Top Venues for Corporate Events in Oxford

Best for… The Summer Party
Oxford is almost as famous for its water-based pastimes as it is for its dreaming spires, so a sunny afternoon out on the river is the ultimate summer party plan. If your company is small, you might consider hiring a punt or two from the Cherwell Boathouse in Summertown and enjoying a Champagne picnic as you drift through the tranquil countryside. For larger parties, family run Salter’s Steamers – based at Folly Bridge – have large open-topped boats which can be privately chartered and will accommodate up to 150 guests. Cruises last five hours and go up the Thames towards Abingdon, with catering and entertainment offered as optional extras.

After disembarking, the party can continue outside on a summer’s evening at the classy cocktail bar The House, just off the High Street. With half price cocktails during happy hour (which runs until 9pm), it’s affordable as well as trendy, with a delicious range of cocktails to satisfy even the pickiest palate. The large upstairs games room can be hired for private parties, and boasts a pool table to keep your guests entertained.

Best for… The Team Building Exercise
Head to the Four Pillars Hotel at Sandford on Thames, a suburb of Oxford, for the perfect team building event. The hotel can tailor the event to your exact specifications, and with a huge choice of fun and stimulating activities, the Four Pillars is the last word in corporate team building exercises. The only difficult bit is deciding which activities you’ll opt for: perhaps you could give your employees a mental challenge with a treasure hunt, or put their survival skills to the test with a spot of raft-building or paintballing.

Best for… The Christmas Party
Offices in Oxford can give their Christmas party a sense of occasion by hiring the grandiose Freud Café on Jericho’s Walton Street. A former Greek Revival Church with a striking neo-classical façade, Freud Café was built in the early 19th century and is an impressive space with ample room for a live band, dancing, dinner, a casino – you name it. Its excellent cocktail menu includes a number of in-house recipes which are sure to tempt the more adventurous members of your party.

If a smaller space is called for, Italian-inspired Branca restaurant, just down the road from Freud Café on Walton Street, is just the ticket. Stylish yet very reasonably priced, the restaurant has an intimate feel about it and the menu is delectable.

Best for… Casual Drinks with Colleagues
If you’re simply looking for a quiet place in which to unwind after a day of meetings, the Summertown Wine Café is a great venue both for entertaining business contacts and relaxing with colleagues. It offers a tempting selection of fine wines along with mouth-watering platters of olives and cheeses, and if you’re feeling thirsty for wine knowledge you can ask the bar staff to take you through some proper wine tasting without a prior booking.

If you’re in an extravagant mood, or perhaps celebrating a birthday in the office, treat yourselves to some Champagne at the sophisticated new restaurant at the recently revamped Ashmolean Museum. Its extensive terrace overlooks the Oxford rooftops, making it a wonderful place to while away a balmy summer’s evening.