Conference organisers spoilt for choice!

It’s taken for granted that a business destination offers a good choice of quality hotels and meeting facilities. But it is not always enough for the venue just to be able to provide the high standard norm.

Meetings and conferences sometimes require surroundings that are out of the ordinary, either to match a special topic or simply to create a unique atmosphere. To this end, countries, cities, towns, hotels, conference centres and arenas are continually upgrading and rethinking their marketing strategies and profiles, to attract the corporate market.

So how do you go about discovering what’s best for you? A good starting point is the Conference Centres of Excellence (0845 230 1414; cceonline.co.uk) or the British Association of Conference Destinations (0121 2121400; bacd.org.uk) if you know the region where you want to hold a conference. Outside these, there are many and varied venues and an eclectic mix of the ancient and the new sitting comfortably alongside historic and cultural gems, race courses, football, cricket and rugby club grounds et al.

London and its periphery are still a capital attraction and regarded as a natural hub for international gatherings of any nature. The £300million, state-of-the-art convention and exhibition centre, ExCel, (020 7476 6101; excel-london.co.uk), at Royal Victoria Dock, is the largest and most sophisticated conference facility in the city, closely followed by the ever favourite Earls Court Olympia (020 7370 8009; eco.co.uk), Wembley Conference and Exhibition Centre, and the Barbican (020 7638 4141; www.barbican.org.uk).

The Mermaid Conference and Events Centre, Blackfriars (020 7236 1919; the-mermaid.co.uk), with its vast auditorium is a unique corporate attraction, as is historic Tower Bridge (020 7497 9222; towerbridge.org.uk) whose stunning walkway 140 feet above the Thames can accommodate 120 for dinner and 250 for a reception. And don't forget St Paul’s Cathedral for a memorable conference in The Crypt (020 7246 8346; stpauls.co.uk).

Among favourites at the premier end of the hotel market, the Great Eastern Hotel, adjacent to Liverpool Street Station (020 618 5000; great-eastern-hotel.co.uk), is a design-led hotel with early 19th century steam railway nostalgia overtones, while the Savoy (020 7344 5479; savoyplace.co.uk) offers style and opulence. And how about Novotel London West, Hammersmith (020 8237 7755; novotel.londonwest.co.uk)? With four whole floors dedicated floors to conference and exhibition space and meeting rooms, it's one of London’s largest and best hotel and conferencing centres.

On the sporting front, the 12-acre Chelsea Village hotel and corporate centre, multi-faceted 21 function rooms, 60 syndicate rooms business and leisure complex overlooking the Premier League team’s pitch at Stamford Bridge leads the UK football way to business attractions (020 7565 1400; chelseavillage.com). It is closely followed by Lords Conference and Banqueting Centre at the headquarters of cricket (020 76168590; lords.org.uk).

Horse racing courses have become favourites with meeting organisers and heading an exceptional field of ‘runners’ is Newmarket (01638 675300; newmarketracecourses.co.uk), whose Rowley Mile Conference Centre includes the Millennium Grandstand which forms the centerpiece of a venue combining the special ambience of racing’s headquarters with excellent modern function and exhibition areas. Also, don't forget Sandown Park’s magnificent Surrey complex with conference suites overlooking the racing (01372 464790; sandown.co.uk) and historic Epsom Downs, home of the Derby (01372 726311; epsomderby.co.uk). The latter two are just a good gallop or invigorating pony trek away from HenryVIII’s majestic Hampton Court Palace – the perfect, prestigious setting for a variety of day and evening events (0208 7819506; hrp.org.uk).

Around and about, Alton Towers, in Staffordshire (01538 704030; alton-towers.com), one of the largest theme parks in England, has opened a new conference centre, Splash Landings Hotel, to supplement existing on-site venues. Initial Style Conferences, UK market leader in the provision of dedicated residential training and conference centres, has invested £2.5million on refurbishing and relaunching the Victorian Horsley Towers, Surrey (01483 284211; initialstyle.co.uk/horsleytowers), as a 70 acre, luxurious, and tranquil business retreat. There are also excellent dedicated conference services and facilities in all the 30 Queens Moat House Hotels the length of Britain (01708 730 522; moathousehotels.com).

If you fancy a conference within a zoo, the Clifton Pavilion sits within the boundaries of Bristol Zoo Gardens (0117 9238332; milburns@bristolzoo.co.uk) and has five rooms and a lecture theatre seating up to 108. Or how about holding a conference on a farm? The ‘Green’ Kindesley Centre is based within the 2,000-acre Sheepdrove Organic Farm, Lambourne, Berkshire, and has high tech rooms seating up to 200 (01488 71659; thekindersleycentre.com). For a creative environment there’s the Clonter Opera Theatre in the Cheshire countryside, a 400-seater tiered auditorium with additional space in on-site barns (01260 224266; clonteropera.com).

The list is endless. In a big way there’s the Manchester International Convention Centre (0161 8342700; (micc.uk.com), with three vast exhibition halls, 15 ancillary offices, 12 breakout rooms and banqueting facilities for up to 5,000. Slightly smaller is the National Railway Museum, York (01904 686219; nmsi.ac.uk) with three exhibition halls, a superbly equipped conference centre and a stunning display of locomotives. And smaller still is the bespoke meeting, event and hospitality facilities of the classic tall sailing ships and Thames barges of East Sussex -based Topsail, which accommodate up to 150 in comfort (0207 587 1199; topchart.co.uk).

More glamorous – seawise – is the Royal Yacht Britannia, now berthed at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal. Event managers and dedicated butlers are permanently on board to tailor one of the numerous packages on offer to suit every occasion. Fifty to 250 can be accommodated during an evening reception and up to 96 for a gala dinner (0131 5558800; royalyachtbritannia.co.uk).

And if setting your sights on Scotland, the famed venues of Skibo Castle, Turnberry, Gleneagles and St Andrews trip off the tongue, beckoning the rich and famous as well as organisations seeking the dual needs of privacy and luxury. Details of these and the many lovely country hotels and castles and conference centres throughout the country and its borders and Highlands can be obtained from, among others, the Scottish Convention Bureau (0131 343 6616; conventionsscotland.com), Edinburgh Convention Bureau (0131 473 3666; www.edinbutgh.org) and the Aberdeen & Grampian Convention Bureau (01224 288815; agcb.org).

Glasgow’s tour de force is the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (0141 275 6211; secc.co.uk), situated just 10 minutes from the city centre and offering two on-site hotels and an auditorium able to host 3,000 delegates. Edinburgh is equally blessed, thanks to the award-winning Edinburgh International Conference Centre (0131 300 3000; eicc.co.uk) whose circular auditorium seats 1,200 and is supported by an eclectic mix of venues that include the grand Dalmeny House and Dalhousie Castle and Spa just outside the city.

Wales has a lot to offer the corporate market and names such as The Celtic Manor Resort, Hilton Cardiff, St David’s Hotel and Spa, Celtic Haven and Cardiff International Arena, should be in the books of every events organiser. And, of course, there’s historic Cardiff castle where the Stone Vaulted Hall will take up to 140 business guests for a Welsh Banquet package that includes a four course meal, master of ceremonies and Welsh themed entertainment.

Rural retreats include Sir Bernard Ashley’s stately home, Llangoed Hall, nine miles west of Hay-on-Wye, a quintessential five-star country house which caters for 12 in the boardroom, 20 in the library and 80 in the Orangery. Another excellent venue is The Metropole, in Llandrindod Wells, with 120 superb guest and executive rooms, 14 conference suites and exhibition facilities catering for up to 350. Details of these and more from 029 20 47520; meetings.visitwales.com or incentives.visitwales.com