Venue guide
We have put together the below guide to give you as much information as possible about this year's Congress venue before the event.
If you have any questions or want to discuss any of the points below please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton via email or phone on 0208 618 4144.
The 2024 RCPsych International Congress will be taking place at the EICC
Address
EICC
The Exchange
Edinburgh
EH3 8EE
Scotland
There are several options when travelling to this year's Congress
Train
Haymarket Station, which is just 0.4 miles from EICC, is a stop for many commuter and some UK train routes. The number 2 bus will take you within a 2 minute walk of the EICC from Haymarket Station.
Please ensure that you check with your rail network provider to find out if your train will stop at Haymarket or Waverley.
For more information on the rail network within the UK, please visit LNER, National Rail or Trainline; a one-stop shop for train and coach travel.
Bus
Edinburgh's main bus terminal is located at St Andrews Square. Bus connections stretch right across the UK. For details of these routes please visit: www.nationalexpress.com or www.citylink.co.uk
For information on local bus services throughout Edinburgh visit www.lothianbuses.com
The number 11 bus will take you from St Andrews Square to the EICC with a five minute walk either side.
- Low entrances that can “kneel” to kerb height to give step free access where possible
- Retractable boarding ramp for wheelchair access
- Completely flat areas on the lower deck (with no internal steps)
- High visibility handrails
- A dedicated wheelchair space
- Drivers who are specially trained to help customers enjoy the full benefit of their buses
Tram
The closest tram stop to the EICC is at Haymarket Station. Please visit Edinburgh Trams website for more details.
Car
The EICC is right in the centre of Edinburgh. The main entrance is 150 Morrison Street. For directions from your home or office visit Google Maps and input EH3 8EE for the destination postcode.
Parking near the EICC
There are many car parks in close walking distance to the EICC. Please access the following links for further details:
National Car Parks (NCP) in central Edinburgh
Sheraton Hotel Car Park located 150 meters from the EICC, with limited accessible parking spaces
Semple Street Car Park located 300 meters from the EICC
Spaces near EICC available via yourparkingspace.co.uk
Accessible Parking near the EICC
Plane
For more information on which airlines and destinations connect to Edinburgh visit www.edinburghairport.com.
You can get from the airport to the EICC via taxi, tram or bus.
You'll find official airport taxis at the taxi rank outside the terminal building (follow the signs within the airport). It costs approximately £15 to get a taxi from the airport to the city centre and the journey takes 20 minutes depending on the time of day.
Edinburgh Trams run between the Airport and York Place every 8-10 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 12-15 minutes on a Sunday. Please visit Edinburgh Trams website for more details.
The Airlink 100 operates a frequent bus service (every 10 minutes at peak times) between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre, with designated stops en route. The service starts at 04.30 and runs until 00.22 at night, with the journey taking 20 minutes. Tickets cost £4.50 single and £7.50 return. Delegates are advised to disembark at Haymarket Railway Station and to follow signs for EICC on foot (5 minute walk). See city centre map for directions.
The N22 bus also departs from outside the Airport entrance and runs every half an hour through the night until the Airlink service starts again. For more information about these services visit www.flybybus.com.
Walk/cycle
There are bike racks which can accommodate ten bikes, at the main entrance on Morrison Street, and spaces for a further twenty bikes at the racks behind the Atria One office building next to the EICC. For nearby routes, take a look at Edinburgh's cycle paths, many of which run close to the EICC.
Walking in Edinburgh is a great way to enjoy and experience the historic city, particularly around the Castle and Royal Mile. Waverley train station is a 25 minute walk from the EICC and Haymarket is just nine minutes away.
Taxi
The preferred taxi supplier is Central Taxis. Their phone number is 0131 229 2468
All Central Taxis are wheelchair accessible. They offer a mix of 5-seater TX Hackney cabs, 6-seater Mercedes M8 taxis and Peugeot E7 taxis each of which is supplied with a wheelchair ramp, seatbelts and additional safety anchors. All drivers have completed training in Wheelchair Access and Disability Awareness.
The EICC benefits from a reserved drop-off area where taxis and cars can park temporarily, directly outside the venue’s two entrances. The taxi rank is situated at the front of the EICC where there is a dropped kerb. Taxis can be booked at the EICC’s Concierge Desks.
The EICC is split between five levels. You can find a detailed plan of each level via the links below and further information about what you can find on each floor.
Level -2 – this is where you will find the exhibition hall (Lennox suite), catering (Lennox suite), poster presentations (Lammermuir and Moffat) and a breakout space (Cromdale hall)
Level -1 – this is where you will find rooms used for the Congress Cultural Fringe (Menteith and Lowther)
Level 0 – this is where you will find the registration desk (Strathblane hall), help desk (Strathblane hall), cloakroom (Strathblane hall), breakout space (Lomond suite) and the speaker preview room (Lomond foyer)
Level 1 – this is where you will find the Student and Trainee Lounge (Cafe) and breakout space used for the Congress Cultural Fringe (Carrick, Harris and Ochil)
Level 3 – this is where you will find the main plenary space (Pentland) and breakout rooms (Sidlaw and Fintry)
All catering for the Congress will be served in the Lennox Suite on Level -2 (the Exhibition area).
Tea and coffee will be provided during the morning and afternoon breaks and a full lunch will be served during the lunch hour.
All food and beverages will be served using china to reduce the level of waste produced by the event. We would also like to encourage you to bring your own water bottles and keep cups to use throughout the Congress.
If you have any dietary requirements please let us know by completing our dietary requirement form. When at the venue if you let a member of the catering team aware, they will be happy to assist you.
We welcome breastfeeding anywhere at Congress but a private feeding room is available in Carrick 1 on Level 1 if preferred.
We will also have a dedicated room, Cromdale hall on Level -2, live streaming each of the keynote sessions, that will be a more relaxed environment, so you may wish to sit in this room if your baby is unsettled, but you don't want to miss the plenary talks.
We will have a dedicated quiet room available in Ochil 2 and 3 on Level 1, that you are welcome to use at any point during the Congress.
We will also have a separate dedicated quiet room that we will be streaming each of the plenary lectures to. This will be in Lomond Suite on Level 0.
We would encourage you, if using this room, to use a sensitive applause. Please note however, that sound and applause from the main lecture theatre may be picked up through the stream.
The programme sessions will be held in the following rooms:
Keynote sessions – Pentland
Parallel sessions – Pentland, Sidlaw, Fintry, Lomond Suite, Cromdale Hall
Rapid fire poster presentations – Moffat and Lammermuir
Congress cultural fringe – Pentland, Sidlaw, Fintry, Lomond Suite, Cromdale Hall, Menteith, Lowther, Carrick, Harris and Ochil
Student and trainee – Cafe on Level 1
For room locations please view the venue maps above.
Each keynote session will last for 30 minutes. There will not be a chance for Q&A during these sessions.
If you would prefer to sit in a quiet space during the keynote sessions, we will be relaying the talks to a keynote overflow room. The dedicated quiet room to watch the keynotes is Lomond Suite on Level 0. We will also be relaying the keynote presentations to the Cromdale Hall on Level -2, this room will have a more relaxed atmosphere.
Each of the parallel sessions will be 75 minutes in total. These sessions will typically consist of three presentations each lasting 20 minutes with 15 minutes for Q&A. Some sessions may differ slightly.
We will be recording all sessions at the Congress, where we have speaker permission to do so. These recordings will be made available after the Congress has taken place. If you have purchased a whole Congress ticket, the recordings will be included in your ticket price. If you have purchased a day ticket(s) you will be entitled to a discounted rate for the recording package.
The main registration times are as below
Sunday 16 June - 5.00pm - 8.00pm
Monday 17 June - 8.00am - 10.00am
Tuesday 18 June - 8.00am - 9.00am
Wednesday 19 June - 8.00am - 9.00am
Thursday 20 June - 8.00am - 9.00am
The registration desks will however be open throughout the Congress and you are welcome to collect your badge at any time.
To collect your badge you will simply need to enter your name in to one of the self service machines, print your badge and attach a lanyard. You will need to wear your badge at all times to gain access to any of the sessions, exhibition hall and catering. There will be a member of staff at the badge printers to assist you if required.
An image of the badge printers can be seen below
If you would prefer a quiet registration desk or more support collecting your badge please email our Congress Manager, Katie Newton (katie.newton@rcpsych.ac.uk)
In the registration area we will have a dedicated help desk open throughout the Congress.
Come to see us if you need anything and we will be happy to help.
The main entrance to the EICC for the Congress will be the Strathblane entrance. This will bring you into the Srathblane Hall, where the registration desks are located. This entrance has automated sliding doors which are operated by a push button from the outside and by sensor from the inside. During an event these doors are staffed with security who can offer assistance if required
You can view a virtual tour of the Strathblane Hall on the EICC website.
- If you are being dropped off by taxi or car, the EICC benefits from a reserved drop-off area where taxis and cars can park temporarily, directly outside the venue’s two entrances. The taxi rank is situated at the front of the EICC where there is a dropped kerb
- The cloakroom and concierge desks are also located in the Strathblane Hall. The concierge desk is the main reception point for the building and also an information point providing local information including taxi bookings
- All areas of the venue can be reached by lift. All lifts have spoken messages indicating which floor the lift is on and whether the doors are opening or closing. Additionally, all lifts have grab bars for delegates with impaired mobility
- An effective concierge service, as well as prominent signage and lighting, ensure smooth navigation of the venue. In spite of the building’s complexity and size, it is highly-functional yet welcoming. A helpful team of staff is on-hand to assist with navigational and accessibility needs
- In the Pentland Auditorium (main auditorium tiered seating) there are six designated spaces for wheelchair users and carers. These spaces can be used for assistance dogs. The designated spaces offer clear sight lines of any performance. In the breakout rooms, where possible, we will also ensure that there is spaced out seating providing enough room for wheelchair users and carers to sit
Please view the EICC's autism friendly visitor guide for more detailed information about the venue
In the Pentland Auditorium an Induction Loop is located in the central section of seats from row F to the rear of the auditorium. To use this, delegates should switch their hearing aids to the "T" position.
Additional induction loops are installed as required. Please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton if you wish to discuss this further.
On each floor of the venue there are adapted toilets, with grab rails, emergency buttons, lowered mirrors and fittings. Currently these toilets allow for either a left or a right lateral transfer, not both.
There is a baby change facility on Level -2, Level -1 and Level 1.