That’s right, Liz here! I had the pleasure of being in and around Birmingham again last week visiting some fantastic venues. The Midlands really does have a wonderful range of venues, from academic (read about my last trip here) to five star luxury.
My first stop was IET Venues: Austin Court, set in a fantastic location, in the Brindleyplace area of the city with a great tiered lecture theatre for up to 150 delegates available to hire. The venue has a total of 16 event spaces and offers delegates free wifi.
Next stop was The Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, otherwise known as The BCEC. This venue was light, bright and modern. They have a maximum capacity of 800 theatre style and New Street station is literally opposite – no getting lost!
Walking through the station, I made my way to the Studio Venue Birmingham, a unique and quirky venue right in the heart of the city. They are even lucky enough to have a roof garden available for barbecues and drinks receptions.
Onwards to ETC Venues: Maple House, who, with a massive 22 meeting rooms, have great flexibility to host all kinds of events. They have an amazing team of staff on hand whenever you need them.
I popped into ThinkTank in the Millennium Point next, as well as other spaces, they have an amazing 70 seat Digital Planetarium that offers a creative experience to wow your delegates.
My final venue inspection for the day was Innovation Birmingham Campus. This fantastic venue is built for purpose and has a great atrium space with exceptional HD presentation facilities. They also support video conferencing with easy to use equipment ready in the rooms!
After seeing all these fantastic venues, I checked into a lovely bedroom at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport. I had a yummy dinner in Marco's New York Italian Restaurant – I recommend the calamari and then finally hit the hay….zzzzzz….
The next morning, I was up bright and early ready for another day of visits. First of the day was the Heart of England Conference Centre, a spectacular sized venue with a fantastic capacity to accommodate team building events! Never have I ever conducted a venue inspection on a motorized buggy!
I made my way to the Coventry Technology Park next, to learn about the variety of space available through Coventry University. They are based on the WWII site for building the original Merlin engines! All the rooms where going through a refurbishment, so they’ll be good to go in two weeks’ time, ready for clients to enjoy!
Next up was the Village Hotel Coventry, from the outside it’s a traditionally styled hotel but as you step inside it couldn’t be more different. A chic feel welcomes you, as does their self-check-in station! They have a wide range of facilities on site including a swimming pool, large gym and spa.
I headed on to the University of Warwick, this venue wins my trip's award for the most meeting rooms available; a whopping 34 meeting rooms with 94 supporting syndicates! Not only that but they have space available all year round and 479 hotel standard bedrooms – what more could you want?
My penultimate venue was the De Vere Horwood Estate. Their Cook Suite can hold up to 250 delegates theatre style! They can also accommodate a standing reception for 500 people in their magnificent grounds.
Last stop for the day was the beautiful Sopwell House, this stunning four-star luxury resort has so much to offer and is just five minutes from the M25! With a maximum capacity of 380 delegates in their St Albans suite and outdoor space for 1,000, whatever size event you are looking to host – they can help!
After all those venues; the driving, the walking - it was time for a very well deserved glass of Pimm’s!
So, if you'd like to hold your next event in Birmingham, or beyond - give us a call on 01323 644644 and take advantage of our super fast, free Venue Finding service!