Yorkshire is experiencing a boost in business tourism thanks to its enticing range of high quality venues and facilities.
Situated midway between London and Edinburgh, Yorkshire is easily accessible with London’s Kings Cross train station just two hours away. International flights arrive at three international airports in the region; Leeds Bradford International Airport, which has plans for expansion, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, and Humberside Airport. Manchester Airport is a little more than an hour by road from Leeds.

Recent research indicates that more conference buyers are choosing Yorkshire as their key business destination. In 2008, business tourism boosted the Yorkshire economy by £1.6 billion following an increase in conferences and events held in the region; now up to 180,000, with more than 10 million delegates attending the various events. Spend in the region also rose, generating revenue in excess of £490 million. This figure is in addition to the £939 million worth of spending at the conference venues themselves and a further £220 million contributed to the market by exhibitions.

One of the key reasons for this surge in interest is the region’s wide range of venues, which ensure Yorkshire has the capacity to host every type of event - from small to large residential, meetings, dinners, awards ceremonies, parties, product launches and team building away days. Yorkshire is also becoming widely recognised as a destination to stage world-class events, emphasised by the recent U2 concert at Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield; the Tour of Britain Cycle Race; the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race; the Fourth Ashes Test at Headingley; and the World Snooker Championships.

Led by Welcome to Yorkshire, the official tourism agency for the region, Yorkshire comprises six Area Tourism Partnerships: Visit York, Hull and East Yorkshire Conferences, Yorkshire South Tourism, Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate, West Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Moors and Coast, who work together to attract events to the region.

The four conference bureaux in the region are: Conference Leeds, Conference York, Conference Yorkshire South and Hull & East Yorkshire Conferences. They provide the following services – venue finding, bid support, advice on social programmes, group accommodation reservations, site inspections and familiarisation visits, guides and directories and visitor information. Some, like Conference Yorkshire South, deliver ambassador programmes. These provide networking forums and tools for leaders in academia and industry who share a mutual interest with the local conference bureaux in hosting national and international conferences locally.   

Venue Highlights:

Sheffield City Hall
An award-winning flagship venue, the City Hall has played host to some of the most famous names of the 20th Century and is currently the home to over 600 events per year. Spaces include the classic Oval Hall, the Art Deco ballroom and the Memorial Hall.

Doncaster Racecourse Exhibition & Conference Centre
Doncaster’s 300-year-old racecourse is one of the most celebrated courses in the UK, with visitors flocking to the track for the Ladbrokes St Leger – the world’s oldest classic horserace. As well as 3,000sqm of event space, perfect for parties, product launches and team building, the stand also includes a floor of hospitality boxes with panoramic views of the grounds.

Royal Armouries Museum
The Royal Armouries is a multi-purpose events venue able to cater for small dinners of up to 16 to large banquets for 1,000. One of the many events spaces, Saviles Hall, can also accommodate up to 1,500 and has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors from across the county as well as international sports personalities and presenters.

Aspire
A Grade II listed building which has been beautifully restored now offers a versatile space. Split over a spectacular mezzanine and banking hall, the venue has the capacity for up to 400 for dinner or 700 for a reception as well as smaller rooms accommodating from four to 40 guests.

National Railway Museum
The largest Railway Museum in the world consists of two halls, one housing some of the most famous locomotives in the world. Receptions take place in either hall with guests able to wander among the exhibits and artefacts. Dinners take place on the platforms between the carriages.
Hospitium
One of the oldest timber framed structures surviving in York today, the Hospitium is a two-storey 14th century listed building overlooking the Yorkshire Museum and Museum Gardens. Able to host events for up to 200 people, the Hospitium can cater for a variety of events including evening receptions, buffets and barbeques.

The Deep
Hull’s award-winning and iconic visitor attraction is able to host dinners, product launches, presentations and receptions deep down among the sharks or high above the ocean waves in a glass observatory.

The Spa Bridlington
The award-winning Spa in Bridlington is the East Coast's premier venue and is perfect for any event. Spaces include the magnificent 1930s Art Deco ballroom and the Edwardian Theatre, as well as new and refurbished rooms of different sizes. Many of the rooms feature views of the beach, the promenade and the sea.

The Royal Hall at Harrogate International Centre
The Royal Hall is one of the jewels in Harrogate’s crown. Built in 1903 as a multi-purpose entertainment area, it can accommodate up to 850 guests for a reception and 300 for a banquet.

Swinton Park
Swinton Park in North Yorkshire caters for a wide range of events, functions and parties for up to 120. Team building activities on offer include golf, fishing, shooting, riding and falconry, a spa with five treatment rooms and a gym, plus a cookery school run by the celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager.

Scarborough Spa
The Spa Complex is probably unique among British conference venues, not only because of its location - right on the seafront in the scenic South Bay - but also for the variety of facilities housed in what is largely a magnificent Victorian building. The three main meeting halls are the Grand Hall, Spa Theatre and Ocean Room. The Grand Hall has a capacity of 1,920, the Spa Theatre 620 and Ocean Room 850.

Ask the Experts

For further information:
Welcome to Yorkshire: www.venueyorkshire.com
Yorkshire South Tourism: www.yorkshiresouth.com/conference
Conference York: www.conferenceyork.com
Conference Leeds & West Yorkshire: www.conference-leeds.com
Hull & East Yorkshire Conferences: www.heyconferences.co.uk