Annesbrook Event Centre

About this place

The Annesbrook Event Centre is a purpose-built conference and function venue on Saxton Road in Stoke, on the southern side of Nelson. It is the venue-hire operation of Annesbrook Church and is run as a commercial events business, handling conferences, seminars, corporate functions, exhibitions, concerts, weddings and community events.

Stoke sits between Nelson city centre and Richmond, close to the Saxton Field sports and recreation precinct and a short drive from Nelson Airport. That location suits delegate groups arriving from either end of the Nelson Tasman region without needing to funnel through the city centre.

Spaces and capacity

The centre offers six hireable spaces: the Auditorium, the Foyer, Hall 1, Hall 2, Classroom 1 and Classroom 2.

• The Auditorium seats up to 550 theatre-style and approximately 350 for a banquet.
• Combined, the venue reports capacity for up to 650 guests cocktail-style.
• Four breakout spaces allow a larger conference to run concurrent streams, while smaller bookings can take a single room scaled to their numbers.

This mix — one large plenary room plus multiple genuine breakouts under the same roof — is the configuration most multi-day conference programmes need, and it is comparatively uncommon in the Nelson market.

Audiovisual, parking and facilities

The auditorium is fitted with an LED wall and a matched PA system, supported by flexible lighting. High-speed WiFi is available throughout, and the site has on-site parking of around 195 spaces, including accessible bays — a practical advantage for regional conferences where most delegates drive.

A kitchen on site supports catered functions. Catering arrangements, menus and any preferred-supplier requirements should be confirmed directly with the venue.

Meeting and event suitability

The centre is well matched to:

• Conferences and seminars requiring a plenary room plus breakouts
• Gala dinners and awards nights in banquet format
• Trade shows and exhibitions using the halls and foyer
• Corporate meetings and training in the classroom spaces
• Incentive and reward functions in cocktail format

For organisers weighing options across the region, Annesbrook is one of the larger flat-floor and theatre-capacity venues outside the Nelson CBD, with the parking capacity to match. See other Nelson venues for comparison.