Event planners book Manchester party venues with the confidence that the city will provide an unforgettable occasion. With an energetic arts scene and some of the most cutting-edge music acts in the UK, the Rainy City has plenty on offer for entertaining your guests.
Manchester is the perfect location for party venues, whether your goal is sophisticated banqueting or delightfully uncivilised fun at a live music festival. A focal point of culture in the North West, students consistently rate the nightlife as one of the most diverse and entertaining in the UK – and who would know better?
It’s the perfect setting for Christmas parties, with many offering special sound and lighting equipment, dinner and dance areas, and catering option. There are many opportunities for after parties from the upmarket Deansgate to the trendy, independently minded Northern Quarter.
For civil ceremony and wedding planners, Manchester venues can foster any vision by providing the right environment, with exciting prospects for stag and hen organisers. The city has a number of stunning churches and cathedrals, while Manchester Town Hall is a popular place for public weddings.
Manchester has national and international transport links, covering air, rail and road, while delegates commute from their chosen accommodation using one of the UK’s most successful tram systems.
City Information
Named by The British Meetings and Events Industry Survey 2012/13 as the UK’s most popular conference
and events destination outside of London, Birmingham boasts a vibrant meetings scene with a host of major
companies and contemporary venues. From academic auditoriums to cutting-edge arts centres, the city has a
wealth of event spaces to choose from.
Planners looking to organise an event in the city are confident in its reputation for commitment to customer
service and innovation in events. Home to the National Exhibition Centre, International Convention Centre and
the Conservative Party Conference in 2014, the city has a long tradition of outstanding reputation in the events
industry.
The Birmingham area is the second largest economy in the UK and the 72nd largest in the world, making it an
ideal location for building business networks among industry leaders and mover-shakers. Inspirational speakers
for seminars shouldn’t be hard to find with six universities and several reputable business and law schools.
Extensive urban development programmes have revitalised the city, adding to its commercial infrastructure.
Birmingham’s hotel scene is currently experiencing significant development activity, while major retail districts
such as the Bullring offer some of the best shopping in the UK.
The city is also renowned as a historic cultural site, with the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the
Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts all enjoying international reputations.
Birmingham has national and international transport links, covering air, rail, road and canal networks. It’s home
to probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK, Spaghetti Junction.
Facts and Figures
| Largest venue: |
NEC -200,000m2, 30,928 seated |
| Largest stadium: |
Villa Park - 43,000 seated |
| Largest hotel: |
Hilton Birmingham Metropole - 790 bedrooms |
| Largest banquesting venue: |
13,928 |
| Largest conference venue: |
13,928 |
| Largest exhibition venue: |
200,000 m² |
Transport links
Air
Birmingham Airport is the seventh busiest airport in the UK, and serves national and international
routes to Europe, Dubai, Islamabad, Toronto and New York.
Rail
A major transport hub, Birmingham has some of the busiest railway stations in the UK. Birmingham
New Street is the busiest interchange in the UK outside London, and is served by all intercity trains in
Birmingham city centre. Other stations include Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street.
Metro
The Midlands Metro is a tram line in the West Midlands of England, between Birmingham and
Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury.
Road
Located in roughly the centre of the country, Birmingham has major road links to most of the UK.
Major motorways serving the city include the M5, M6, M40 and M42.
Gravelly Hill Interchange – also known as Spaghetti Junction – is probably the most famous motorway
junction in the UK. It gained its nickname in 1965 when journalist Roy Smith described plans for the
interchange as "a cross between a plate of spaghetti and an unsuccessful attempt at a Staffordshire
knot."
Canals
Birmingham is home to an extensive canal network, most of which are navigable, and it has more
miles of canal than Venice.