What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 8th October

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9!

We’d like to remind you about our free venue finding service again this week and bring you in the second in our series of Destination Guides for events around the UK,

Although Cloud 9 is a Nottingham based company, most of the events we stage for clients tend to be in other parts of the UK and we like to think we have a pretty good handle on most of the major cities and the venue options available.

With new venues opening, refurbishments, change of ownership and a continual changing shift in client preferences, we hope that our daily Twitter post “Venue Tip of the Day” is proving a useful source of information (we schedule it at 12.30pm Monday to Friday) and you can follow us @Cloud9em

This week its Destination Manchester and a few of our favourite venue options.....

The Hilton Manchester Deansgate hotel is situated within the lower 23 floors of the 47 storey Beetham Tower, and presents an iconic landmark on Manchester’s impressive skyline. With 11 contemporary meeting rooms for up to 600 Guests. You can work out in the hotel’s LivingWell, swim lengths in the 20-meter indoor pool with underwater viewing panels or unwind in the poolside whirlpool.

Or maybe just relax and rejuvenate with a range of spa treatments at the hotel’s fabulous Spa 303. You can dine in the Podium Restaurant or choose a cocktail in Cloud 23, located on the 23rd floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offer stunning views of Manchester’s constantly changing cityscape.

We use this venue a lot and it's one of our favourite hotels in the UK.

The Midland has it all. Conveniently located in the heart of the city, this Grade II listed treasure oozes luxury, comfort and style, and enjoys an impressive history. The red-bricked Victoriana that Manchester is famous for is perfectly captured in the architecture of the hotel and the style continues inside, where you’ll find opulent decor, rich fabrics and shimmering chandeliers.

Meeting in Manchester couldn’t be easier than at The Midland hotel.  Located a mere 200m from Oxford Road Station, 800m from Piccadilly Station and neighbouring Manchester Central, when you couple location with swish meeting rooms and the awe-inspiring Alexandra Suite for corporate banquets, you have a great conference setting in Manchester to enthuse all your guests.

The Point is Lancashire County Cricket Club's stunning new £12M conference and events centre at Old Trafford. The Point opened on the 27th June 2010 and complements LCCC's well-established conference facilities and 68-bedroom Lodge. 

Purpose-built to an extremely high specification and incorporating a range of environmental innovations, The Point is a truly state-of-the-art venue. With a capacity for up to 1,000 seated guests and the flexibility to cater for a wide range of events, its certainly a great option for in Manchester.

Boasting 20 screens including IMAX, ODEON Manchester Printworks is one of the UK’s premier venues. Seating up to 564 guests, ODEON Manchester can cater for the largest conference, or offer small state-of-the-art auditoria for business presentations and private screenings. ODEON Manchester also has its own meeting room, ideal for workshops and brainstorming sessions.  

Within the Printworks there is a superb selection of bars and restaurants, and Manchester’s famous shops and evening entertainment venues are all within walking distance. You’ll also be in the heart of Manchester’s local business district. ODEON Manchester Printworks also boasts its own Gallery.  The perfect place to wow clients and impress your guests, the Gallery offers an exclusive bar and licensed auditoria.

IWM North in Manchester is available for special events, parties and location filming.

The iconic building, innovative and dynamic exhibitions create an environment perfect for dinners, drinks receptions, weddings, conferences and meetings. Event organisers can enjoy leading-edge technology in meeting rooms that offer style and comfort. When IWM North is open to the public, guests can explore the museum and special exhibition gallery for inspiration.

One thing we would add, is that although this is a great venue for events, you cannot access the main space for large banquets until after the Museum has closed its doors to the public. But, with all hands on deck, its certainly an impressive space and can be turned around quickly to deliver a unique dining experience.

We couldn't sign off this week without reminding you that its the start of Chocolate Week!

So there is a great excuse to unwrap a bar of chocolate, whatever your preference, and munch away without any guilt..

There are loads of events taking place around the UK all week so take a look at thier website for some inspiration http://www.chocolateweek.co.uk/ and if you can, pop along to one of them. Or, save yourself and indulge at Chocolate Unwrapped which is on this weekend from 10.30am to 5pm, Saturday & Sunday.


Chocolate Unwrapped is the grand finale of Chocolate Week attracting over 6000 visitors. The consumer exhibition features around 70 exhibitors, including top British chocolatiers and chocolate companies as well as international chocolate makers from around the world. The Theatre Kitchen will host demonstrations from some of our star chocolatiers with a dedicated tasting area giving visitors the chance to learn more about tasting chocolate.

Have a great and sweet week!