An exciting choice of unique venues is available throughout H&E North’s regions, providing a distinctive platform for meetings and events.

Creating a memorable and lasting impression is vital. An impressive backdrop can provide event organisers with the perfect canvas on which to display key corporate messages and values. Taking it a step further and for maximum impact, choosing a venue with a particular tie or connection to your organisation can also add real kudos to your event.

Choose from cathedrals, listed buildings, art galleries, theatres, tourist attractions, sporting stadia and many more. The setting to any event is crucial - the surroundings, facilities and technology all play a vital part in ensuring its success. You don’t need to travel far to access amazing event possibilities; there’s an abundance of options across the North, Midlands, Scotland and North Wales.
There is a wide range of venues not often associated with meetings and events, which regularly welcome hordes of visitors, such as visitor destinations like Chester Zoo and The Cornerhouse – the international centre for contemporary visual arts and film - in Manchester. Venues such as these have the infrastructure, facilities and versatility to cater for a host of corporate events. In addition, standard meeting places, such as hotels, can also offer something out of the ordinary like the Beatles-themed Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool.

Alternative venues that stand out from the crowd can also take centre stage and are ideal for special events that require an element of magic and wonder. Rheged in Cumbria is the region’s newest and largest visitor attraction. An all year round visitor centre, with a six storey high cinema screen that feature’s Cumbria’s 2,000-year history, it is Europe’s largest grass covered building and boasts a light, bright interior and is equipped with the facilities for corporate hospitality, product launches, conferences and exhibitions.

For a unique venue within a unique venue, the National Railway Museum in York recently added to its event hire facilities with a Pullman-style carriage dating back to the 1950s. Named Valiant, the fully-restored carriage has a station-platform setting and is split into two flexible open compartments that can be used for events such as drink receptions, small dinners and meetings.

Alternatively, if modern and dynamic is what you are looking for, the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham is an awe-inspiring location. Magna Arena is a blank canvas which can be used to create an unforgettable event. With several multimedia rooms and team building activities, it is the perfect place to unleash your imagination. Likewise, the National Glass Centre in Sunderland is based in an innovative and inspirational facility set on the banks of the River Wear. An educational and cultural resource, it features galleries, artist studios and production facilities, together with facilities for meetings and team building workshops.

If you’re looking to create an adrenaline-fuelled environment, a sporting venue or high-action leisure site could be a desirable option. Doncaster Racecourse offers the chance to experience the excitement of race day from an exclusive private box in the state-of-the-art grandstand, complete with panoramic view of the racecourse. Guests can also enjoy first-class catering in the impressive luxury of the course’s Lincoln Restaurant. Alternatively, escape the distractions of the office and enjoy the beautiful landscape from the treetops at one of Go Ape’s site across the UK. A network of rope bridges, trapezes and zip slides make it a great location for team building activities. Plus, meetings and conferences can be held on site at Go Ape’s forest centres.

There is plenty of exciting venue options to explore no matter the scale of your event. For more information, visit www.meetengland.com

Looking for something different? Check out these unique venues for inspiration:

Venue Cymru
Set beneath the glorious foothills of Snowdonia and occupying glorious views out to sea, Venue Cymru offers modern multi-purpose conferencing facilities for 5 to 5,000 delegates. Only three hours by train from London Euston and an hour from Liverpool and Manchester, this is an ideal location for professionally managed conferences.

The Deaf Cultural Centre
The Deaf Cultural Centre offers modern conferencing and event facilities that your organisation can enjoy at a competitive price – whilst also supporting a rich and diverse community. The Centre’s award-winning design offers a contemporary, light and spacious setting for any event whether it is an informal gathering, party, business meeting or conference.

Heritage Motor Centre
Mini Meetings! Heritage Motor Centre is offering a free 'Mini' breakout activity for any delegate holding an event in one of the Centre's 21 meeting rooms: a visit to the Museums new '50 Years of the Mini' exhibition celebrating the 50th Anniversary of this iconic little British car.

Magna Science Adventure Centre
Magna Science Adventure Centre offers some of the most unique event facilities in the country. Fun or formal, elegant or quirky, majestic or intimate, this former steelworks will leave a lasting impression on your delegates. Unforgettable event spaces are housed within a distinctive structure, catering for up to 3,000 guests.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Within its impressive and historic Edinburgh and London buildings, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society crafts unique tailored events.

As purveyor of the world’s finest single malt, single cask whisky this intriguing Society offers truly one-of-a-kind private event experiences, including entertaining tasting sessions hosted by a Society whisky ambassador.

Usually exclusive to members, each of its charming private rooms offers individual elegance, where guests can enjoy bespoke fine dining or relax with a dram, whilst waited hand upon and foot.

For a remarkable event, with a marked difference, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society could be what you’ve been searching for.

Villa Park
Aston Villa prides itself on delivering outstanding match day hospitality with exceptional service. Whether it is in one of its 105 executive boxes or one of its stylish restaurants, this standard of service earned Villa the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award at the Official Football Hospitality Awards 2009. The extensive range of suites also makes Villa Park the ideal venue for that special function or business event.

The Club will be upgrading the Holte Suite with state-of-the-art facilities. Two of Villa Park’s corner suites are also to be refurbished to the highest specifications as part of the Club’s ongoing commitment to offering unparalleled and unique pitch-view suites for a match day or private event experience.

 
West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse is a busy theatre complex housing two auditoria, three meeting rooms, a fully licensed bar, restaurant and a small art gallery. Located in Leeds City Centre within walking distance of the railway station and with public car parks in close proximity, the Playhouse is the ideal location for both small meetings and large events. Staffed by theatre professionals with the technical skills and experience to bring your event to life, the creative environment allows you to add an extra dimension to meetings or events with distinctive extras such as a backstage tour.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, on the University of Birmingham’s campus just outside the city centre, is a unique art gallery and concert hall that lends an air of 1930s' elegance, style and culture to any event. In Birmingham's finest Art Deco building, a lunch, reception, presentation or other event in its marble foyer, with a private view or guided tour of the galleries, makes any function an event to remember.

Coalbrookdale Conference Centre at Ironbridge
The listed industrial buildings of the award-wining Coalbrookdale Conference Centre provide 700 sq metres of uninterrupted floor space. Having natural daylight, three phase power, cathedral like ceilings, easy vehicular access and a wealth of historic industrial features, it is supported by professional conference staff to ensure your event is a success. Rooms accommodate 10-300.