Social, Cultural and Networking Events

Welcome Drinks and Conference Dinner

We are delighted to host a drinks reception and dinner at New College on Tuesday, 1 September.

The drinks reception will be held in the New College Cloisters, starting at 18.30. Entrance to the college is on Holywell Street.

Dinner will be served in the medieval New College Dining Hall from 19.30.

Cultural Activities

The excursion on the afternoon of Thursday 3 September will take us to Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 2000 acres of English landscape gardens, with a guided tour of the palace and an opportunity to explore the park and village of Woodstock.

Buses will depart at St Catherine’s College at 14:00, with arrival at Blenheim around 14.30pm. At the conference, Tuesday to Thursday morning, you will be able to reserve a spot for one of the State Rooms guided tours at 16:00, 16.15, or 16.30pm by picking up a time-stamped token from the reception desk. Tours run around 45 mins.

Before and after the tours, you will have many possibilities for free exploration depending on preference and weather:

• Garden and Park walks of various length, depending on weather and inclination. See this map for suggested routes between 35 mins and 2 hours. Formal Gardens open until 16:45.
• Walled Garden: including maze, butterfly house; open until 17:30 (10 min walk or miniature train ride from Palace).
• Special exhibitions (self-guided):
• Life below stairs, open until 1545
• Churchill exhibition, open until 1645
• Salon Prive: A separately ticketed car show is on at Blenheim during the week of the conference, including Thursday.
• Woodstock: Picturesque Cotswolds village with cafes and pubs, adjacent to grounds.

Departure for return to St Catherine’s from drop-off point at 18:00.