City News

“The ICC is fabulous, everything has run really efficiently, and it’s a beautiful venue.  This is my first visit to Birmingham and the variety of places around the city is really great.  Everything is making a really positive impression.”
Caroline Escott – Conservative Party Conference Delegate

“My constituency is part of this region and we are extremely proud of the city and the way that it has been developing. I’ve been talking to foreign delegates from around the world during the conference, and telling them about the importance to Birmingham of this event.

“I love the venue and will be writing to the Conservative Party Central Office to say that we should hold our future conference events in the city and at The ICC. This is the country’s second city, and the most accessible area in Britain and I believe that our conferences should be held in places that are the most accessible to the highest number of people.”
Daniel Kawczynski – Conservative MP for Shrewsbury

“The venue is great, the food is fantastic and the prices are lower than I thought they’d be when I got here. I’m really looking forward to seeing a bit of Birmingham now.”
Kirsty Kakanskas  - Conservative Party Conference Delegate

“This is my first visit to Birmingham and I’ve been very impressed by the level of development. I think that this has been a very successful event so far and the exhibition is great.  The ICC is a really interesting venue and I hope that we can come back here again in the future.”
Mark Tunstall – Tamside Metropolitan Borough


“This is my first time in Birmingham, the area around The ICC is lovely and its position is perfect. I’m really impressed by the whole package with this conference.”
James Holland – Conservative Party Conference Delegate

“From our point of view, this conference is going extremely well, and without a doubt The ICC is a superb venue. The staff are polite and very helpful, and the level of service we have received is excellent. I think Birmingham is a lovely city that has kept a lot of its heritage while mixing well with the modern developments.  We’re absolutely perfectly positioned here, both for visitors and exhibitors alike.”
Julian Chapman – Senior Vice President,NASUWT

“The ICC is definitely the best conference venue that I’ve been to. I’ve had the opportunity to get out and about in Birmingham, into Brindleyplace, along Broad Street, and the city has really exceeded my expectations.”
Julian Ellacott – Councillor,Reigate

“The conference was hugely successful for us, not just financially, but in terms of profile and in bringing something new and different to our normal week.

“By opening on Sunday, when we would normally be closed, we sent the message that we wholeheartedly welcomed the conference delegates and were open for business; consequently, the guests who came on Sunday night, followed us right through the whole conference. The buzz in the restaurant from editors of the quality newspapers and BBC journalists through to the Shadow Cabinet was electric.

”They were so complimentary about our service and quality of our food that it was as if they weren’t expecting to find such standards in Britain’s second city. We are delighted that, from this, we have already secured bookings for 2010.

“The fact that all of this activity also contributed to a +25% surge in turnover (value + £30,000) means that conferences of this sort are terribly important to an independent business like us in Birmingham.”
Ann Tonks, Managing Director of Opus Restaurant

"It's been an absolute pleasure having delegates from the party at Edmunds and it's created a real buzz in Brindleyplace. There have been lots of comments from people eating here about what a great surprise Birmingham has been and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2010."
Beverly Waters,Edmunds Restaurant, Brindleyplace

 “This has all been wonderful! Trade is up, everyone including residents are happy and even the weather stayed fairly dry for the duration.”
Mike Olley, Broad Street BID