With sporting stadiums becoming more popular as venues for conferences and events, CN looks at what the South of England has to offer.
Located in the southwest of England, Cheltenham Racecourse is most widely recognised as the home of top racing fixtures including the Cheltenham Festival which was recently voted
as the pinnacle of the Jump Racing Season by the UK’s hospitality leader, Keith Prowse.
Cheltenham Racecourse has taken some galloping strides in its conference and event offering, generating £2.38m from such events in 2011, and seeing a 63 per cent increase in bookings from the association sector this year.
The racecourse boasts a 2,250-seat auditorium, The Centaur, as well as the Panoramic room, situated on the fifth level of the Grandstand and overlooking the entire racecourse.
Not one to rest on its laurels, the racecourse is currently undertaking a marketing
campaign to raise its profile with Gloucestershire-based businesses, highlighting the range of facilities available for corporate customers.
Situated on the south coast, the £93m AMEX Community Stadium, home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC, opened in the summer of 2011 and is the largest addition to the VisitBrighton portfolio of venues.
The 22,500-seat stadium offers nine lounges and five concourses with outside space for teambuilding activities, while the 14 corporate boxes, each with views onto the pitch, are ideal for smaller meetings or breakout spaces.
With additional space for 380 delegates theatre-style and 500 for banqueting, the stadium is
an influential conference and events venue in the city, and recently celebrated winning the New Venue Award at the Stadium Awards in Turin.
Organisers can schedule their conferences on a raceday at Newbury racecourse, or take advantage of the 300 acres of grounds for teambuilding activities.
Located in Berkshire, Newbury can cater for 25-1,000 delegates, in spaces such as the Royal Box
and Hampshire Stand.
With three floors of event space The Grandstand is ideal for combining conferences with exhibitions and award ceremonies.
The Ageas Bowl, formerly the Rose Bowl, home to two time County Cricket Champions, Hampshire, recently unveiled Ageas as its new title sponsor.
The 25,000 capacity Ageas Bowl, part of the Lime Venue Portfolio, was voted the best international ground in a poll conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2011.
The venue can accommodate small board meetings for 10, full day conferences for 200, or a banquet for 300, and the 150-acre outside space is ideal for some conference fun such as summer barbecues, and teambuilding activities including a game of rounders on the pitch or a treasure hunt through the woods.
Meetings and events at Lord’s Cricket Ground, currently contribute 19 per cent of the venue’s overall turnover.
Conference and event spaces include the J. P. Morgan Media Centre, situated 15m above the ground and with panoramic views of the Pavillion, the Nursery Pavillion with capacity for 600 and the Pavillion Roof Terrace with space for 250.
Lord’s will take a six-week break from the cricket season to host the 2012 Olympic Archery, adding an extra appeal to bookers looking to host an event at a venue tied up in British history.
Moving from cricket to rugby, Twickehnam Stadium celebrated its centenary in the 2009/10 season and can host up to 500 delegates in its purpose built South Stand Conference and Events Centre as well as providing 150 pitch view meeting rooms.
For those looking to make the most of the venue, a drinks reception can be held by the side of the hallowed Twickenham turf and in the players tunnel, followed by dinner in the England changing rooms.
Afterwards, delegates can retire to the London Marriott Twickenham, a four-star hotel with 156 rooms, connected directly to the stadium.
Situated in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, The Ascot Pavillion at Ascot Racecourse
can cater for up to 1,000 delegates, while the 179 acres of parkland can host up to 3,000. Following a conference, organisers can book the Ascot Street Party with dining and music on the Bandstand.
This was first published in the July edition of Conference News. Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
