The Sussex Exchange opens next Wednesday 29 August as a high-standard conference and event venue, restaurant and bar on the border of Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex. It is part of the economic development programme for the area led by Sea Change Sussex.

The Sussex Exchange is a contemporary building on the Queensway road, next to the area’s main business estates and overlooking the ancient woodland of the Marline Valley. It will open from 8am to 9pm, Monday to Friday, with free parking. It has already taken 79 conference bookings up until May 2013.

The venue has been built to high sustainability standards with a biomass boiler, exceptional thermal insulation, toilets flushed by rainwater, optimisation of daylight and natural ventilation plus shingle roofs as a natural habitat for plants and insects.

It has three conference and event rooms:

  • The Forest room accommodates 130 delegates theatre-style and 96 cabaret style
  • The Cinema is a tiered theatre accommodating 52 for lectures, presentations and films with a comprehensive surround-sound AV system
  • The Meadow room takes 35 theatre-style, 22 in boardroom format and is also suitable for smaller groups

All rooms have AV equipment and free WiFi. There is a range of in-room catering options as well as meals and refreshments available in the restaurant. In addition to business meetings, the rooms are available to hire for social functions including private dining events.

The restaurant and bar—opening for leisure as well as business customers— can seat 58 inside, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic woodland views. Tables are available on the outside balcony in fine weather.

The kitchen will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and coffee with an emphasis on fresh local produce. The restaurant and bar also have free WiFi.

Peter Adlington, MD of local manufacturing firm Plastipack Ltd, comments: “The Sussex Exchange is a striking contemporary, environmentally-friendly building. It’s a much-needed venue for people to get together in a wonderful leafy setting for conferences, meetings and training sessions—or simply to enjoy a meal and some drinks. There’s nothing quite like it around and I’m sure it’s going to be a great asset to the business community as well as the area’s residents.”

Further information and photographs are on the venue’s web site at www.sussexexchange.co.uk. For enquiries and bookings, people should contact Sam Edwards on 01424 858 461 or samedwards@sussexexchange.co.uk.

For media information and images, please contact:

Tariq Khwaja from PR agency TK Associates

T: 01932 224 212

M: 07833 336 271

E: tariq.khwaja@tk-associates.com