The Melting Pot in Edinburgh rents out meeting rooms and event spaces for groups of 2 to 40 people, seven days a week, including evenings. It is a social enterprise and coworking hub at 15 Calton Road, next to Waverley Station, and its rooms suit strategy days, team away days, workshops, interviews and small gatherings.
Seminars and company events
The venue offers rooms for 2 to 40 people, with technology for hybrid meetings. Strong WiFi, flipcharts and whiteboards come with every booking, and a single-serve tea or coffee on arrival is included. The hosts help plan the event before the day and are on site during it. Organisers can ask for a quote or book through the online enquiry form, by phone or by email, and a brochure is available for download.
Rooms and capacities
Five spaces are listed for hire. The Executive Boardroom is on the ground floor, fully accessible, and takes up to 14 people. The Meeting Room, in the basement, takes up to 10. The CoLab, also in the basement, holds 16 to 25 people depending on the layout. The Commons is the largest event space, just behind the front doors, and is described as versatile for gatherings of up to 50 people. The Whole Basement option combines the CoLab, the Meeting Room, all the breakout spaces and the kitchen, which makes it a practical choice for a full-day workshop with parallel sessions.
The venue also lists an out-of-hours hire option for evening use, a Team Pass for bringing a remote team together for a day or half day in its Orange Area, and long-term private offices for up to six people (six-month lets or more). Those last two are not event products, but they show how the building is used the rest of the week.
Catering
Catering from local, sustainable suppliers is available on request. Past clients mention pastries and fruit platters ordered for team days. A self-service tea and coffee point is part of the setting, so delegates can help themselves between sessions.
History and setting
The Melting Pot describes itself as Scotland's Centre for Social Innovation. It reinvests its profits in supporting ethical start-ups and initiatives that put people and planet first, so a booking contributes to that work. The building houses coworking desks, quiet pods, several meeting rooms and a kitchen, so an event here takes place in a working community rather than a hired hall. Clients quoted on the website include the University of Edinburgh, Queen Margaret University and several charities, which gives an idea of the usual events: team days, interview days, training and partner meetings.
Discounts are published on the site, including an automatic reduction on Mondays and Fridays and a reduced rate for Scottish charities. Check current terms when you enquire.
Getting there
The venue is on Calton Road, opposite the Calton Road exit of Waverley Station, in the centre of Edinburgh. Delegates arriving by train can walk to the door in a minute or two. A Getting Here page on the site gives further directions.
