Never Give Up! Inspiration from BTTS

What did we learn from the British Tourism and Travel Show, Birmingham NEC ?

Firstly, signage is of the essence at your event! And keep checking that the signs stay up during your event too! Accurate parking information always helps delegates arrive unflustered too. Because we didn't give up, we finally arrived at the British Tourism and Travel Show and learnt :

All about the vast number of experiences and places around Britain to suggest to clients who are wanting to add extra interest and value to any event such as London theatre, the Faulty Towers Dining Experience, marvellous monsters at Longleat, the new cultural quarter planned for the Piece Hall in Halifax, a mobile cinema called Audrey, the new Crystal Maze at the old Granada Studios in Manchester and a giant pterosaur animatronic which has joined the West Midland Safari Park. Heritage, culture, gin, cruises, gardens, gastronomy, racing, coachmarques, theme parks, castles, cycling, you name it, I’ve met it here!

Hallmark hotels have rebranded Menzies Hotels, merged them with the Feathers Group and now have some lovely properties including the Hallmark Welcombe, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bournemouth’s Carlton, East Cliff and West Cliff hotels and Mickleover Court in Derby, all of which have been used very successfully in the past for accommodation and residential conferences.

Redefine BDL is about to redefine itself as RBH. They are a hotel management company which has 46 properties over 11 brands including the Holiday Inn Express at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire, the Crowne Plaza London docklands which has had extra conference facilities added recently, and the Imperial at Blackpool.

Cedar Court Hotels have four in the group, all in Yorkshire and all of which have had considerable investment in them. If you have business in Wakefield, Bradford, Harrogate or Huddersfield, then these would be a good choice for you.

Kew Green Hotels, another management company, have an ever increasing number of Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express on their portfolio but also the Grand at Brighton, which we visited recently, and another favourite, the Richmond Hill Hotel.

Spencer House, in St James’ Place London is available for private and corporate events and is hired exclusively to each client. They can accommodate up to 126 for lunch or dinner and 450 for receptions, and the Great Room is fabulous for private dining.

Loving the new brochure and new look of the Trout Hotel, Cockermouth, in the Lake District which was flooded during the wet 2015 and has now resurfaced!

And finally, the inspirational message from keynote speaker, Benjamin Mee, the owner of Dartmoor Zoo and the book and film ‘we bought a Zoo’ ... Never give up! I’m taking that on board right now!

And if you want to know more about any of these hotels, venues or ideas, contact [email protected]. Pleased to help with prices, bookings and inspiration. Never give up!