DeskDemon UK Newsletter

There are times when only the biggest is good enough. Like when you have to organise a gala ball for 750 guests, or a product launch for 1,000 people. We put the British tourism experts, VisitBritain, to the test, and asked them to name the venues with the largest event space in the UK, together with some major capacity hotels. Here's what they recommendâ¦

1 London

Largest meeting space:

ExCeL (1,103,448.2 ft2 exhibition centre)

Two largest meetings hotels:

Hilton London Metropole Hotel (meet 3,000; eat 2,000 sleep 1,000)

Le Meridien Grosvenor House (1,500 people, 61344,83 ft2 exhibition space)

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

69,576

2 Manchester

Largest meeting space:

Manchester International Conference Centre (36 x 24 x 13 ft)

Two largest meetings hotels:

The Midland Hotel (97 x 75 x 15 ft)

The Radisson Edwardian Hotel (90 x 43 x 12 ft)

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

5,000

3 Liverpool

Largest meeting space:

St George's Hall (1,000 theatre style, 2,150 sq ft)

Two largest meetings hotels:

Britannia Adelphi (800 theatre style, 402 bedrooms, largest exhibition area 72 x 60 ft)

Crowne Plaza (700 theatre style, 159 bedrooms, exhibition area 100 x 45 ft )

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

2,750

4 Cardiff

Largest meeting space:

Cardiff International Arena (5000 seated, 43,800sq-ft)

Two largest meetings hotels:

Holland House (720 theatre, 160 beds, 7000sq-ft)

Hilton Cardiff (340 banquet, 197 bedrooms, 2700 sq-ft)

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

6,500 +

5 Edinburgh

Largest meeting space:

Edinburgh International Convention Centre (1,200 theatre, 12,750 sq-ft)

Two largest meetings hotels:

Sheraton Grand (485 theatre, 5,400sq-ft)

The Balmoral (350 theatre, 4,100sq-ft)

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

9,000 in city; 16,000 including Lothian

6 Glasgow

Largest meeting space:

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (10,000 theatre, 235,000 sq-ft total)

Two largest meetings hotels:

Thistle Glasgow (1,500 people)

Normandy Cosmopolitan (1,200 people)

Number of hotel rooms city-wide:

15,000