Government Business

England’s Northwest has a great reputation as a top business tourism destination. Developments such as the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool and investment in Manchester, such as the development of MediaCityUK are attracting international conferences and exhibitions to the region.
    
Elsewhere, investment in infrastructure is making the Northwest an increasingly attractive area to do business. Not only has public transport improved – for example it now only takes approximately two hours to get from London to Liverpool, Manchester or Chester – but the Northwest also boasts three international airports; Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool.
    
An increase in training facilities is also helping to ensure that the Northwest is constantly evolving its business tourism product.
    
Both Manchester and Liverpool are heavyweights in the conference and incentives market. They offer world-class venues and state-of-the-art facilities, as well as a growing accommodation stock to match and some of the best experiences available within England.

Creative conferencing
Manchester is fast becoming synonymous with MediaCityUK, a 200 acre site at Salford Quays that will be an internationally significant hub for the media and creative industries with the UK’s leading broadcast, media and technology companies at its heart. The multi-purpose centre will also provide a fantastic meeting space with a Main Piazza, which will be the principal focal point and will be able to hold 4,000 people. The spectacular Piazza will be almost twice the size of Trafalgar Square, with landscaped gardens, seating areas and Wi-Fi connectivity. It will provide a natural meeting and networking point, as well as a potential venue for key outdoor events.
    
Manchester offers an innovative and impressive range of conference venues, including the convention quarter with Manchester Central Convention Complex, seating up to 9,000 delegates, a range of hotels and 2,500 bedrooms within a five-minute walk. With an additional 250 venues throughout Greater Manchester ranging from the vast MEN Arena and futuristic Urbis, to lecture halls at Europe’s largest university campus Manchester is internationally recognised as one of the UK’s leading conference destinations.
    
Manchester has a great sporting heritage too and from the Theatre of Dreams, Manchester United’s famous Old Trafford home, to the City of Manchester Stadium and Lancashire cricket ground – soon to house The Point, a new 1,000 capacity meeting and function space – Manchester’s stadiums offer something a little out of the ordinary.

Capital of conferencing
Less than an hour west along the M62 is Liverpool. The 2008 European Capital of Culture has reinvented itself as the ‘Capital of Conferencing’ following billions of pounds of investment in state-of-the-art venues, improved transport links and a fantastic visitor experience.
    
Among the showpiece developments is the £164 million award-winning Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool), situated on the city’s World Heritage waterfront. It has hosted many high-profile events including the prestigious BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Awards and continues to offer exceptional facilities.
    
Another huge investment project was the £1 billion Liverpool One development. The 42-acre site now houses 160 new shops, two hotels, apartments, a 14-screen Odeon Cinema, multi-storey car park, and a green oasis in the heart of the city that links the development to the waterfront. On top of this, Liverpool One offers a selection of modern restaurants to compliment the city’s existing eateries.
    
Liverpool’s bedstock also has a lot to offer, with a 310-bed Jurys Inn and the 132-bed Staybridge Suites both conveniently located next to ACC Liverpool. More hotels have recently been added to the city, helping to build its growing portfolio. The Hilton Liverpool offers a prime, city centre location for business guests, eight meeting rooms and an extensive conference and event suite. The Novotel Liverpool is also new to the city and boasts state-of-the-art equipment and a fantastic meeting space.
    
No mention of Liverpool would be complete without The Beatles. The Hard Days Night is the world’s first Beatles-themed hotel, and each of the 110 bedrooms features a specially produced piece of Beatles artwork. The hotel is in a prime location too, just minutes from Mathew Street and the world-famous Cavern Club.

By the seaside
Following the completion of a major £40 million investment programme and located on Southport’s elegant Promenade, the stunning and versatile Southport Theatre & Convention Centre offers additional exhibition and meeting space. The centre is just a short walk from dining and leisure facilities making it the perfect venue for any conference organiser. The centre offers award-winning customer service personnel who will provide a friendly and efficient service. The technical specification is of an excellent standard and the Centre now also offers a two-tier theatre auditorium with 1,631 seats. The auditorium also has eight VIP rooms backstage to accommodate 80 people. There is also a 1,000 square metre Exhibition Hall that can be used to create six private meeting rooms.
    
Just down the road on England’s Golf Coast you’ll find Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa. The hotel recently underwent an extensive £10 million development and delegates can now enjoy a round of golf or a spot of pampering between meetings. It’s the UK’s only PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) residential golf academy.
    
Southport also offers a boutique hotel, The Vincent. Situated along the town’s tree-lined, mile-long Lord Street shopping boulevard, it features a members’ bar, and penthouse complete with an outdoor Jacuzzi. It is home to V-Grand Galleria, a stylish space for events or conferences.
    
Further up the coast is Britain’s favourite seaside resort. Home to a number of high-capacity venues, including the Winter Gardens, Blackpool is fortunate to benefit from a range of conference hotels. Blackpool’s Grand Theatre is a great venue. This 1057-seat theatre is also Blackpool’s community theatre.

Blackpool is also reinventing itself and has an ambitious plan that will transform the resort physically and take it forward to provide a stylish new seafront that will provide spaces for education, leisure and entertainment. Other developments include a dedicated cultural and civic quarter. Blackpool also offers a growing selection of top-quality, award-winning accommodation including Number One South Beach, The Beach House and the five-star Four Seasons Town House. You’ll also find some excellent larger hotels including the Big Blue Hotel.
 
Get active
Thrills and spills are not necessarily confined to Blackpool in this diverse region. Cumbria is the adventure capital of the UK and the place to try your hand at kite surfing, paragliding, horse riding or even ghyll scrambling. It’s the perfect place for some team building or just burning off some excess energy.
    
Honister Slate Mine near Keswick offers an adventure climbing system that uses a permanently fixed cable to guide you to areas not easily reached on foot. As if climbing up the rock face of an old miners’ route isn’t thrilling enough, you can now descend on the purpose-built zip wire. Alternatively, if you’d rather stay on the ground, get the team off-roading with a 4x4 driving experience with Kankku.
    
Cumbria also offers a range of unique venues that provide inspiring surrounds for a conference or business meeting. Rheged boasts a variety of conference and meeting rooms for up to 260 delegates, ideal for conferences, fairs, festivals, product launches and exhibitions. You’ll also discover unique meeting areas including Carlisle Racecourse, Cartmel Park Racecourse and Conference Centre and Forum Twenty Eight, an arts and entertainment centre with conference facilities.

Cheshire
At the other end of the region is Cheshire, which also offers some unusual venues including Chester Racecourse, the oldest racecourse in Britain, the internationally renowned Chester Zoo and Tatton Park, an impressive historic estate with wonderful gardens.
    
Cheshire combines a unique past with a modern, dynamic approach to business. Dotted throughout the glorious Cheshire countryside are an array of grand stately homes, historic estates and impressive gardens of distinction, many of which offer first-class conferencing facilities in idyllic surroundings. In Chester you can also enjoy a stroll around the most complete set of Roman city walls in Britain and stand under the famous Eastgate Clock to look down over the cobbled streets.
    
The area boasts an astonishing number of delightful hotels that offer great conference facilities. You’ll find venues with video conferencing, computer and video facilities with audio support, high standard business dining restaurants, as well as a huge range of leisure facilities for those who like a full workout or relaxing spa after a hectic board meeting. What’s more, because Cheshire boasts stunning countryside, you’re bound to find a nearby golf course or two. As well as purpose-built conference centres and university campuses, Chester and Cheshire present a huge selection of 3,4 and 5-star hotels.

For more information
Contact the England’s Northwest Conference Research Unit on 0161 238 4584 and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it