As the relationship between wellbeing and the spaces we inhabit continues to evolve, the places in which professionals gather are being re-evaluated. This shift has been accelerated by changing working patterns and an increased awareness of mental and physical health. For those working at the intersection of health and business, the expectations placed on event and meeting spaces are higher than ever.

Event and meeting spaces are expected to do far more than simply accommodate people. Capacity and location, while still important, are no longer the defining criteria. Instead, venues are increasingly assessed on how well they support wellbeing, foster meaningful collaboration and align with broader commitments on sustainability and social responsibility.

Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter has become a focal point for innovation, research and professional exchange. Home to universities, cultural institutions and leading health and life sciences organisations, the district reflects the city’s ambition to be at the forefront of knowledge-led growth. It is within this context that Spaces at The Spine has emerged as a venue that speaks directly to the changing needs of modern organisations.

Located within The Spine, the northern home of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Spaces at The Spine brings together world-class facilities, advanced technology and a clear ethos centred on wellbeing and sustainability. Designed to support the needs of an ever-growing industry, Spaces at The Spine offers an environment where ideas can be shared, decisions can be made, and people can thrive.

A setting representing healthcare excellence

The Spine itself is a significant addition to Liverpool’s health and life sciences landscape. As the RCP’s first base outside London, the building represents a long-term commitment to the city and the wider North of England. Its presence in the Knowledge Quarter, Liverpool’s innovation district, places it among major academic, clinical and research institutions, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a centre for transformation in health and medicine.

Spaces at The Spine forms an integral part of this vision. The venue has been designed to complement the work of the RCP, while also being suitable to welcome a broader audience of both public and private organisations. As a result, it is uniquely positioned to host events that span clinical education, leadership development, cross-sector collaboration and more.

Venue design for contemporary, flexible events

Spaces at The Spine has been designed to support a wide range of professional events, reflecting the varied ways in which healthcare and business communities now come together. The venue comprises a collection of flexible meeting and event spaces of varying sizes, suitable for conferences, seminars, board meetings, workshops and networking events:

• Space One & Two, for large-scale conferences up to 330 people
• The Axis, boasting panoramic views of Liverpool
• Floor eleven, a unique setting for exams, filming and productions

This flexibility enables events to be scaled up or down, from focused leadership sessions to multi-room programmes with breakout discussions.

Technology plays a central role in how Spaces at The Spine supports modern events, with digital systems integrated discreetly into each space as part of the building’s original design, rather than added as an afterthought. This approach enhances communication and connection, supporting the natural flow of discussion and collaboration, and reflects an understanding that technology should enable human interaction rather than distract from it.

Recognising the growing importance of hybrid and digitally enabled gatherings, the venue continues to invest in state-of-the-art audiovisual infrastructure. High-definition screens, integrated sound systems and reliable connectivity support presentations, panel discussions, live streaming and virtual participation, allowing events to reach wider audiences while maintaining a high-quality experience for those attending in person.

Across the venue, design has been carefully considered to support comfort, focus and engagement. Generous natural light is a defining feature, creating calm, welcoming environments that help reduce fatigue during longer sessions. This is complemented by considered acoustics and ergonomic furniture, ensuring that spaces remain functional and comfortable. There is also step-free access throughout, clear wayfinding, and inclusive facilities to ensure that all attendees can move through the space with ease. This accessibility commitment reflects wider values within the healthcare sector, where equity, inclusion and dignity are fundamental considerations, and reinforces the venue’s suitability for organisations with diverse audiences.

Wellbeing-led event spaces

The defining feature of Spaces at The Spine is its commitment to wellbeing, reflecting a broader shift in how event environments are designed for the healthcare sector. The Spine is one of the UK’s healthiest buildings, developed in line with the WELL Building Standard, a globally-recognised framework that places human health and wellbeing at the centre of building design and operation. Spaces at The Spine itself is also WELL Certified at the Platinum level, demonstrating performance across the standard’s 10 key concepts: air, water, nourishment, movement, light, thermal comfort, sound, material, mind and community.

Environmental factors, including air quality, lighting, acoustics and thermal comfort, have been carefully considered, informed by evidence on how physical surroundings influence concentration, energy levels and cognitive performance. The result is a series of spaces that feel calm, comfortable and supportive, even during long or demanding events.

Natural daylight plays a central role in this experience. Meeting and event spaces are designed to maximise access to light and outward views across the city, helping to reduce fatigue and support focus. Alongside this, planned breakout and circulation areas encourage movement, informal interaction and moments to pause, recognising the importance of balance between structured discussion and restorative downtime.

For healthcare professionals, many of whom operate in complex and high-pressure environments, these design choices have a tangible impact. Events hosted in settings that actively support wellbeing can foster greater engagement, clearer thinking and more productive collaboration. By embedding the principles of the WELL Standard into the everyday experience of the venue, Spaces at The Spine demonstrates how thoughtfully designed environments can positively shape behaviour, experience and outcomes.

Sustainability and responsible design

Alongside wellbeing, sustainability is a core pillar of the venue’s ethos. Spaces at The Spine has been developed with long-term environmental responsibility in mind, reflecting wider healthcare commitments to reducing carbon impact, promoting resource efficiency, and embedding sustainable practices across operations. The building demonstrates that high-quality event spaces can also be designed to minimise environmental impact, aligning with the values of organisations increasingly focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Spaces at The Spine incorporates energy-efficient systems, from intelligent heating to LED lighting and automated controls, reducing energy consumption without compromising comfort. Careful attention has also been paid to material selection, prioritising responsibly sourced, low-impact and non-toxic materials that support both environmental and human health.

For event organisers, these measures translate into tangible benefits. Hosting at Spaces at The Spine provides confidence that every stage of the event, from planning to execution, has been considered with environmental impact in mind. Hybrid and digitally enabled meeting capabilities also help reduce travel-related emissions, further aligning with organisational carbon reduction strategies.

The commitment to sustainability is closely linked to the venue’s wellbeing-led ethos, reflecting a holistic approach to health. By recognising the interdependence between humans and the health of the planet, Spaces at The Spine positions itself as a venue that supports not only professional outcomes but also broader societal goals. This integration of wellbeing and sustainability demonstrates that event spaces can play an active role in fostering healthier people and a healthier environment, setting a benchmark for responsible design in the sector.

Floor Eleven: A standout space

One of the venue’s most unique and versatile spaces is Floor Eleven, home to the Royal College of Physicians' medical simulation centre, purpose-built to host exams and professional assessments:

• Two identical sets of suites sit on either side of the lifts lobby, each with a dedicated reception area to welcome candidates, examiners and patients.
• The design ensures that visitors can enter and exit the building via a separate route from the main entrance, reducing congestion and supporting a smooth, organised assessment process. The layout also reflects careful consideration of flow and privacy.
• Each circuit comprises 14 assessment rooms, providing 28 in total across the floor. These rooms are configured to accommodate both clinical scenarios with beds and more intimate consultation settings with tables and chairs, supporting flexibility for different examination formats, for example, some rooms can host two patients while maintaining privacy through screens.

Floor Eleven is also equipped with a range of clinical tools and educational equipment. The suites feature flexible digital and audiovisual capabilities, such as CCTV for practice scenario filming, a built-in tannoy system for announcements across the circuits, and digital signage outside each room.

The design of Floor Eleven combines practical functionality with a commitment to candidate wellbeing. By integrating natural light, thoughtful layout and realistic hospital environments, the assessment suites replicate clinical settings while supporting calm, focused performance. In doing so, the space demonstrates how purpose-built facilities can enhance both examiner efficiency and candidate experience, setting a benchmark for clinical assessment environments.

Looking ahead
As expectations of professional event spaces continue to rise, Spaces at The Spine offers a compelling example of how venues can respond with purpose and clarity. By placing wellbeing, sustainability and flexibility at the heart of its design, it reflects the evolving priorities of organisations working across health, science and business. More than a place to meet, it is an environment shaped to support people, ideas and outcomes. In doing so, Spaces at The Spine not only complements Liverpool’s growing Knowledge Quarter, but sets a new benchmark for what wellbeing-led events can look like in practice.

Find out more about Spaces at The Spine: website