby
We would like to prioritise such bookings on the following days:
- Mondays and Fridays, 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 am-12 pm
Please fill in this form to express interest. We aim to review and respond to booking requests within 5 working days. Your booking is only confirmed once you have received a confirmation email from us.
If you wish to book our venue for events which could be made open to all members of our University community, then we’d like to work with you! We have helped numerous groups organise fantastic cultural events from Diwali and Day of the Dead to Lunar New Year, and many more festivities.
We can offer funding, publicity, and event planning and management support.
Collaborating with us offers a fantastic opportunity for you to gain more exposure and take your event to the next level. Collaborative events with the Global Lounge include cultural celebrations and speaker-led events.
Conditions
- Up to 80 expected guests for speaker-led events (if equipment such as projector or microphone is required, or
- Up to 40 guests for a film screening, or
- Up to 120 guests for all other events.
If you would like to collaborate with us, please email the global-lounge@bristol.ac.uk, and a member of our team will get back to you within 5 working days.
Although we prioritise events that are open to all students and staff, we understand that private events play an important role in bringing micro-communities together. You can make a private booking for events which you will be promoting to your own audiences, and these will not be open to the entire UoB community.
Conditions
- Up to 80 expected guests for speaker-led events (if equipment such as projector or microphone is required
- Up to 40 guests for a film screening
- Up to 120 guests for all other events
Please note: bookings are mainly available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 am – 12 pm and 2 – 7 pm.
If you would like to request to use the Global Lounge space for a private booking, please email global-lounge@bristol.ac.uk and a member of our team will get back to you within 5 working days.
The Global Lounge is a vibrant and multicultural hub which welcomes all students and staff from the University of Bristol – home and international – to join in with a vast range of social events and cultural celebrations, throughout the year. As our space is popular in demand, we prioritise bookings that meet our objectives in line with the Global Lounge’s ethos.
- When making the decision which bookings/events to approve or prioritise, we pay particular attention to:
- Celebrating cultures, building communities, promoting a social exchange, or expanding knowledge
- Introducing new users to the Global Lounge
- Meeting our strategic objectives
To help us co-create an inclusive culture, we expect bookings to live up to our principles:
- Free of charge
- Inclusive of the UK and international community
- Open to all students and staff (for collaborative events)
Some of our key terms:
- Space is allocated based on the type of activity, expected attendance and equipment required.
- Your event must be in line with the information you provide in your booking form and any changes to the expected attendance, risk, or activity must be discussed with us.
- You are responsible for setting up, tidying up and ensuring your guests vacate the space within your allocated booking time.
- Please make sure you factor this in your booking time. Furniture and equipment must not be removed or altered without permission and any alterations must be returned to the original layout at the end of your booking.
- You are not permitted to affix materials such as blue tack.
- Decorations are welcomed but must be discussed with the Global Lounge team.
- Catering, external speakers and external visitors must be discussed with the Global Lounge.
- You are not permitted to consume alcohol and smoking is only permitted in designated areas outside of Senate House.
- If you wish to cancel your booking let us know at least 2 working days or as soon as possible.
- Please also contact us if you are running late as we might not be able to extend your booking.
- Bookings from outside of the University community are not accepted.
Before you book, please read our full booking terms and conditions.