What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 10th December

Welcome to another week!

Its time for another of our Destination Guides this week, and we've gone all Brummie!

As a conference and events destination, Birmingham leads the way. The city is one of Europe's busiest meeting points and home to a vast number of conference and meetings venues. These range from purpose-built, internationally renowned facilities, to academic venues and smaller, unique settings, making it an ideal location for events of all sizes.

Birmingham sits at the heart of a comprehensive transport network with a wide range of accommodation and a leisure offering that's second to none, making it one of the best placed cities to do business. There’s a level of energy and confidence here that’s clear the moment you arrive. Named as the UK’s most popular conference and events destination outside London during 2010 by the British Meetings and Events Industry Survey 2011/12, Birmingham is a city that welcomes major events and visitors like no other.

With undeniable connectivity, located in the heart of the UK, Birmingham’s incredible range of world-class venues and state-of-the-art facilities make it the best placed city for events of all sizes. Accommodation, amenities, entertainment, retail opportunities – in Birmingham, everything is nearby, the city centre alive with possibilities and new experiences with plenty of event space for you to choose from. From Michelin-starred dining to dazzling theatre productions and designer shopping, Birmingham really does offer it all.

 So, here are a few of our favourite venues in Birmingham...

The key to a successful event is a successful, accessible venue. A venue that fits your budget, supports your efforts and understands your requirements. A venue that promotes your values and enhances your reputation with superb surroundings and high quality presentations. That venue is The ICC Birmingham.

The ICC offers all of the elements key to delivering a superb conference, seminar, banquet or meeting. These include professional customer service, advice and support in event management, catering, technical equipment and other services.

The ten halls and ten executive meeting rooms, with dedicated registration and foyer areas, mean they can offer one of the UK’s largest selections of facilities under one roof. They also offer the support of a dedicated team of event managers and presentation specialists to ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish.

Aston Villa offers an elegant ground-floor suite situated at the traditional Holte End of the stadium. The Holte, having undergone a complete transformation during the summer of 2009, is a purpose-built conference venue for a range of events, from prestigious conference and sumptuous black-tie dinners through to trade exhibitions. The Holte Suite is accessed by its own car park and benefits from a large foyer and a unique mezzanine level which overlooks the main suite.

With 12 meeting rooms accommodating from 60 to 550 people, 104 executive boxes, Audio-visual and presentation equipment, Stadium Tours, Professional in-house catering team and a convenient location with free parking – Aston Villa is a superb venue to hold your event!

Hold your next event at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel, a leading UK conference hotel located next to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), only ten minutes from Birmingham International Airport via complimentary shuttle. With excellent transport links, this charming Birmingham hotel is ideally placed to visit the famous Bullring Shopping Centre and central Birmingham, eight miles away. This hotel in Birmingham is an attractive venue to hold conferences, meetings and banquets with impressive facilities including 33 banquet and meeting rooms for up to 2,000 delegates. Use the Business Centre and Executive Lounge to conduct business away from the office.

Bright and comfortable guest rooms at this Birmingham hotel have WiFi internet access. Choose a Deluxe Room for extra space. Upgrade to an Executive Room for Executive Lounge access with free breakfast and refreshments. Select suites boast a living room and working area.Enjoy international buffet dining in the Boulevard Restaurant, order from the a la carte menu in Millers restaurant or sip cocktails in the 24-hour Lounge Bar. 

Travel a little outside of the City and you will find the Copthorn Hotel Merry Hill-Dudley. One of the finest hotels in Dudley, it overlooks the canal marina and adds contemporary comforts and modern amenities to a waterfront location.

This hotel offers elegant guest rooms with contemporary amenities, dining options, a health club and spa, and friendly service. There are also impressive conference and banqueting facilities available, which are able to host 600 delegates for meetings, weddings and conferences.

For meetings, conferences, product launches, training courses and private occasions, the Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill-Dudley can provide a perfect venue. The air conditioned Earls Suite is a bright conference room that can hold up to 570 guests and has its own bar and cloakroom, and the Caslon Suite is suitable for large board meetings. There are also a further five purpose-built boardrooms for your convenience.

The University of Birmingham although known for its grand historic buildings,  also has a contemporary face with iconic buildings like Muirhead Tower; old and new sit together harmoniously.   

Today the University estate occupies over 276 acres of land on two different sites and has facilities that include modern laboratories, shops, performance venues, libraries, museums, sports facilities and art galleries. The main Edgbaston campus is close to the city centre but has all the amenities of a small town, as well as its own railway station.

If you are looking to hold a conference, event, wedding or party, the University has a range of stunning locations, first class facilities and dining options available for you. 

Additional the University can help with Video Conferencing; equipment can connect with up to three other locations simultaneously and allows sharing of Powerpoint presentations, all using the nearly-universal IP protocol. 

The Macdonald Burlington Hotel is located in the very heart of Birmingham amid the stunning architecture of the city's beautiful New Street. Offering guests an oasis of luxury and tranquillity in the vibrant and culture-rich city of Birmingham, this historic hotel is a short walk from all that's on offer in the area, with world-class shopping and entertainment on your doorstep.

The Macdonald Burlington Hotel's stunning central location and comfortable bedrooms plus delicious food and drink make it the perfect place for a city break or that special romantic weekend in central England. Macdonald Burlington hotel's flexible and well equipped executive suites also make the Burlington one of the best hotels in Birmingham for meetings and conferences and with 16 flexible and well-equipped suites they'll have something that suits your requirements. Whether you're planning a family occasion or business event, they'll have the facilities to suit you - and all conveniently located right in the heart of Birmingham, just a couple of minutes walk from the main railway station, Birmingham New Street

So there you go, all things Birmingham and remember that if you need help with sourcing a venue, then the team at Cloud 9 are on hand to help so take advantage of our free venue finding service...

Have a great week!