London Destination Guide slideshow 1

London Destination Guide slideshow 1 MICEUK

London Destination Guide slideshow 2

London Destination Guide slideshow 2 MICEUK

London Destination Guide slideshow 3

London Destination Guide slideshow 3 MICEUK

London Destination Guide slideshow 4

London Destination Guide slideshow 4 MICEUK

The spectacular success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, hailed as the best ever Olympics, not only transformed the image of London, it also delivered massive improvements to its meetings, conferences and events infrastructure, along with its accommodation inventory and transportation systems. With all the refurbishment, London dazzled a global audience and for the first time since the end of the empire, it truly felt like London is the capital of the world and re-confirmed as one of the world’s greatest business and events destinations.

London is the capital and largest city of both the United Kingdom and of England; it is also the largest city in Western Europe.  Considered one of two of the world’s leading “global cities”, London remains an international capital of culture, music, education, fashion, politics, finance and trade.

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
- Samuel Johnson

Getting There & Around
Due to London’s huge global city status it is the most served destination in the world when it comes to flights.  London is served by a total of six airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton, Southend) and travelling between the city and the airports is made relatively easy by the large number of public transport links that have been put in place over recent years.

London Heathrow (airport code: LHR) is London’s largest airport and the world’s busiest airport in terms of international passenger movement, with services available from most major airports world-wide. It located approximately 15miles from the centre of London and offers a number of transport options to and from the airport such as the Heathrow Express rail with a journey time of only 15 minutes, bus, taxi or the London Underground (Piccadilly line) which departs every few minutes with a journey time of approximately 1 hour, depending on your destination.

London Gatwick (airport code: LGW) is London’s second largest airport and the world’s busiest single runway airport.  It located approximately 27miles south of the city centre.  There are various rail options (Gatwick Express, Southern Railway, First Capital Connect) to get to the city centre along with two bus options (easyBus, National Express).

London Standsted (airport code: STN) is London’s third largest airport and is dominated by the two low-cost airlines EasyJet and Ryanair as well as other holiday charter airlines.  Stansted is located approximately 38 miles from the city centre.  Transport options into central London include: Stansted Express rail, National Express, Terravision, EasyBus coaches or taxi.

London Luton (airport code: LTN) although a much smaller airport than Stansted, it is still a major hub for many Low Cost airlines.  London Luton is located approximately 33 miles from the city centre with rail, coach and car links into central.

London City Airport (airport code: LCY) is the closest airport to Central London approximately 6 miles and only 3 miles from the City’s financial district of Canary Wharf.  The airport can be accessed by taxi, bus or Underground/ Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

London Southend (airport code: SEN) recently became London’s sixth airport.  There has been an ongoing programme to further develop the airport, which is located 36 miles from the centre of London. A regular rail service connects Southend Airport to London Liverpool Street Station in central London.

Trains:  London is the hub of the British rail network – every major city in mainland Britain offers a frequent train service to the capital. Major National Rail stations in London include: London Paddington, London Marylebone, London Euston, St Pancras International, London King’s Cross, London Moorgate, London Liverpool Street, London Fenchurch Street, London Bridge, London Cannon Street, London Waterloo East, London Charing Cross, London Blackfriars, London Waterloo and London Victoria.

London has one of the most comprehensive public transport systems in the world and it is often the best option for getting anywhere in the capital.

Meetings & Events
London offers an extensive range of more than 1000 venues suitable for meetings and events with something to suit all tastes, from traditional and modern to luxury and affordable budget venues.

Hosting an event in London ensures your delegates will be located in a business and global hub, which offers great value for money.

Cultural venues such as the prestigious Tate Modern accommodating up to 350pax or the Royal Academy of Arts accommodating up to 800 pax are also sure to give guests the feeling of a unique London experience.

London boasts several large and impressive conference and exhibition venues such as the 90,000 m² ExCeL Exhibition Centre and the 6,000 m² The Business Design Centre.  Whilst the Mermaid Conference & Events Centre offers a stunning backdrop overlooking the Thames, Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre and can accommodate up to 600 guests.  Alexandra Palace, which overlooks London, offers 9 different sized spaces accommodating from 2 to 7,000 guests.

Hotels
There’s certainly isn’t a shortage of choice when it comes to accommodation in London.

The capital is home to some of the grandest and most famous hotels in the worlds in the world such as The Savoy, The Ritz and The Dorchester along with stylish and sophisticated boutique hotels, luxury 5 star and mid market hotels.  There is something to suit all budgets and taste and boasts more than 125,000 hotel rooms.

Dining
No longer the laughing stock of the culinary world, London is now regarded as one of the world’s best undisputed dining destinations.

The capital is home to an ever-increasing selection of many of the world’s most innovative and impressive restaurants that cater to all tastes and budgets.

With plenty of fine dining Michelin-starred restaurants to affordable quality mid market restaurants.  London is a virtual A to Z of world cuisine from Afghan to Vietnamese.

The sheer diversity on offer is what make London’s dining scene truly extraordinary.

London’s glittering nightlife and dining scene lends itself to private events that will tempt your guests to break out of the boardroom for a memorable event experience.

Shopping
For nearly two thousand years since being founded as a trading post by the Romans, London has been honing its retailing skills.

Today, from luxury shops such as Harrods, bargain fashions at London’s markets, large shopping centres such as Westfield, makes London a shopper’s paradise and a mecca for fashionistas.

The West End is the heart of London’s shopping world, particularly Covent Garden, with its mix of trendy chains and unique boutiques, Oxford Street, with its procession of world-famous department stores, and Bond Street, with its designer boutiques; whilst Knightsbridge and Kensington have upmarket shops aimed at more affluent locals and tourists and Shoreditch and Spitalfields offers specialist outlets for cutting-edge fashion.

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Birmingham Destination Guide slideshow image 2

Birmingham Destination Guide slideshow image 2 MICEUK

A major international commercial centre, Birmingham is also an important transport, retail, events and conference hub of the country.

Getting There & Around
Due to its central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub for rail, road and air connections providing a growing global reach.

Birmingham Airport (airport code: BHX), formerly Birmingham International Airport, is located 6.3 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre and is the 7th busiest airport in the UK.

Birmingham is served by three major railway stations:
Birmingham New Street Railway Station is the busiest in the United Kingdom outside London and is a hub for the extensive long distance train network in Britain.

Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill train stations serve local destinations and also have a link with London.

Birmingham also has an extensive canal system often noted for having more miles of canal than Venice.

Meetings & Events
Birmingham’s meeting and events venues reflect much of its history as “The Workshop of the World” and a global commercial, manufacturing and engineering and powerhouse.

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is one of Europe’s largest convention and exhibition venues.  Located 8 miles to the east of the city centre and is next to Birmingham International Airport, it has 186,000m2 of exhibition space within 20 interconnecting halls, which makes this multi-purpose venue is one of the finest in Europe.

Other major venues in Birmingham include the LG Arena with a capacity of 15,700 and the International Convention Centre (ICC) which provides 9,104m2 of premium events space across ten halls and ten meeting rooms can accommodate up to 8,000 delegates in an impressive modern environment.

Hotels
Birmingham offers some of the UK’s finest business accommodations, with its hotel inventory of 27,000 rooms in and around the city centre to suit every budget and every taste.

Dining
With more Michelin starred restaurants than any English city after London as well as a range of excellent traditional restaurants. No visit to Birmingham would be complete without visiting its famous “curry mile” consisting of a long string of curry restaurants which are located south of Birmingham city centre.

Shopping
Birmingham’s Bullring, the award-winning Selfridges building, historic markets and the world-famous Jewellery Quarter is a shopper’s paradise and a mecca for fashionistas.

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Voted UK’s favourite city in Condé Nast’s Reader’s Traveller Awards 2003, Leeds is a thriving city famed for its excellent shopping, vibrant nightlife, universities and sports venues.

Leeds Destination Guide slideshow image 1

Leeds Destination Guide slideshow image 1 MICEUK

Located 200 miles from both London and Edinburgh, Leeds is a thriving financial and business hub and is the largest centre for business, finance and legal services after London with with over 30 national and international banks based in the city.

Getting There & Around
Leeds is one of the most cosmopolitan and innovative cities in the UK with excellent road, rail and air links which makes the city of Leeds is a perfect destination to bring together delegates from all over the UK and the world.

Leeds-Bradford International Airport (airport code: LBA) is located 10 miles northwest of the city centre.

Leeds Railway Station located in the heart of the city centre is one of the biggest train stations in the country with regular services to destinations all over the UK.

Meetings & Events
Leed’s impressive range of over 300 meeting and conference venues offers solutions for smaller meetings through to large events for up to 2,000 delegates.

Some of the best conference venues can be found in Leed’s impressive range of modern city centre hotels and venues such as the £350 million waterfront development, home to New Dock Hall and the Royal Armouries Museum along with the Leeds Metropolitan University with it’s spectacular 43,000-square-foot of events space.

With over 150,000 meeting rooms to choose from Leeds offers stunning and inspiring spaces to meet your meeting or events requirements.

Hotels
Leeds has a fantastic range of over 60+ quality hotels with approximately 6,500 bedrooms to suit all budget and tastes.

Dining
Restaurants in Leeds are recognised as some the finest in the country and have firmly put Leeds on the culinary map with a number of high quality independent and big name chain restaurants, stylish pubs, bars and a very lively nightlife.

Shopping
Leeds is already one of the country’s top shopping destinations dubbed the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’ with over 1000 city centre shops, but it is set to transform the retail it’s retail offering by the £350 million Trinity Leeds, opening in 2013, and the £600 million Eastgate Quarters development.

Leed’s Shopping Centres includes the Victoria Quarter, Thornton’s Arcade and Queen’s Arcade, Corn Exchange and Granary Wharf.

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Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 1

Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 1 MICEUK

Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 2

Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 2 MICEUK

Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 3

Liverpool Destination Guide slideshow image 3 MICEUK

Getting There & Around
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (airport code: LPL) is located 8.6 miles south east of the city centre.

Manchester International Airport (airport code: MAN) is located 35 miles from Liverpool city centre.

Liverpool Lime Street train station is well served by frequent rail services to/from cities like Birmingham (1h30), London (2h30), Nottingham (2h30), Manchester (1 hour) and Leeds (2 hours).

Meetings & Events
Liverpool is the perfect choice for a memorable event with it’s range of flexible world class venues to suit even the most discerning clients. The opening of the stunningly designed Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC) which gives event organisers 7000m2 of exhibition space has firmly put Liverpool on the map as an international conference destination and is the only interlinking arena and convention centre complex under one roof in Europe. Situated next to the ACC is the 11,000 capacity Echo Arena providing you with a unique location to stage your event.

Hotels
Liverpool’s a wide choice of hotels offers 6,000 bedrooms within the city and a further 4,000 within the City Region.

Dining
The ideal setting for memorable dinners and banquets, your delegates will be spoilt for choice with some of the most luxurious restaurants, trendiest bars and Liverpool’s legendary nightlife.

Shopping
Liverpool is one of the most popular retail destinations in the UK due to its unique combination of it’s world famous waterfront and the famous Albert Dock, fantastic landmark retail developments, beautiful buildings and a buzzing atmosphere all combining to give a great shopper experience.

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Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 1

Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 1 MICEUK

Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 2

Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 2 MICEUK

Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 3

Manchester Destination Guide slideshow image 3 MICEUK

With an impressive range of large capacity exhibition and event venues, quality hotels, cosmopolitan restaurants, fantastic shopping and an endless choice of entertainment and leisure options, Manchester has become one of UK’s most exciting conference destinations.

Manchester is a focus city for businesses serving local, regional and international markets and is the fifth largest financial centre in the UK.

Manchester’s buildings display a variety of architectural styles, ranging from Victorian to contemporary and the widespread use of red bricks characterises the city. Much of Manchester’s architecture reflects back to its days as a global centre for the cotton trade.

Getting There & Around
Manchester is the only global gateway to the North of England, with Manchester Airport providing connections to over 200 destinations worldwide and also has excellent rail and tram networks with trains to London in just over 2 hours.

Manchester Airport (airport code: MAN) is located 8.6 miles south west of Manchester City Centre and is the 3rd busiest airport in the UK. It is only the second airport in the UK after London Heathrow, which is able to handle Boeing 747-800 and Airbus A380.

The City has 2 major railway stations.  Manchester Piccadilly has services to Manchester Airport and the south including London.  Manchester Victoria serves destinations  to the north.

Meetings & Events
Manchester is a perfect choice for conferences, meetings and other corporate functions.  From world class event venues such as The Lowry which can accommodate large scale conferences for up to 1,730 delegates to football clubs providing flexible meeting spaces from 10 to 1000+ delegates.

Hotels
Many of Manchester’s hotels are located in historic buildings reflecting the city’s great commercial heritage such as the five-star Radisson Edwardian Hotel which is built upon the site of the former Free Trade Hall, the Arora International Hotel is housed in a converted 19th century wool mill, and the boutique Malmaison Hotel was once a textile warehouse; with a range of exciting newer additions such as the Crowne Plaza Manchester and the Light Apart Hotel, all with excellent meeting facilities.

Dining
With a thriving restaurant scene, Manchester has a great reputation when it comes to eating out. From fine dining restaurants, gastro pubs, to bars and casual dining eateries, there is something to suit every budget and taste.

Shopping
Manchester is one of the most important shopping destinations in the UK. With top designer boutiques alongside bohemian outlets the city also has UK’s largest inner-city shopping venue – the Trafford Centre, which boasts the first Selfridges outside London.

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