The Diamond Building
A landmark University of Sheffield conference venue for large academic, STEM, corporate and multi-stream events in central Sheffield.
About The Diamond Building
The Diamond is a purpose-built £81 million engineering building operated for events by WithUS, the hospitality and events arm of the University of Sheffield. With lecture theatres, adaptable conference rooms, computer rooms, workrooms and a large open Moonscape area, it is well suited to conferences that need scale, parallel sessions and strong technical infrastructure.
It can support events of up to 1,500 people across all spaces, with a largest single theatre capacity of 400. As the home of the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering, it has a natural fit with research, innovation, technology and education-focused events, while its contemporary architecture and central campus position give events a memorable setting close to the city centre.
Why bookers choose The Diamond Building
Large-scale conference capacity in a central university setting
The Diamond can support events of up to 1,500 people across its spaces, with a largest single theatre capacity of 400. It works especially well for programmes that combine plenary sessions, breakouts, catering, exhibitions and technical workshops.
Strong fit for STEM, innovation and academic events
As the home of the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering, The Diamond has a natural fit with research, innovation, technology and education-focused events. Its engineering context, iForge makerspace and specialist teaching environment give it credibility for conferences where subject matter and setting need to align.
Lecture theatres, breakout rooms and exhibition space in one building
The venue brings together a range of lecture theatres, adaptable conference rooms, computer rooms, workrooms and the Moonscape open area. This makes it practical for multi-stream conferences where bookers need delegates to move between sessions without leaving the building.
Advanced AV throughout
The venue listing states that each room is equipped with advanced AV technology. This supports presentations, lectures, workshops, meetings and training sessions where reliable technical delivery is central to the event.
A distinctive Sheffield landmark
The Diamond's contemporary architecture, large-scale glazing and central campus position give events a memorable setting. It is close to Sheffield's main shopping district, cultural quarter and wider city centre amenities.
Spaces
Lecture Theatre 1
The largest lecture theatre for keynote sessions, plenaries and major presentations
Lecture Theatre 1 is the largest theatre space at The Diamond, seating up to 400 people. It is suited to keynote presentations, opening plenaries, major academic lectures and large corporate sessions where fixed theatre-style seating is appropriate. It provides the largest single-room capacity at the venue and keeps delegates within the main conference building for onward breakouts, catering and exhibition activity.
The University room directory confirms a lectern, hearing loop, blackout suitable for screenings, natural light and a whiteboard. Advanced AV technology is stated as available in every room. Specific equipment, technician support, recording, hybrid capability and speaker arrangements should be confirmed with WithUS.
Further Conference Lecture Theatres
Additional lecture theatres for parallel conference streams and breakout presentations
The Diamond's further lecture theatres support parallel conference sessions, specialist presentations and breakout streams. The building holds nine lecture theatres in total. WithUS markets seven of these for conference hire, ranging in capacity from around 160 to 400. Alongside Lecture Theatre 1 at 400, there is a mid-size pair seating around 230 and a cluster of theatres seating around 160. The exact capacity of each numbered theatre should be confirmed with the venue.
Advanced AV technology is stated as available in every room. Confirm detailed AV specification, stage arrangements, lectern setup, microphones, recording, livestreaming and technician support with WithUS.
Moonscape Open Area
Open-plan space for exhibitions, catering, networking and evening receptions
The Moonscape Open Area is the main open space used for delegate catering, exhibitions, networking and receptions. WithUS has used it for conference catering and exhibition activity, and it can support up to 300 guests for receptions. It gives large events a central hub for movement, refreshment breaks and informal interaction between scheduled sessions.
Confirm exhibition power, stand layout, registration desk options, branding permissions, furniture, rigging restrictions and evening event arrangements with WithUS.
Adaptable Conference Rooms
Flexible rooms for meetings, workshops, training and breakout sessions
The WithUS venue listing references seven adaptable rooms at The Diamond. These rooms are suited to smaller meetings, workshops, team sessions, training and conference breakouts. They provide flexible support space for conferences that need smaller group work alongside lecture theatre sessions.
Advanced AV technology is stated as available in every room. Confirm individual room capacities, furniture layouts, screen setup, video conferencing, hybrid meeting support and whether all seven rooms are available for external hire.
Computer Rooms
IT-equipped spaces for technical workshops and hands-on learning
The Diamond includes computer rooms suitable for IT-led sessions, technical workshops and practical learning formats. External hire availability and bookable capacity should be confirmed with WithUS. Computer rooms allow conferences to include practical, equipment-supported sessions rather than relying only on presentation-led formats.
Advanced AV technology is stated as available in every room. Confirm computer specification, software installation permissions, login arrangements, network access, technical support, delegate device policy and external hire availability.
Workrooms
Group-work spaces for training, collaboration and facilitated sessions
The Diamond includes workrooms that support collaborative sessions, training groups and hands-on activities. They are useful for event programmes that need discussion, group exercises or practical outputs alongside theatre-style content. Workrooms give conference organisers more flexible formats than lecture theatres alone, especially for training or engagement-led programmes.
Confirm individual room capacities, furniture flexibility, AV provision, whiteboards or collaboration tools, room access and external hire availability with WithUS.
All spaces at a glance
| Space | theatre | reception |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture Theatre 1 | 400 | – |
| Further Conference Lecture Theatres | 160 | – |
| Moonscape Open Area | – | 300 |
| Adaptable Conference Rooms | – | – |
| Computer Rooms | – | – |
| Workrooms | – | – |
Guest numbers for the layout shown. A dash means that layout isn't offered in that space.
Facilities & amenities
Catering
Approach
WithUS provides in-house conference and event catering for The Diamond, supporting full-day delegate programmes, refreshment breaks, lunches, receptions and evening events. Refreshment breaks, delegate lunches, reception catering and bespoke event menus are available, and a café is also located within the building (confirm name and location with venue).
External caterers
External catering policy not stated. Confirm with venue.
Bars
Bar arrangements not stated. Confirm with venue.
Dietary
Dietary and allergen requirements, including vegetarian and vegan options, can be accommodated. Confirm specific arrangements with WithUS for each event.
Is it right for your event?
Great for
- Large conferences of up to 1,500 people across multiple spaces
- Academic, research and university-linked events
- Engineering, STEM, technology and innovation conferences
- Events needing lecture theatres plus breakout rooms
- Conferences with exhibition, catering and reception activity
- Corporate training, product launches, team-building sessions and awards evenings
- Events where a central Sheffield location is important
Less suited to
- Events needing on-site bedrooms within the same building
- Luxury private dining where a hotel or heritage venue atmosphere is the main priority
- Events requiring confirmed on-site parking as a core requirement
- Small intimate meetings where a major university teaching building may feel too large
- Events needing guaranteed external access to specialist upper-floor teaching, computer or makerspace facilities without prior confirmation
Accessibility
Full event-specific accessibility arrangements should be confirmed directly with WithUS, including step-free routes, lift access, accessible toilets, hearing loop provision across all spaces, wheelchair positions in lecture theatres, blue badge parking, nearest drop-off point and out-of-hours access arrangements.
Weddings
Location & getting there
The Diamond is located at 32 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield, S3 7RD, on the University of Sheffield campus and close to Sheffield city centre.
Sustainability
The Diamond holds a BREEAM Excellent rating (interim, under BREEAM Education 2008); the final post-construction rating should be confirmed with the venue. The building incorporates triple glazing, three low or zero carbon energy systems and a facade designed to reduce carbon emissions. The Diamond also sits within the wider University of Sheffield and WithUS sustainability framework, with publicly available material referencing renewable energy procurement, fossil fuel divestment, electric delivery vehicles, reusable platters, no single-use water bottles, sugarcane bagasse disposables, local sourcing and food waste redistribution. WithUS catering references local suppliers, including Our Cow Molly milk, and reusable glass bottles for conference delegates.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The Diamond is well suited to large conferences, with capacity for up to 1,500 people across all spaces and a largest lecture theatre seating 400.
Yes. The venue is particularly strong for academic, research, engineering, innovation and STEM events because it is a working University of Sheffield engineering building with specialist teaching spaces and innovation facilities.
The Moonscape open area is the main open-plan space for exhibitions, networking, delegate catering and evening receptions. It can accommodate up to 300 guests for receptions.
Yes. The Diamond is a strong option for multi-stream programmes because it includes several lecture theatres, conference rooms, computer rooms and workrooms within the same building.
Advanced AV technology is stated as available in every room. WiFi is expected for a university conference venue but should be confirmed with WithUS before publishing as a guaranteed feature.
The Diamond is in central Sheffield on Leavygreave Road. Sheffield Station is around a 20-minute walk away, or a short tram or taxi ride, and University of Sheffield Supertram stops are within a few minutes' walk.