Conference services

Our location in Europe makes the centre an ideal place for international research meetings and conferences – we host an average of 40 each year with 1900 participants – deepening connections and expanding Monash University’s network of research collaborations.

We’re home to the following international research meetings:

• Collaborative Clinical Trials in Anaesthesia (biennial)
• Collaborative Clinical Trials in Intensive Care Medicine (biennial)
• Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) (annual)
• European Centre for Reproductive Endocrinology (EUCRE) (annual)
• Graduate Research Writing and Publishing Workshop (annual)
• International Clinical Skills Conference (biennial)
• Pharmacy Education Symposium (biennial)
• Prato Consortium for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (PCMRS) (annual)
• Monash Business and Sustainability Network Workshop (annual)

Plus many other conferences, workshops and symposia across a range of disciplines including business and economics, law, science, education, engineering, humanities and social sciences.

Rooms, capacity, and set-up options

We can:

• host up to 132 people in our main conference room (Salone Grollo), and between eight and 49 people in our smaller spaces depending on the set-up. Our total building capacity is 331 people at any one time (up to 232 on the first floor, and up to 99 on the ground floor).
• video-link some of our rooms
• run up to six parallel sessions
• set up our rooms in different ways, including theatre, horseshoe, boardroom and classroom styles
• provide display boards for poster sessions, and flip charts
• provide indoor and outdoor function spaces. Enjoy views of Prato’s historical centre from our large terrace or admire Paul Bangay’s Italian garden, both of which can be used for conference reception events.
• keep you cool or warm - all our rooms have air-conditioning and heating

For more details and a floor plan, see our Room Capacities page. You can even take a Virtual Tour.

Technical facilities

Our rooms are equipped with standard IT and audio-visual equipment, and there’s wireless Internet access throughout the building.

We have qualified on-site technical support. For events that require a dedicated technician at all sessions, we can help you hire external support.

Find out more on our Technical Facilities page.

Catering

We collaborate with an experienced local catering company for on-site food and drinks, including reception events.

We can also assist you with booking group dinners at restaurants in Prato and surrounds.

Other services

We can help you plan and realise your event by:

• providing pre-event and on-site advice and support
• organising conference packs - we have an A4 folder available containing a 25-page lined notepad, map of Prato, and pen with tablet touchpoint, all with Monash Prato branding
• contacting local suppliers, e.g., printers, stationers - consider printing your conference materials locally to reduce your shipping costs and environmental impact
• booking airport pick-ups and coach transfers
• advising on costs and making arrangements for simultaneous or consecutive interpreting (please note that interpreting booths reduce the maximum capacity of our main conference room to 100 people)
• recommending accommodation - start with our Accommodation page
• sourcing gifts for keynote speakers - consider The Italian Garden book about our garden
• making suggestions for cultural and social activities

How to book your event

We welcome enquiries from Monash faculties and centres, as well as from other academic institutions* worldwide.

We recommend contacting us 12-18 months in advance to increase the likelihood of securing your preferred dates.

For booking enquiries, please complete this online form.

*Non-Monash bodies must have appropriate insurance cover.