Indoor & Outdoor Event Venues at Westpoint Exeter: Why Choose When You Can Have Both?

Most event venues in Exeter force you to choose between indoor or outdoor spaces. At Westpoint, you don't have to make that compromise. Our unique combination of professional indoor facilities and extensive outdoor grounds means you get complete flexibility for your event, whatever the weather, whatever the season, whatever your vision.

With our 4,590 square metre main arena accommodating up to 7,000 people, our Conference Suite for up to 300 delegates, and 150 acres of outdoor space, Westpoint offers the most versatile event venue in Devon. Whether you're planning corporate events, agricultural shows, or large-scale exhibitions, we provide the indoor security and outdoor possibilities that make exceptional events happen.

This flexibility isn't just convenient, it's transformative. Plan an outdoor summer celebration with the confidence of indoor backup if weather turns. Host a conference in our weather-protected Conference Suite, then move delegates outdoors for team activities. Stage an agricultural show across our outdoor grounds with indoor exhibition space in the main arena. At Westpoint, you're not limited by venue constraints, you're empowered by venue options.

Westpoint's versatile indoor and outdoor facilities offer complete event flexibility

Westpoint's Indoor Facilities: Professional Spaces for Every Event

Our indoor facilities provide the foundation for professional events that demand reliability, technical capability, and year-round availability. When weather protection matters, when technical requirements are complex, or when professional atmosphere is essential, Westpoint's indoor spaces deliver.

The Main Arena: 7,000-Capacity Versatility

Our main arena at 4,590 square metres accommodates up to 7,000 people for concerts and major events, or 3,500 for trade exhibitions. This enormous, flexible space has hosted everything from The 1975, Becky Hill, and Lewis Capaldi concerts to PDC World Championship Darts and Disney on Ice. The arena serves as exhibition space for major public shows and trade exhibitions, demonstrating versatility that few venues can match.

Event organisers will need to provide rigging points, power distribution, and technical equipment to support their specific production needs. Our experienced technical team can advise on optimal configurations and work with your production crew to ensure seamless setup. We provide backstage facilities with comfortable dressing rooms, green rooms, production offices, and loading dock access for equipment transport.

The Conference Suite: Intimate Professional Environment

For smaller events requiring professional atmosphere with more intimacy, our Conference Suite accommodates up to 300 delegates. Perfect for business meetings, training sessions, seminars, and conferences, this space offers indoor comfort with natural light and flexible layouts. We have basic audio equipment available, though lighting would need to be provided by event organisers.

The Conference Suite connects seamlessly with our catering facilities, making it ideal for full-day conferences with refreshment breaks and lunch service. The professional environment projects the image corporate events require whilst maintaining the personal atmosphere smaller groups appreciate.

Year-Round Reliability

Our indoor facilities operate regardless of season or weather. January strategy sessions proceed as comfortably as July conferences. December awards ceremonies avoid the weather concerns that plague outdoor alternatives. This consistency allows you to schedule events based on business needs rather than weather forecasts, with guaranteed conditions that outdoor venues simply cannot provide.

Our Conference Suite provides professional indoor space for up to 300 delegates

Westpoint's Outdoor Spaces: 150 Acres of Possibilities

Whilst our indoor facilities provide reliability and professionalism, our 150 acres of outdoor grounds offer the space, flexibility, and natural setting that certain events demand. From agricultural shows to outdoor festivals, our external grounds have hosted some of the Southwest's most memorable outdoor events.

Agricultural Events and Livestock Shows

Westpoint's heritage in agricultural events runs deep. The Devon County Show, one of the region's premier agricultural events, demonstrates the capability of our outdoor grounds to host large-scale shows with livestock areas, trade stands, arenas, and visitor facilities. The space accommodates everything from cattle classes to sheep displays, from vintage tractor exhibitions to modern agricultural machinery demonstrations.

Our outdoor grounds provide the authentic agricultural setting these events require, whilst our indoor facilities offer backup for elements needing weather protection. Trade exhibitions move indoors to the main arena, catering operates from permanent facilities, and organisers have the confidence that adverse weather won't cancel the entire event.

Outdoor Festivals and Community Events

The scale of our outdoor space supports festivals, community events, and celebrations that need room to breathe. Multiple stages, diverse activity zones, family areas, and food vendor clusters all fit comfortably within our grounds. Free parking for over 2,000 vehicles means attendees arrive without the parking chaos that plagues many outdoor events.

What sets Westpoint apart is the infrastructure supporting these outdoor events. Permanent facilities including toilets, catering areas, and power access eliminate much of the temporary infrastructure other outdoor venues require. When weather turns challenging, elements can move to our indoor spaces without cancelling the event entirely.

Corporate Away Days and Team Building

Our outdoor spaces provide ideal settings for corporate away days combining professional development with team building. Outdoor activity areas for team challenges connect with indoor spaces for presentations and workshops. This combination creates varied, engaging days that maintain energy whilst achieving business objectives.

The flexibility to start outdoors, move indoors for focused sessions, then return outdoors for activities creates dynamic events that keep participants engaged. You're not locked into a single environment for the entire day, you can vary settings to match activities and maintain participant interest.

The Westpoint Advantage: Combining Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Having both indoor and outdoor facilities at a single venue isn't just convenient, it fundamentally changes what's possible for your event. This combination creates opportunities and eliminates constraints that venues with only indoor or only outdoor space cannot match.

Built-In Weather Contingency

Weather risk disappears when you have indoor backup at the same venue. Plan your summer conference with outdoor networking sessions and indoor presentations. If weather cooperates, delegates enjoy outdoor breaks and fresh air discussions. If rain arrives, everything moves seamlessly indoors without event disruption or guest disappointment.

This flexibility eliminates the anxiety outdoor-only events carry. You don't need complex weather contingency plans involving marquees or external backup venues. Your backup is already onsite, managed by the same team, within the same location. Transitions happen smoothly because you've planned for both scenarios from the start.

Hybrid Events Using Both Spaces Simultaneously

Some events work best using indoor and outdoor spaces together. Agricultural shows display livestock outdoors whilst trade exhibitions occupy the indoor arena. Corporate conferences hold plenary sessions in the Conference Suite whilst outdoor areas host team building activities. Festival attendees move between outdoor stages and indoor vendor halls.

This hybrid approach creates varied experiences that maintain participant interest. People aren't confined to a single environment for hours, they move between settings that suit different activities. The variety keeps energy high whilst accomplishing diverse objectives within one cohesive event.

Seasonal Flexibility and Year-Round Venue Relationship

Organisations hosting recurring events appreciate Westpoint's year-round capabilities. Summer events leverage our outdoor grounds, winter events use indoor facilities, and shoulder seasons employ whichever space makes most sense. You build a relationship with one venue that serves all seasonal needs rather than managing multiple venue relationships.

This continuity benefits both planning efficiency and cost effectiveness. You work with the same events team who understand your requirements. You're familiar with the facilities and how they work. Setup becomes more efficient with each event because everyone knows the venue intimately. Annual events improve progressively rather than starting from scratch with different venues each time.

Logistical Simplicity

Managing an event across multiple venues multiplies complexity. Equipment moves between locations, teams coordinate across distances, and timing becomes critical. At Westpoint, indoor and outdoor spaces share infrastructure including parking, catering facilities, power access, and support services. This integration simplifies logistics dramatically.

Our location adjacent to Junction 30 of the M5 with free parking for over 2,000 vehicles means attendees access both indoor and outdoor areas easily. Whether delegates are attending indoor conferences or outdoor exhibitions, arrival and departure remain straightforward. The logistical simplicity lets you focus on content and experience rather than transportation and coordination.

Westpoint's indoor and outdoor spaces work together for hybrid events

Real Events Leveraging Westpoint's Indoor and Outdoor Flexibility

Westpoint's combination of indoor and outdoor facilities supports diverse events that would struggle at single-purpose venues. Understanding how different event types leverage our flexibility helps you envision what's possible for your own events.

Agricultural Shows: Outdoor Authenticity with Indoor Backup

The Devon County Show exemplifies Westpoint's agricultural event capabilities. Livestock displays occupy outdoor arenas where they belong, giving visitors authentic agricultural experiences. Trade exhibitors operate from the indoor arena where their displays are protected from weather. Catering operates from permanent facilities that support large-scale food service without temporary infrastructure challenges.

When weather threatens outdoor activities, key events can relocate to covered areas or the indoor arena without cancelling. Judging continues, competitions proceed, and visitors still experience quality events even when rain disrupts outdoor elements. This resilience is why major agricultural events return to Westpoint year after year.

Corporate Conferences: Professional Indoor with Outdoor Enhancement

Corporate conferences use our Conference Suite for focused sessions requiring professional environments and technical capabilities. Indoor spaces provide the weather protection, audio-visual infrastructure, and formal atmosphere boardroom discussions demand. Outdoor areas then offer contrast for breaks, networking sessions, and team activities.

This combination creates dynamic conferences that maintain participant engagement. Morning plenary sessions indoors transition to outdoor team building activities. Lunch occurs outside when weather permits, bringing fresh air and informal networking opportunities. Afternoon workshops move back to controlled indoor environments for concentrated work. The variation prevents the fatigue that all-day indoor conferences often create.

Entertainment Events: Indoor Performance with Outdoor Festival Atmosphere

Major entertainment events like concerts operate primarily in our weather-protected main arena, ensuring performances proceed regardless of weather whilst providing optimal acoustics and professional technical environments. However, the outdoor grounds expand the experience with festival-style food vendors, merchandise areas, and pre-show entertainment that creates event atmosphere beyond the performance itself.

Attendees enjoy the outdoor festival feeling without the weather risk that outdoor concerts carry. If rain arrives, everyone is already under cover for the main performance. The combination delivers festival experience with concert reliability.

Planning Your Event with Indoor and Outdoor Options

Maximising Westpoint's indoor and outdoor flexibility requires strategic planning that considers how to leverage both spaces effectively. Our events team brings extensive experience helping organisations design events that make the most of our unique capabilities.

Assessing Your Event Requirements

Start by identifying which elements of your event genuinely benefit from indoor versus outdoor settings. Formal presentations, technical demonstrations, and activities requiring audio-visual support typically work best indoors. Team building exercises, outdoor demonstrations, and social networking often thrive in outdoor environments. Some activities like catering and exhibitions could work either way depending on weather and your vision.

Our events team can help you think through these decisions based on experience with similar events. We'll ask about your objectives, participant expectations, technical requirements, and backup preferences. This consultation helps you create an event design that uses indoor and outdoor spaces strategically rather than arbitrarily.

Creating Weather Contingency Plans

Even with indoor backup available, clear contingency plans ensure smooth execution regardless of conditions. We help you identify decision points for weather-dependent elements, typically 24-48 hours before the event. These decisions cover whether outdoor activities proceed as planned, move indoors entirely, or adopt hybrid approaches using both spaces differently than originally designed.

Having these conversations in advance means decisions happen calmly based on forecasts rather than frantically as weather deteriorates. Our team has managed countless weather-dependent events and can guide you through contingency planning that covers realistic scenarios without overcomplicating preparations.

Site Visits and Space Planning

We strongly encourage site visits where you experience both indoor and outdoor spaces firsthand. Walking the grounds helps you envision how attendees will move between areas, where activities will work best, and how different elements connect. Seeing the Conference Suite and main arena in person gives you accurate impressions of scale, atmosphere, and capabilities that photographs cannot fully convey.

During site visits, our team discusses logistics including equipment access, power requirements, catering setup, and participant flow. These practical conversations ensure your event design is not only creative but also operationally sound. We want you leaving the site visit with confidence that your vision will work beautifully in practice.

Cost Considerations: Maximising Value from Indoor and Outdoor Facilities

Understanding the cost implications of using Westpoint's indoor and outdoor facilities helps you make informed decisions that maximise value whilst controlling budget. Our transparent pricing and flexible options give you clear visibility into event costs.

Transparent Pricing Structure

Westpoint's pricing reflects the facilities you use and the support you require. Indoor spaces have different rates than outdoor grounds, and combined use of both spaces follows clear, predictable structures. Our rate card provides transparency that helps you budget accurately from the start.

What's often surprising is how cost-effective combining spaces can be compared to booking separate venues. When you split events across multiple locations, you duplicate costs for coordination, equipment transport, staff travel, and often lose negotiating leverage. At Westpoint, using both indoor and outdoor spaces means one venue relationship, one negotiation, one set of baseline costs with additions for extended use rather than entirely separate venue fees.

Value Beyond Venue Hire

The value Westpoint provides extends well beyond the facilities themselves. Free parking for over 2,000 vehicles eliminates parking charges that can significantly impact per-attendee costs at other venues. Our location adjacent to Junction 30 of the M5 reduces travel complexity and time for delegates across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset. The established catering infrastructure supports cost-effective food service at scale.

Additionally, the weather backup our combined facilities provide has real financial value. Outdoor-only events that need to hire marquees for weather protection, rent generators for power, and contract temporary toilet facilities quickly accumulate costs that approach or exceed indoor venue hire. At Westpoint, much of this infrastructure exists permanently, included in base pricing rather than charged as expensive add-ons.

Package Options and Customisation

We offer various package options depending on your requirements, from basic facility hire to comprehensive event management support. For organisations wanting to maximise indoor and outdoor flexibility, our team can create packages that include both spaces with coordinated setup, weather contingency planning, and integrated logistics.

These packages provide budget certainty whilst ensuring all elements work together cohesively. Rather than separately negotiating indoor and outdoor elements then hoping they integrate smoothly, package approaches give you single-point accountability with our team coordinating all venue-related aspects. This integration often saves money compared to à la carte approaches whilst significantly reducing organiser stress.