Press releases

Variety is the order of the day for visitors to Birmingham Convention Bureau’s (BCB) stand at Event UK. One of the largest convention bureaus in the UK is working with a host of partners to demonstrate the sheer scope of the conference and event offering in the city and beyond.

BCB offers event support, venue location and accommodation booking. Additional services include marketing support and social itinerary building. Visitors to the stand can tap into BCB’s expert local knowledge as well as liaising with their stand partners to build a full picture of what Birmingham has to offer.

One of the stand partners, The Public, is a brand new creative community, cultural and business space in West Bromwich. This fantastic multi-use centre offers a series of airy, interconnected, flexible spaces - ideal for workshops, conferences, events, exhibitions, meetings, seminars and product launches. There’s also a fully fitted theatre, state of the art audio visual facilities and cafe bar to cater your event.

The Deaf Cultural Centre is the first of its kind in the UK. It’s a multi-purpose venue with conference facilities as well as offering support and opportunities to the deaf community. The centre has four rooms to hire for meetings, conferences and training, accommodating between 5-150 people. It also has an in-house interpreting service.

The St John’s Hotel is located in Solihull and boasts one of the largest banqueting suites in the Midlands. There are conference and banqueting facilities for up to 700 people and 180 bedrooms on site, plus full leisure facilities including gym and pool.

Birmingham City Council is showcasing its historic venues on the stand. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is home to everything from Renaissance masterpieces to 9,000-year-old Middle Eastern treasures, and an ideal venue for a reception of up to 750 guests. Grade II listed manor, Highbury Hall is fully restored to its original period design and is perfect for conferences or private functions, catering for up to 100 people theatre style. The Banqueting Suite at the Council house boasts some of the city’s most talked about design and has welcomed members of the Royal Family, world leaders, media and film stars. This Grade 2 listed building can also cater for receptions of up to 450 for a finger buffet, 328 for a dinner or 250 for a seated buffet.

Following a £35 million renovation the Town Hall’s civic status has been fittingly restored as the oldest purpose built venue in Europe. It can hold up to 900 guests without catering or 500 guests with catering. Partner venue Symphony Hall is considered to be the UK’s finest concert hall and has now opened its doors to private events for the first time in its 20 year history. It can be hired for conferencing events of up to 2200 delegates and both venues share a dedicated team of in-house staff to assist with arrangements from planning stages through to overseeing the event on the day.

Ian Taylor, commercial director at Marketing Birmingham, says:

“From historic buildings to state of the art galleries, Birmingham and the surrounding area have it all. The city is continually building on its event offering and there are even more developments in the pipeline including The Cube and five star Westin hotel.”

Notes to editors
Event UK takes place 22 – 23 September at the NEC, attracting around 300 exhibitors including destinations, venues and event service suppliers.