De Vere Venues officially opened its new Colmore Gate training and meeting centre, 17 October, with an evening party for over 200 invited guests in the heart of Birmingham’s business district.
A specially-chartered Chiltern Mainline carriage brought buyers and media from London for the event which also raised funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), De Vere Venues’ charity of the year. The company pledged to raise over £250,000 for the BHF over the next 12 months. Team building specialists Blue Hat entertained the VIP train passengers with an hour-long harmonica lesson.
Colmore Gate offers 18 meeting, training and event spaces, holding between two and 150 delegates.
De Vere Venues CEO Tony Dangerfield welcomed guests and told CN the £3m investment in the new Birmingham venue would be followed by openings in several provincial cities in future, including Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. There would also be a couple of London venue openings, likely within the next 18 months.
“It is a long term investment and we want a strong presence in the second city,” Dangerfield told CN.
He also said the strong partnership with Lloyds bank underpinned the growth and investment strategy.
“Colmore Gate is already attracting an average of 300 delegates a day in the weeks since its soft opening,” Dangerfield noted.
De Vere Venues now operates 30 venues across the UK, and recently took over management of the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.
“Our success in non-residential venues is driven through focus on allowing the delegate to be all important. Our meeting space is pure meeting space, not a room in a hotel basement,” Dangerfield added.
Among the VIP guests was Midlands-based agent Ellis Salsby, who welcomed the new Colmore Gate property “as a valuable addition to the Birmingham quality venue scene”.
De Vere Venues is making heavy emphasis on its new food and catering offer, with the ‘Verve Deli’ brand promoting a range of healthy eating options for delegates keen to refuel in less formal surroundings, at their own pace and time. Hot food options for guests included sampling curries and hot pies.
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