Whether you’re planning a large multi day conference, or a smaller corporate event or meeting, Birmingham is the go to city to host it.
But what makes Birmingham the perfect location to host a conference?
You’ve organised the perfect event, but where are you going to find available accommodation that suits all of your delegates different requirements? With over 36,000 beds in the Birmingham city centre, you’ll never be short of accommodation options. Many of the amazing venues in the city also have adjoining accommodation to ensure easy booking for delegates who require a hotel.
Check out the Aloft Birmingham Eastside, the brand new hotel opening in September 2020 which will be connected to the eastside rooms.
Birmingham is home to a range of world class venues, with something to suit every need. Ranked as the top UK events destination outside London, you’ll find options of all shapes and sizes.
You’ll also have access to the Birmingham Convention Bureau who have 30 years experience on hand to provide you with knowledge and expertise of the local area.
The city centre itself is a very compact hub that attracts all sorts of businesses in a very close proximity. Birmingham’s diversity makes it the perfect location for developing brilliant ideas and making them happen. One minute you can be in a coffee shop in the Custard Factory surrounded by super cool independents, travel just five minutes up the road to Fazeley studio and you’ll be mingling with the creative crowd of the media and marketing companies. In another five minutes you can be somewhere entirely different, networking with the suits at the city’s most prestigious business address, Colmore Row.
Birmingham is also the home of more start-up companies than any UK destination outside of London, as well as becoming a base for financial giants such as Deutsche Bank, Deloitte and HSBC. Some of the UK’s biggest companies also have their headquarters here, such as Jaguar Land Rover and Cadbury Trebor Bassett.
The food scene has seen Birmingham transform itself into the ultimate dining destination from Michelin delights to award-winning street food.The city has five Michelin-starred restaurants, more than any other UK city outside of London.
With a huge choice of delicious food from across the globe your delegates will be wanting to return to your event again and again, year after year.
Businesses recognise that their workforce is one of their most significant competitive advantages. Recruiting and nurturing the best talent is absolutely crucial if you’re an ambitious organisation looking towards future successes.
Finding talent is one of the primary problems organisations can be faced with and according to Harvard Business review almost three-quarters of CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills and 36% of companies are experiencing talent shortages.
According to the Financial Times Birmingham has one of the youngest, most highly qualified and diverse workforces in the UK. It’s also home to five universities and over 73,000 students making it a great place to find a diversity of talent to attract to your event and for your business to engage with.
Located at the heart of the country, Birmingham is a central location for businesses that have team members spread throughout the UK. The city provides an easily accessible meeting point for organisers and delegates alike – 90% of the UK is within 4 hours of Birmingham. The city is also home to 3 major train stations with links across the UK, as well as being at the centre of England’s motorway network.
Birmingham is widely connected to a huge variety of national and international destinations and with Birmingham International Airport just a short drive from the city centre, flying to over 150 destinations, it’s a great option for global conference delegates.
Being so well connected means Birmingham attracts over 41 million visitors a year, with just over 1 million of these being international visitors – great news if you’re looking to attract a wider audience to your next event.
Whether it’s gripping performances of world renowned theatre productions, shopping in independent boutiques, or gazing at the incredible architecture in the city centre, Birmingham has something for everyone to enjoy.
Home to the likes of the iconic Selfridges building and the Jewellery Quarter, from where an incredible 40% of all UK jewellery originates, it’s also brimming with up and coming areas like Eastside Lock (a £450 million regeneration, billed as the most exciting city centre regeneration scheme in Europe) which are adding to the exciting and unique vibe of the city.
Your conference delegates will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Brummy culture, and they won’t be short of things to do. Check out our top picks in our guide to spending 24 hours in the city here.
Recently, many parts of Birmingham have been transformed and redeveloped bringing a wealth of purpose built facilities and venues to the city. When it comes to booking a venue itself there are plenty of choices to be made, including modern venues that bring design and innovative functionality together.
Dedicated, purpose-built venues offer you the space, facilities and the expertise to ensure that your event runs smoothly.
It may be the second-largest city and metropolitan area in England and the UK, with roughly 1.1 million inhabitants, but one of the best things about business in Birmingham is the sense of community. The locals are also renowned for being some of the nicest and most down-to-earth you’ll meet.
The business culture of Birmingham is authentic, open and honest and there’s a real spirit of companies championing other businesses, making it a welcoming and exciting place to do business and attend corporate events.
And of course Birmingham is home to the eastside rooms. Our dedicated conference and events team are on hand to help every step of the way when organising a conference. From assisting with your initial enquiry and answering any questions you might have to aiding the event on the day, organising your conference will be a smooth process from start to finish.
Thinking of Birmingham for your next conference or corporate event? Speak to one of our event experts.