Meet in Birmingham

Published: 27/04/2011 - Filed under: Archive » 2011 » May 2011 » Destinations » Features » Features » Destinations » Features » Destinations » Europe » Archive » 2011 » May 2011 »

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The UK’s second-largest city provides a rich array of venues for events of all sizes, says Rose Dykins.

With 27,000 beds and hundreds of venues available, Birmingham has a lot to offer event organisers. The only UK city to have hosted conferences for all three main political parties, it also has the youngest population in Europe, giving it a dynamic, energetic air. And while Birmingham’s trade monuments are testament to its industrial past, the city centre gleams with modernity. The Colmore business district is the hub of the financial and legal industries, and professionals regularly frequent the Mailbox and Brindleyplace for dinner and drinks, both vibrant settings along its canal network.

Despite being the second-largest city in the UK, it is possible to walk across the centre in about half an hour, which, allied with its large pedestrian pathways and spaces, makes travelling between venues easy. Its West Midlands location and excellent transport links – it’s just under an hour and a half by train from London – make it a desirable meeting destination for delegates across the UK. Here are a selection of venues to consider.

Etc Venues

The largest non-residential meeting venue in the city, Etc Venues’ Maple House has 22 meeting rooms and five large suites. It’s located on a corner of the Old Square, across the road from the Colmore area, and is right in the middle of Birmingham’s three main stations.

Modern in design, there are two spacious floors, each with a communal area – one a restaurant and one a coffee-cum-wine bar – that can be used for drinks, exhibitions or breakout sessions. Vibrant lime green and magenta furnishings contrast with white walls and soft pink lighting, and large glass windows afford amazing views over the Old Square and city.

All rooms have air conditioning, projectors and free wifi, and the suites can be divided into smaller spaces with soundproofed partitions.

150 Corporation Street; tel +44 (0)121 2128 200; etcvenues.co.uk

Jekyll and Hyde

Around the corner from Maple House, the Jekyll and Hyde pub is a quirky option for group activities. The modern downstairs ground-floor bar is furnished with indigo leather seating and snakeskin stools, while a small courtyard at the back features Alice in Wonderland-themed graffiti. Head upstairs and you could be in a completely different pub – decorated in the style of a Victorian gentleman’s club, this floor boasts Hendricks graphics on the windows and decorative gin bottles (the bar boasts the biggest gin selection in the city).

The vibe is intimate and welcoming, with an emphasis on drinking for enjoyment and appreciation. This is reflected in the range of cocktail classes and workshops on offer, which aim to educate as well as entertain. Groups of up to 26 can take a gin cocktail class or play alcohol-themed games such as “Ready Steady Shake”, in which players are given a box of mystery ingredients from which to concoct a cocktail. One for when the serious work is done, perhaps…

28 Steelhouse Lane; tel +44 (0)121 2360 345; thejekyllandhyde.co.uk

Conference Aston

Owned by Aston University and located on campus a 20-minute walk from the city centre, Conference Aston boasts sophisticated, attractive décor and 162 en suite hotel rooms, 120 of which are of four-star standard. It is divided into two parts. The main building includes the hotel and 24 recently refurbished meeting rooms, the largest of which holds 235 delegates theatre-style. The building has a central glass wall that surrounds a large courtyard, used for barbecues in warm weather, and there are high ceilings throughout, along with plenty of daylight. Walls display modern North Birmingham Academy artwork, while the lounge and bar areas are brightly furnished with leather seating and flatscreen TVs. There is also a restaurant.

Two minutes’ walk away, the Lakeside building has two rooms for 200 people and two more for 120, with attractive lake views. Both venues have free wifi.
During university holidays there is scope for extra accommodation, as well as the option to hire a 90-capacity lecture theatre and sports facilities including a Victorian swimming pool, currently being restored and due to reopen in July.

Aston University, Aston Triangle; tel +44 (0)121 2044 300; conferenceaston.co.uk

Think Tank

Located inside Millennium Point, a towering futuristic building that houses science and technology attractions, is Think Tank, Birmingham’s Science Museum, which has three floors of galleries as well as a dedicated event space.

On the top floor, Think Tank’s flexible event settings include a 180-capacity lecture theatre, a 700 sqm exhibition hall and an event suite that divides into three and holds 350 delegates theatre-style. Hold your conference here and afterwards you could move through to the interactive galleries, themed around the past, present and future, for a reception. There is a planetarium that can be used for presentations or enjoying one of the museum’s shows as a post-meeting reward. There’s also the option of hiring out the IMAX cinema at Millennium Point, subject to availability.

Birmingham Science Museum; tel +44 (0)121 202 2333; thinktank.ac

Ackers Adventure

For action-packed incentives in the great outdoors, try Ackers Adventure. It’s hard to believe the 30 hectares of land the venue is situated on are only 3km from the city centre, or that the 15-minute taxi ride is all it takes to feel as if you’ve retreated to the country.

Ackers Adventure offers tailor-made teambuilding activities designed to test everything from your communication skills (try the woodland “Jungle Challenge” obstacle course for this) to your nerve, such as the chance to jump off a 20 metre-high activity tower with an electric fan as a parachute (better check the company insurance covers this…). Other activities include canoeing, archery and dry-slope skiing. There are also two meeting rooms for 100 and 20 people.

Golden Hillock Road; tel +44 (0)121 7725 111; ackers-adventure.co.uk

Malmaison

Located in Mailbox, a former sorting office that’s now a posh shopping and dining hotspot a five-minute drive from Birmingham New Street station, is the Malmaison hotel. Walking into the lobby of this luxury property is like entering a sultry French boudoir, with scarlet velvet upholstery and dark walls, while a red carpeted staircase leads up to the bar and brasserie, which can be hired out.

The 189 rooms feature plush brown furnishings, large comfortable beds dressed with Egyptian cotton sheets, and bathrooms fitted with glossy black granite surfaces and separate showers.

There are five cosmopolitan meeting rooms, two of which can be combined to accommodate 110 delegates theatre-style. Located on the mezzanine floor, they have natural light and a sophisticated feel. The rooms are equipped with minibars and linked by a lounge area, Château Mal, with leather sofas that can be used for breakout sessions. Guests can also make use of the hotel’s gym and spa.

1 Wharfside Street; tel +44 (0)121 2465 000; malmaison.com

For a full review of the property visit businesstraveller.com/tried-and-tested

IET Birmingham: Austin Court

Located along the Brindleyplace canal network and a 15-minute walk from New Street station, this idyllic venue is housed in a Grade II Listed former Georgian metal and nail merchants – check out the distinctive wooden and metal beams that run throughout the building.

The meeting facilities include a 150-capacity lecture theatre, which is surrounded by a glass-walled pre-function area with an upstairs gallery, and the 150-capacity Waterside room, with double doors that open on to a canal balcony, attractive red-brick walls and wooden floors. There are also 14 other rooms, three of which hold 120 people when combined. All have daylight. Wifi is free and catering is prepared by in-house chefs.

80 Cambridge Street; tel +44 (0)121 6007 500; austincourt.theiet.org

The ICC

A few minutes’ walk from Austin Court is the city’s largest meeting venue, the ICC (International Conference Centre), which last year hosted 14,000 delegates for the Conservative party conference.

On entering, the building feels a little like a shopping centre, with royal blue metal beams and a high glass ceiling. On the ground floor is a mini-mall and a concierge works in tandem with blue-coated stewards to assist delegates.

The registration area, which can host 820 people for a reception, leads on to three of the venue’s 11 meeting rooms, which occupy five floors. The largest, Hall 3, holds 3,000 people theatre-style and has the feel of a concert arena, with sails that can be lowered from the ceiling to project visual displays. Hall 1 is a tiered auditorium with a capacity of 1,500. There is also a corridor of more intimate boardrooms that hold up to 50 people theatre-style. The ICC says its layout means it can run up to ten separate events at any one time without compromising on the privacy of delegates.

Broad Street; tel +44 (0)121 6445 025; theicc.co.uk

Hyatt Regency

Accessible from the ICC via a glass-walled bridge over the A456, the four-star deluxe Birmingham Hyatt Regency is right at the centre of the city. Built around a light-filled atrium with indoor trees, the atmosphere of this 24-floor property is peaceful and the décor traditional, with muted khaki furnishings and white walls.

There are 319 chic guestrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning city views, workdesks, sofas, minibars and safes. On the mezzanine floor, eight meeting rooms feature projector screens and air conditioning. The rooms are all named after musical terms, and have neutral, warm décor. The largest accommodates 240 people theatre-style.

There is also a restaurant, bar, large gym, 16-metre swimming pool, and spa with six candlelit treatment rooms.

Bridge Street; tel +44 (0)121 6431 234; birmingham.regency.hyatt.com

Hotel Du Vin

Minutes from the Colmore business district is the elegant 66-room Hotel du Vin, housed in a former eye hospital. Upon entering, you are greeted by a sunny opulent setting with classical columns, a Venetian-style painted ceiling and sweeping Victorian staircase. The lobby opens on to a courtyard with a retractable roof, which is surrounded by four theatrically designed meeting rooms – one is pig themed, with two wild boars’ heads protruding from the wall. The maximum combined capacity is 100 theatre-style.

The 66 guestrooms are calm in feel with hints of Victorian décor, plenty of workspace, large beds, safes and minibars. Hotel du Vin also has a bistro and pub with a wine cellar that can be hired out for events, a large gym and a spa with five treatment rooms, a steam room and sauna. Teambuilding activities offered include whiskey and beer tasting and a treasure hunt around the city centre.

Church Street; tel +44 (0)121 2000 600; hotelduvin.com

Birmingham Hippodrome

Claiming the highest regular annual attendance of any single UK theatre, the Hippodrome attracts more than half a million visitors a year and is another option for a large-scale event. A ten-minute walk from New Street station, its theatre setting means it can offer show viewings with the option of drinks or dinner before or afterwards. The purple carpeted building has glass walls that offer good light and, depending on the theatre’s timetable, the bars, restaurants and foyer areas can be used for drinks and canapés.

The main auditorium holds 1,850 people and there are nine other meeting spaces, as well as a second auditorium, the Patrick Centre, which has a maximum capacity of 209. There is free wifi internet throughout. Across the road is Stage Side, a self-contained bar also belonging to the Hippodrome with a small reception room for up to 60 people.

Hurst Street; tel +44 (0)844 3386 500; birminghamhippodrome.com

For more details on Birmingham’s conference and event offering, visit meetbirmingham.com.