A distinguished heritage venue in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, Customs House provides an exceptional setting for conferences, seminars, and corporate events. Combining historic grandeur with contemporary functionality, our event spaces offer a polished and professional environment for meetings, presentations, workshops, and larger corporate gatherings.
With natural light, access to breakout spaces and fresh air, and versatile rooms accommodating both intimate meetings and larger events, Customs House offers a refined setting with dedicated event support and exceptional riverfront views.
Our dedicated events team provides comprehensive all-day service, including bespoke catering packages crafted by Customs House Catering. From breakfast functions to working lunches and afternoon refreshments, every culinary aspect is tailored to elevate your event experience and productivity.
Our Event Spaces
The Long Room
Overlooking the Brisbane River, The Long Room combines historic elegance with modern functionality. This versatile conference and event space is ideal for keynote presentations, industry conferences, seminars, and gala events that call for a memorable setting. The Long Room’s impressive architecture provides an inspiring backdrop for events, while its flexible layout accommodates a range of seating arrangements to suit your requirements. With its soaring cathedral ceiling, copper dome, impressive columns and heritage detailing, The Long Room creates an atmosphere of distinction and grandeur.
Layout Options and Capacities
- Cocktail: 300 guests
- Theatre: 200 guests
- Banquet: 220 guests (pending set up requirements)
- Cabaret: 130 guests
Audio Visual & Conference Equipment
Complimentary staging, lectern and microphone are included with Long Room events. The room’s grandeur and distinctive architecture also provide a striking canvas for enhanced lighting, elevated screens and draping, with flexibility to create a tailored setup for conferences, panel discussions, awards, and live entertainment. Enquire with our events team to discuss your audiovisual requirements and available upgrades.
The River Room
Located on the River Level, The River Room combines contemporary styling with integrated audiovisual technology and views of the Story Bridge. The space also provides direct access to the terrace overlooking the Brisbane River. With operable walls and flexible configurations, the River Room is well suited to conferences, seminars, workshops, presentations, and corporate events. Built-in audiovisual equipment supports professional presentations and meetings, while the adaptable layout allows the room to accommodate a range of event formats.
Layout Options and Capacities
- Theatre: 120 guests
- Banquet: 120 guests
- Cabaret: 96 guests
- Cocktail: 200 guests
Audiovisual & Conference Equipment
The River Room features a ceiling-mounted data projector and screen. Complimentary platform staging, lectern and microphone are included with your event. Additional audiovisual equipment can be arranged to suit your presentation, conference, or seminar requirements.
Conference Catering & Delegate Packages
Under the direction of our Executive Chef, Customs House Catering creates refined, contemporary cuisine for conferences, seminars and corporate events.
From breakfast meetings and morning teas to working lunches and afternoon refreshments, catering can be tailored to suit your event and schedule. Our experienced events team will guide you in finding the perfect package and inclusions for your event, tailored to your requirements.
Just wanted to pass along our thanks again to Carolina and the whole Customs House team for the excellent service for our event – we were all very pleased and impressed with the team and the venue, and happy that everything went very well! We also had some great feedback from the guests on the day, and everyone seemed to have enjoyed the event.
– Wellways
Thank you and the team for such a wonderful night – the food was amazing, staff were very attentive and all around the event went very well. Our guests have been raving about the night and how much they would love to come back. Both the Events and Banquets teams are huge assets to Customs House and I cannot thank you all enough for your hard work.
– Australian Institute of Architects
Last night was absolutely 10 out of 10. Everything was as I hoped for and the team, food and service was wonderful. THANK YOU, we will absolutely be back. The board and executives were most impressed with the food, beverage, room and of course the views.
– GHD
Everything ran super smoothly, food and service were great overall. The Banquets Manager was awesome, very easy to deal with and super-efficient. It was lovely being able to arrive at the venue and everything was already done for us and ran like clockwork. The serving staff should also be commended – they were excellent too. From my end with regard to coordinating from Sydney it was very straightforward, deadlines and requirements were clearly outlined and easy to follow. It was a pleasure working with Customs House.
– Kaplan Professional
FAQs
Is Customs House suitable for conferences and seminars?
Yes. Customs House offers versatile event spaces for conferences, seminars, workshops, presentations, and corporate events in Brisbane’s CBD. The Long Room and River Room offer different capacities and configurations, with audiovisual facilities available to support presentations and meetings.
Is Customs House accessible for people with disabilities?
Everyone is welcome at Customs House, and we take pride in ensuring our spaces are accessible to all guests. Disabled and wheelchair access to the building is available throughout the building, along with accessible lifts, and bathroom facilities. For events where wheelchair or walking aid users will be in attendance, we will ensure that your chosen space is laid out in a way that can be navigated easily. Please ensure this is communicated to your events coordinator once your event details are confirmed.
What is the venue’s cancellation policy?
We understand that plans can change. Should any issues arise or amendments be required, we recommend contacting your dedicated event coordinator as soon as possible.
Are there nearby hotel options?
Customs House’s central CBD location provides exceptional convenience for events with travelling parties. Brisbane’s city center offers numerous accommodation options to suit various preferences and budgets, from luxury hotels to boutique lodgings, all within walking distance of our venue. This accessibility makes Customs House an ideal choice for travelling guests.
Is there on-site parking or nearby parking options?
While Customs House does not offer on-site parking, we permit temporary vehicle access for equipment and supply drop-offs. Several public parking facilities are available within short walking distance of the venue. Our events team can provide recommendations for the most convenient parking options based on your specific requirements, or you can find more parking information on our Contact page.
Can we bring our own AV equipment?
We understand that some events may require specialised equipment. You are welcome to bring additional AV equipment to supplement our existing systems. We recommend discussing your specific technical requirements with your event coordinator during the planning process to ensure seamless integration.
