Government Business

Gloucestershire, which includes most of the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, is not the average conference or meeting county. Local event managers point out that a surprising number of Chairmen and Chief Executives live in the area and like to run meetings close to home.
    
Larger events are usually based in and around Cheltenham or Gloucester with their larger hotels and conference events. The nearby Cotswold hills offer some of the most sophisticated boardroom venues in the country, with fine dining and accommodation in support.

Destination alternatives
The main conference town of Cheltenham has venues including Cheltenham Ladies College, the Town Hall and the University of Gloucestershire. The recent opening of the Centaur centre at Cheltenham Racecourse has added a new dimension to Cheltenham’s conference venues with over 2,600m² of multi-purpose space, which can offer seating for up to 2,250 delegates and 1,200 for dinner. There’s also the small matter of over 12,500 free parking spaces.
    
Four-star hotels in the area include the Thistle, Mercure Queen’s, Chase and Cheltenham Park. There are also many smaller hotels in support including a new Hotel du Vin. See www.conferencecheltenham.co.uk for more information.
    
Cheltenham and Gloucester, as the bank’s name implies, are close together. Gloucester is well located for conferences, near the meeting point of the M5 and M4 motorways. Venues often appeal to organisers looking for facilities with historic values, such as the medieval Parliament Rooms at Gloucester Cathedral (the City knows a thing or two about meetings having been the Norman King’s winter court of England), but there are also state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Gloucestershire's Oxstalls Campus and GL1's multi-purpose Glevum Hall. See www.gloucester.gov.uk/conferences for more information.
    
The nearby Forest of Dean is a fantastic resource for team building and motivation sessions with Go-Ape, caving, river adventure or even llama trekking on offer to delegates.
    
Along with the Forest, the Cotswolds happen to be beautiful and across the area there are historic houses, gardens and ‘one-offs’ such as Tewkesbury Abbey that make putting a spouses’ programme together an easy option. The Cotswold hills are known internationally and add some visit appeal to events and conferences. More information at www.visitforestofdean.com
    
Recent additions to the area include the 220 room Four Pillars Hotel at the Cotswold Water Park, near Cirencester, which is to add rooms shortly to and become the largest hotel in the South West of England – conference facilities are for up to 800 people. As a new four star hotel, facilities are state-of-the-art.
    
Calcot Manor has won tremendous respect locally for its new conference venue (The Barn) and is an active partner in www.cotswoldsfinesthotels.com , a local consortium of fine manor house and town house hotels that offer individual attention and owner proprietors or managers. There is also a local group called www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk that has great mid to high range options. Finally, Von Essen has some landmark hotels in the Cotswolds.

Different venues in Wiltshire
Situated in central southern England, just off the M4 corridor and astride the A303, Wiltshire offers a great choice for conference organisers. In addition to conference hotels located in the town and in the country, you'll find an interestingly different range of venues to give your event something that people will always remember.
    
Meet in the grand surroundings of Longleat's 900 acres of landscaped parkland for intimate meetings in the Green Library, elegant dinners in the Elizabethan grandeur of the Great Hall or the contemporary atmosphere of the Banqueting Suite, located within the Private Apartments.  
    
The Science Museum (Swindon) has a range of well-equipped and inspiring spaces. The intriguing corporate events area can comfortably seat 500 people for dinner.
    
The STEAM museum, housed in a restored Grade II listed building boasts excellent facilities for business events, with six different rooms that hold up to 600.
    
Salisbury Cathedral's Refectory Restaurant offers facilities for evening events with fabulous views through the glass roof to Britain's highest spire.  
    
At Wilton House choose from the Visitor Centre in the Old Riding School with its 50 seater lecture theatre or the magnificent surroundings of the 17th century Double Cube Room with its Van Dyck paintings.

Conference hotels
For training seminars, in-house conferences and day meetings, Swindon has the greatest concentration of conference accommodation and hotel based conference facilities in Wiltshire, offering over 1,400 rooms. In addition to internationally known hotels brands including Campanile, De Vere, Express by Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn, Madison, Marriott, Menzies, and Premier Inn you'll also find independently owned properties such as Chiseldon House Hotel, Blunsdon House Hotel and the Pear Tree at Purton.
    
Many of Salisbury's hotels, (eg the Mercure White Hart and Red Lion Hotels) trace their history back to the 13th century when they provided accommodation for those building the Cathedral. Today this tradition of hospitality is combined with their modern conference facilities, such as the recently upgraded facilities at the Milford Hall Hotel. Complementing these is the new Holiday Inn at Solstice Park just off the A303 to the north of the city
    
For those who prefer the tranquillity of the countryside Wiltshire offers a great choice, including Whatley Manor near Malmesbury. In addition to purpose built conference facilities has a private cinema with 40 Italian leather seats.
    
Bowood Golf & Country Club is enhancing its existing conference facilities with addition of new hotel and spa due to open in 2009. The five-star Lucknam Park set in some 500 acres offers facilities for smaller executive meetings with the chance to add on a range of teambuilding activities such as archery; reverse steer driving and sheep dog handling.
    
Whether you're looking for accommodation linked to an event at nearby Longleat, or in-house conference, sports and spa facilities, Bishopstrowe Hotel, one of the van Essen Group of Hotels could fit the bill.  
    
The recently opened Liddington Hotel is set in 150 acres of beautiful Wiltshire parkland, five minutes the M4. Previously a privately owned training facility, it now offers 198 bedrooms and 45 conference rooms.
    
To help conference organisers find the right venue easily, the VisitWiltshire Tourism Partnership currently offers locally based venue-finding services in Salisbury (Meeting Places) and Swindon (Conference Swindon). Not only can you be assured of local knowledge and advice, you'll also find help in setting up inspection visits etc.

• Conference Swindon: 01793 420832 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Meeting Places: 01722 434678 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it There's also information on: www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/site/conferences .
  

Discover Dorset
Discover Dorset, a county of great contrasts and breathtaking scenery and home to England’s first and only UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site known as the Jurassic Coast. With 95 miles of heritage coastline and stunning views across the countryside and sea, Dorset is a county of outstanding natural beauty. In addition to offering miles of spectacular coastline and beaches, its central position and superb environment along the south coast of England makes it an ideal holiday, event, business and conference location.
    
Situated in the east of the county, Christchurch unfolds beneath the 11th Century Priory Church. The magnificent Grade I Highcliffe Castle, once home of Lord Stuart de Rothesay, offers full conference facilities and wonderful views of the Isle of Wight. The Christchurch Harbour Hotel, on the site of the former Avonmouth Hotel, offers versatile and executive facilities for small and medium parties.
    
Isle of Purbeck, famous for its renowned landmark Durdle Door and home to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Lawrence of Arabia, offers many conference facilities venues such as the Priory Hotel, idyllically situated on the banks of the river Frome. The spectacular situation and facilities provided at Lulworth Castle make this venue an unbeatable location if you are looking for a distinctive backdrop.
    
The traditional Georgian seaside resort of Weymouth, at the heart of the Jurassic Coastline, and the nearby coastal locations also provide a wide range of hotels offering conference facilities. Whether you are looking for seafront locations or a scenic venue with easy access to the coast, you will find many suitable venues such as Moonfleet Manor. The brand new and modern Portland Spa Conference & Banqueting Centre (four-star hotel under construction due to open in the Autumn 2008) is situated on the impressive cliffs overlooking Lyme Bay and Chesil Beach and will offer second to none conference facilities. The Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy will arrange conference facilities and provide a wide range of water based activities within a unique setting, the best northern European sailing venue and will be hosting the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
    
The county town of Dorchester, closely associated with the famous author Thomas Hardy who was born and lived on the outskirts of the town also offers a choice of conference venues such as Kingston Maurward College, an 18th Century house set amongst a Capability Brown style parkland. The luxury five-star country house hotel and fine dining Summer Lodge is the ultimate location for small group conferences. Close by is the Chantmarle Manor, a former training college that offers excellent facilities.
    
Further conference facilities can be found by travelling inland through pretty villages and winding country lanes. Plumber Manor, near Sturminster Newton, offers country house style conference facilities with exclusive hospitality. If you are looking for smaller facilities, Stock Hill country house near Gillingham has tailored packages to suit your needs.
    
In the heart of rural Dorset, the newly refurbished Crown Hotel in the town centre of Blandford Forum offers small to medium style conference amenities. A few miles from the town and in spectacular landscaped surroundings, is the imposing Milton Abbey, a public school offering conference facilities within its magnificent grounds.
    
Whether you are looking for a luxury conference venue, a special event, a family run hotel, a country house hotel or an “out of the ordinary” venue, Dorset is the ideal location easily reached by road, rail and air (with airports based at Southampton, Bournemouth and Exeter).    

For more information
For further information visit www.visitdorset.info or call 01305 221002 for an information pack.