What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12th November

Welcome to another week!

We've been incredibly busy just recently and our venue finding service is proving incredibly popular with lots of lovely new clients, all saving time and money with our new (free) service.

Additionally our Daily Venue Tip via Twitter is starting to attract all sorts of attention with venues lining up to get a mention, and so we thought it was high time for another in our Destination series, and this time its Leeds.

Leeds has everything you need for a conference that stands out above the crowd – award winning venues, a great location only 200 miles from both London and Edinburgh, a compact and accessible city centre and 3,500 hotel bedrooms! Leeds has seen a huge growth in meetings and events over the last 5 years which has placed the city in the top five meetings destinations in the UK for the 3^rd year running in the British Meetings and Events Industry Survey.

With five miles of shopping streets, excellent nightlife scene, numerous restaurants and independent bars, you can see why Leeds is so popular so here are a few of our favourite venues

The Rose Bowl was the venue for our CIPR Northern Conference 2012, which we held on 31st October, and a landmark for the city of Leeds. This state of the art development features the very latest in modern conferencing facilities and design. Offering a corporate level of service, this venue is ideal for banquets, receptions, conferences, exhibitions, meetings and training. 

Meeting rooms are available for up to 80 people; the largest auditorium will hold 256 delegates and their banquets can cater for up to 300 dinner guests.

An impressive oval-shaped landmark with a stunning glass feature, the newly opened Rose Bowl Leeds is not just a lecture venue for Leeds Metropolitan students but also the perfect choice as a conference venue.

Choose to dine at The Rose Bowl with menu’s including hot fork buffets, afternoon tea, bistro menu or a simple light working lunch. Or venture out into Leeds city centre to The Living Room. The sophisticated restaurant is situated at the heart of Leeds’ prolific dining and drinking scene of Greek Street. This first floor restaurant within The Living Room provides the perfect setting to suit special celebrations. A quality food and drinks selection and a brilliant atmosphere, The Living Room is one of Leeds’ most sought after venues for almost five years.

Another great venue is the Northern Ballet Theatre. It offers exceptional facilities and flexible options for conferences, meetings, formal dinners, cocktail parties and performances. The venue is unlike any other venue. It is home to two world-class dance companies, Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre. 

Northern Ballet is a purpose-built, six-storey facility located on Quarry Hill in central Leeds in the thriving cultural quarter. Located next to BBC Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance and Leeds College of Music.

With seven dance studios, it provides exceptionally flexible space ideal for conferences, dinners, rehearsals or exhibitions, as well as dancing!

All rooms feature natural light and full AV facilities plus Wi Fi. An on-site catering team is on hand to provide anything from light refreshments to full dinners with a variety of packages to suit requirements.

Clients can also take advantage of Northern Ballet’s unique offer by introducing an element of dance to their event through team-building or energiser sessions, or a talk from one of one of the Northern Ballet Artistic team.

Ideally located a stone’s throw from Quarry Hill car park and Leeds Bus Station multi-story. Leeds Bus Station is only a 2 minute walk away and Leeds Train Station a 15 minute walk.

The Queens Hotel Leeds is a luxurious 4 star establishment, centrally located just by Leeds Train Station in Leeds City Centre and across the street from City Square. A listed Grade 2 Art Deco style building, the 150 year old hotel is one of the last remaining great English railway hotels and is considered to be one of the most important historical landmarks in Leeds. Designed by the same architects who designed the famous Dorchester hotel in London, the Queens has since underwent a £10 million pound refurbishment when it was acquired by owners Quintessential Hotels in 2003. It now boasts some of the most opulent rooms and furnishings in the city with its business class service. The unrivalled skyline view of Leeds city centre from QClub at the top of the hotel is also a must-experience.

The Queens pulls out all the stops at providing some of the best conference facilities: the elegant executive boardroom can hold a meeting with 14 people while the elegant ballroom is perfect for an event of 600 people. Refreshments can also be arranged in the form of buffets, and teas.

If you are looking for an exclusive dinner in The State Dining Room prepared by the Michelin starred Box Tree Restaurant, open spaces to hold a major outdoor event for thousands - or anything in between – Harewood is the place for your function!

Get out of the office! With 100 acres of stunning parkland, Harewood’s outdoor spaces offer true flexibility and versatility. From concerts to car rallies, craft fairs to festivals, corporate days to show days, Harewood’s grounds are available to stage events small or large.

The Courtyard is an 18th century stable block that predates the House. It contains three brand new state-of-the-art event suites whose neutral decor and stylish design provides a blank canvas for endless customising, whilst original features such as exposed beams and oak floors add warmth and character.

Harewood has a wide range of teambuilding programmes designed to promote communication amongst colleagues. Packages include clay pigeon shooting, duck herding, blindfold driving and archery, along with a whole range of indoor activities too, such as chocolate making, film making and circus skills.

ParkPlaza Leeds enjoys a central location, with meeting facilities in the heart of Leeds city centre overlooking City Square.   

• Opposite Leeds Rail Station with express links to London and Scotland
• Close to major M1 and M62 motorway networks
• 10 miles from Leeds Bradford Airport 
• Preferential car parking rates

The hotel's two dedicated conference floors house 11 meeting rooms and four large function rooms, all of which are bathed in natural daylight and feature floor-to-ceiling windows with wraparound views over City Square. Opened out for larger events or broken down for smaller board meetings or training sessions, this flexible space is perfect for seminars, private dining, proms or graduation ceremonies. Chino Latino Pan-Asian bar, lounge and brasserie offer award-winning cuisine and banqueting menus and Scene Bar are open all day for refreshments and snacks.

Park Plaza Leeds features 185 refurbished Superior and Executive guest rooms with air-conditioning, spacious work desks, Wi-Fi and movies on demand. The hotel's 20th floor boasts four beautifully appointed Suites with far-reaching views.

Set in the vibrant heart of central Leeds, the Hilton Leeds City hotel is footsteps from Leeds Central railway station, minutes from the M62 and less than 25 minutes from Leeds Bradford (LBA) International Airport. Close by many of the corporate businesses that have made Leeds their home, Hilton Leeds City is convenient as a base for touring the Yorkshire Dales.

Relax in front of the 32-inch LCD TV in a guest room and stay in touch with WiFi at the desk. Enjoy the river or city views from a Deluxe Room and spread out on the sofa of a Suite. Discover British bistro classics at the City 3 Restaurant and sip a Costa coffee over the morning papers at Caffe Cino. Choose from the cocktail menu at City 3 Bar before hitting Leeds’ club scene. Enjoy free WiFi in the lobby, lounge and bar whilst you relax.

With 14 meeting rooms for 2-350 delegates, a Business Centre and wireless internet in public areas, the Hilton Leeds City can cater for any type of meeting or event.

So there you have it, Destination Leeds all wrapped up - although this is just a snapshot of some of the great venues in Leeds, so please let us know if you would like any more information, or have an event that needs a venue - we can help!

Have a great week!