The Cotton Factory

The Cotton Factory is a converted industrial building in Hamilton that rents rooms for events, filming and photography.

About the venue

Its largest room, the Imperial Cotton Room, is listed for up to 280 guests. The venue hosts weddings, workshops, corporate events, private parties, markets, exhibitions and concerts. On-site parking is included with a rental. The venue recommends food vendors it works with.

On EventPlans.ca it is listed as a loft and unique venue in Hamilton, at 270 Sherman Avenue North, Hamilton, ON L8L 6N4.

Event spaces

The venue lists these spaces. Capacities are the venue’s own figures and change with the layout you choose.

• Imperial Cotton Room: up to 280 guests (the page also cites 250 in one place)
• Gallery 206: 90 to 120 guests
• Community Room: 20 guests

Capacity

The venue does not publish a single maximum for every room, so ask for the capacity of the specific space in the layout you want: seated dinner, standing reception, theatre or classroom.

A useful rule: a seated dinner at rounds of ten needs about 1 to 1.2 square metres per guest, a standing reception about 0.7, and theatre seating about 0.6, before you add a stage or dance floor. The venue capacity calculator does the arithmetic for your room.

Events it hosts

According to its own event pages, the venue hosts weddings, corporate events, holiday parties and private social events.

For timelines, budgets and checklists, start with the wedding planning hub, corporate holiday party hub, holiday party hub.

Questions to ask on your site visit

Bring these to your walk-through. Get the answers in writing before you sign.

• Is the space rented empty, and which tables, chairs and kitchen equipment are included?
• Must you use caterers from an approved list, or can you bring your own?
• Who holds the liquor licence, or will you need a Special Occasion Permit?
• Are there certified rigging points, and what are their load ratings?
• What are the load-in times, the elevator size and the street-parking rules for vendor trucks?
• Is there air conditioning and enough power for production?

Planning entertainment here

Open lofts with high ceilings can take bigger production, and some have rigging points for aerial acts. Ask for the rigging load ratings in writing before booking anything that hangs.

Send every performer’s technical needs to the venue before you book: floor space, ceiling height, power, sound and changing room.

Getting there

The venue lists free on-site parking. Check the venue website for directions, parking rates and accessible entrances, and send the details to guests with the invitation.

Official website: cottonfactory.ca/venue-rental

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