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Meals

Availability

Advance Booking

IMC delegates can purchase meal tickets for lunches and dinners when they register online. We cannot guarantee any meals that are not booked in advance, and it is not possible to buy, sell, or exchange unwanted tickets when you arrive.

On the Day

You may also buy food from various outlets on campus during the Congress and pay by debit/credit card only. Please be aware that queues for both meals and meal tickets at the IMC can be very long, especially in the first few days.

Dietary Requirements

If pre-booking, please provide as much detail as possible about any dietary requirements when you register. We will pass these on to the relevant catering teams, who will do their best to meet your needs. Unfortunately, we cannot always guarantee that this will be possible, especially if we are not informed before Friday 02 May 2025.

Kosher Meals

To provide kosher meals, the University orders meals in advance from a specialist supplier. This means that you must select Kosher options at registration and pay the applicable fee. Please book well in advance to ensure we can meet your needs.

Halal Meals

The University of Leeds Catering Service provide a selection of Halal certified products in all of their retail outlets.

Meals on Campus

Breakfast

The Refectory will be open to serve breakfast from 7am to 10am to all delegates, with payment by cash or card.

Breakfast is included with all IMC on-campus accommodation and will be served in the Refectory. If you are staying in IMC off-campus accommodation with breakfast included, this will be served in the restaurant or reception area. Please note that breakfast is not included at Ibis Styles Leeds Arena. However, there are numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops nearby.

Lunch

Advance Booking

If you pre-book lunch, you will receive a daily QR code voucher in your delegate pack. Special IMC meal deals to the value of the voucher will be available, or you can spend the credit on any other food or drink items at these sites during their opening hours.

As a special offer, lunch credits purchased in advance cost £6.00 but will give £6.60 in credit.

These café lunch credit vouchers may be used throughout IMC, at any of these on-campus venues:

  • The Refectory, breakfast 07.00-10.00, lunch 11.30-15.00, & dinner 18.00-20.00: Located right at the heart of University campus, the contemporary Refectory venue offers a wide range of hot and cold cafeteria-style lunches and dinners.
  • Street Food, University Square, 11.30-14.00: Our Chef’s street food including meat and vegetarian options will be available outside the Refectory.
  • Parkinson Court Café, Parkinson Building, 08.30-18.00: With freshly brewed Costa Coffee, the café also serves a range of sandwiches, paninis and snacks throughout the day.
  • Esther Simpson Café, Esther Simpson Building, 08.30-17.00: Serving speciality coffee from Darkwoods, Esther Simpson café has a great selection of classic sandwiches, including vegan and gluten free choices, flavourful flatbreads and indulgent all-vegan cakes.
  • The Edit Room, Edward Boyle Library, 8.30-16.00: The Edit Room prides itself on its excellent quality roast by craft roasters Dark Woods.
  • 1915, Sir William Henry Bragg Building, 8.30-16.00: The 1915’s relaxed and informal menu has been carefully created to offer classic, gluten-free and vegan options, with regionally sourced coffee and handmade cakes sitting alongside more contemporary wraps and flatbreads. 
  • HUGO, University Square, 08.00-16.00: Grab a quick barista coffee on the go with a limited range of snacks available.

Please note that the opening times for these venues will be confirmed in the printed IMC programme which will be available on arrival.

Café Lunch Credit cannot be used in Café Nero and Leeds University Union venues such as Co-Op, Common Ground, Old Bar, or the Terrace. Please be aware that multiple Café Lunch Credits cannot be used in a single transaction.

On the Day

Alternatively, delegates may buy their own meals using cash/card payment at any of the wide variety of food options available on campus, including the venues listed above.

Dinner

Delegates who have pre-booked dinner tickets for £15.95 can enjoy a hot two-course meal served in the Refectory, 18.00-20.00, Sunday-Thursday. If you did not pre-book dinner, you can buy dinner using cash or debit/credit card from the Refectory for £19.95, subject to availability.

Alternative Meal Options

If you would prefer to purchase your meals elsewhere, there are a variety of options on and around campus.

Cafés selling hot and cold sandwiches can be found in the Esther Simpson Building, Laidlaw Library, Edward Boyle Library (the Edit Room), Parkinson Building, and Maurice Keyworth Building. A number of cafés, bars, and shops are also open on campus. Old Bar and Terrace Bar in Leeds University Union serve hot food all day, food served until 22.00, while cold sandwiches, salads, and drinks can be purchased from the Co-Op shop.

Find these and other options by using the ‘Food’ filter (under the Facilities tab) on the University campus map.

Leeds city centre and the surrounding areas also boast a very wide variety of coffee shops, bars, and restaurants.

Reusable Bottles and Cups

The University of Leeds and Leeds University Union have pledged to eliminate single-use plastic across campus.

If you have a reusable water bottle or coffee cup, please bring it with you to use the tea and coffee stations and water coolers on campus.

Reusable coffee cups and water bottles are also available to buy on campus, including from the IMC Souvenirs stand. This year we are promoting the use of "keep cups" by offering a pre-order on an IMC-branded reusable Cortado coffee cup when you register online. Your cup should be collected from the Souvenirs stand which will be located in Leeds University Union Foyer. The Souvenirs stand is open throughout the Second hand and Antiquarian Bookfair and Medieval Craft Fair. For opening times, visit the Markets and Fairs page.