Oakland University Oakland Center, Rochester | Unique Venues
Oakland University – Oakland Center

Oakland University – Oakland Center

Event Types Welcomed

  • Adult Social Events
  • Corporate Social Events
  • Professional Meeting / Training / Conference / Retreats
  • Wedding Ceremonies
  • Wedding Receptions
  • Youth Retreat/Camps

About

The Oakland Center (OC) is a welcoming, inclusive environment offering services for Oakland University students and campus community, as well as guests regionally, nationally and globally. The Oakland Center strives to be the preferred destination for events in the area and is a recognized regional and national leader for premiere customer service, facility operations, events, and co-curricular environment.

The venue contains multiple event spaces onsite that can fit a variety of different and guest needs. For example, the sizeable 7,500 square foot Banquet Room can accommodate 320 people in a banquet style setup, 300 for classroom seating, 600 for receptions, and 600 for theater viewings. The Founders Ballroom, at 10,000 square feet, can be utilized for even larger banquets, classrooms, and receptions, ensuring that guests will be comfortable in a spacious environment no matter the size or scope of your event.

The Oakland Center contains smaller spaces for meetings and conferences as well, as Rooms 125- 130 have 384 square feet each and a 20-person capacity with wireless presentation for streamlined events.

Find Us Online

Meeting & Event Spaces

  • Max Capacity: 900 guests
  • Largest Classroom Style: 550
  • Largest Theatre Style: 900
  • Academic Year Largest Group: no
Banquet Rooms
The Banquet Rooms originally opened in 2003, and recently were given a nice upgrade with wood trimmed walls and elegant new carpeting. The flexible room is up-to-date with modern audio/visual equipment. The Banquet Rooms can be divided into two equal halves, both furnished with the same audio/visual equipment.
  • 7488 Sq. Ft.
  • 400 Banquet Style
  • 300 Classroom Style
  • 600 Theatre Style
125, 126, 127, 128, 129 or 130
  • 384 Sq. Ft.
  • 16 Banquet Style
  • 16 Classroom Style
  • 25 Theatre Style
  • 16 Conference Style
  • 20 Hollow Square Space Style
128-130 combined
  • 1152 Sq. Ft.
  • 60 Banquet Style
  • 56 Classroom Style
  • 100 Theatre Style
  • 80 Conference Style
  • 45 Hollow Square Space Style
Gold A, B or C
  • 1152 Sq. Ft.
  • 60 Banquet Style
  • 56 Classroom Style
  • 100 Theatre Style
  • 80 Conference Style
  • 40 Hollow Square Space Style
Gold AB or BC combined
  • 2304 Sq. Ft.
  • 120 Banquet Style
  • 112 Classroom Style
  • 200 Theatre Style
  • 160 Conference Style
Gold ABC
  • 3552 Sq. Ft.
  • 1800 Banquet Style
  • 168 Classroom Style
  • 300 Theatre Style
  • 240 Conference Style
Lake Erie
  • 748 Sq. Ft.
  • 26 Hollow Square Space Style
Lake Superior
  • 1104 Sq. Ft.
  • 48 Classroom Style
Lake Huron
  • 816 Sq. Ft.
  • 48 Theatre Style
Lake Michigan
  • 816 Sq. Ft.
  • 48 Banquet Style
Founders Ballroom
The Founders Ballroom, opened in Fall 2018, is a large, flexible meeting and event space. The room is divisible into three equal sized spaces, with one third also divisible in half, for a total of four rooms within the Founders Ballroom. Each room is equiped with up-to-date audio/visual equipment. Another key feature of this room is the end-grain mesquite wood floors, which were laid one piece at a time during construction.
  • 10,000 Sq. Ft.
  • 600 Banquet Style
  • 1000 Theatre Style
Mackinac Room
The Mackinac Room is a well furnished board room, complete with OU branded chairs, modern audio/visual equipment, and views that will please any audience.
  • 18 Conference Style
Ambassador Rooms
The Ambassador Rooms are part of the 2018 expansion and renovation, and come complete with up-to-date audio/visual equipment, modern furnishings, and great views of the north end of campus. The Ambassador Rooms are divisible in half, each room with the same equipment and furnishings included.
  • 1,350 Sq. Ft.
  • 64 Banquet Style
  • 36 Classroom Style
  • 80 Theatre Style
  • 44 Hollow Square Space Style

Food & Beverage Options

Vandenberg Residential Dining
http://www.dineoncampus.com/oakland
  • Seating Capacity: 550
Pioneer Food Court
Located in the Oakland Center. This full service food court is home to Famous Famiglia Pizza, Subway, Wildgreens, Zoup! and Rio Frontera. We also house the ONLY Chick-Fil-a in Michigan!
  • Seating Capacity: 700

Catering options

Chartwells Catering at Oakland University
At Chartwells Catering at Oakland University, we pride ourselves on our professional approach and true attention to detail. We will work closely with you. We will guide you through a simple and seamless process that ensures your particular event is managed and catered flawlessly. A satisfying and successful recipe requires a number of complementary ingredients. Chartwells Catering at Oakland University blends stylishly fresh food and friendly and professional service with a desire to exceed your expectations effortlessly.

Featured Amenities

  • Accessible Facilities
  • Air Conditioning Air Conditioning
  • Golf Course Golf
  • In-House Catering
  • Laundry
  • Linens
  • Outdoor Space
  • Paid Parking
  • Sports Facilities
  • Taxi
  • Theater Seating
  • WiFi

Venue Location + Transportation

Address

 
Oakland University,
312 Meadow Brook, Oakland Center Suite 151,
Rochester, Michigan 48309

Transportation

  • LyftLyft
  • TaxiTaxi
  • UberUber

Nearby Airport

  • Detroit International Airport - 50 minutes

Nearby International Airport

  • Detroit International Airport - 50 minutes

Parking

  • Onsite Parking: Yes

Nearby Cities

Detroit – 30|Ann Arbor – 50|Lansing – 90

Things to Know

Catering

  • Must Use In-house Catering: Yes
  • External Catering Allowed: No
  • Can Bring in Own Food: no
  • Cultural Catering Available: Yes
  • Food and Beverage Onsite: Yes
  • Do you offer tables, chairs, and linens?: Yes

Technology

State of the art Audio Visual available upon request. Additional charges may apply.

  • Guest Wi-Fi: Free
  • Onsite Tech Support: Yes
  • Wi-Fi in meeting space: Yes
  • Equipment Available On-Site:
    • Projector Screen
    • Laptops
    • Microphones
    • Sound System
    • Custom Lighting

Venue Policies

  • Alcohol Consumption: Yes
  • Smoking Permitted: no
  • Cannabis Industry-Friendly: No
  • Cannabis Consumption: No
  • ADA Accessible: Yes
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Pet Friendly: No