Stadium Experience – A one-stop free service
Stadium Experience provides a free service to potential clients, offering one central booking line which reaches out to all conference and events teams within each football club across the UK and Ireland.

As well as providing clients with a free service, Stadium Experience is a well represented membership organisation with a collaboration of over 45 football clubs, including the country’s most infamous stadia such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Dublin’s Croke Park.

Pitching the Potential
Football stadia are often overlooked as potential venues for conferences, meetings and events because they are, in some cases, purely associated with sport and are not recognised as the dynamic venues that they really are. Stadium Experience is keen to demonstrate that these unique venues are the perfect place for many types of events, and can offer more than your average hotel or conference centre. “Stadium Experience is helpful in raising the profile of football stadia as multi purpose venues able to host quality events and conferences as opposed to purely accommodating football matches,” commented Tom Cassidy of Liverpool Football Club. “They have so much to offer every corporate client.” One example is the wide range of room sizes, from hospitality suites which can accommodate over 1,000 for a dinner dance to an executive box which comfortably holds 2 for a private business meeting, and prices to reflect these requirements.

Facilities at Bolton Wanderers include a huge banqueting suite capable of hosting an informal reception for up to 1,500 delegates, plus this venue is complemented by a superb four-star hotel operated by De Vere. This is one of the largest facilities in the north, along with Manchester United and Manchester City.

New Developments & Upcoming Fixtures
Recent developments within Stadium Experience’s stadia include newly refurbished meeting facilities at the City of Manchester Stadium; the club has unveiled its new Boardroom, which now has a new glass façade and exquisite furnishings - an ideal space for executive meetings and exclusive dining events.

Hampden Park and Newcastle United both hosted X Factor auditions at its clubs last year, ahead of the chosen finalists making it to the studios. Over 10,000 wannabe superstars turned up for initial auditions at Hampden Park. Hampden’s Sales Manager Claire Ferris took all of the preparations in her stride: “The initial auditions for the TV programme in May were pitch side and we catered for huge crowds, making use of the matchday kiosks to provide food and drink to those waiting to audition. When the judging panel came back in July it was a much more intimate event with around 250 people, including crew and the lucky ones who were called back to perform in front of Simon Cowell and the panel.”

Stadia are used for some hugely exciting events in addition to conferences, meetings and football matches. Summer 2009 will see concerts at some major clubs, including Sunderland and Coventry; acts such as Oasis and Take That have chosen to include football stadia within their tour schedule, as the clubs have the perfect infrastructure already in place to accommodate major music events.

Stadium Experience’s central sales team have recently assisted with the hosting of two major conference events: Homebase held its event at Bolton and The FA held a conference at the Ricoh Arena Coventry. Shirley Pinn at Stadium Experience said: “We were delighted to assist both of these organisations and many more with their arrangements and, whilst their conferences were on a large scale, we have assisted much smaller organisations to book their boardroom meetings and interviews at some of our clubs.”

There are major benefits to booking your event at a stadium, all the clubs are well signposted for ease of travel, making it easier for your delegates to find and most of the clubs offer free parking on-site. With the majority of the members situated in city centre locations this is definitely a bonus. Some of the meeting rooms, especially executive boxes, have the advantage of great pitch views and, out of the football season, the pitch is available for more relaxed meetings and team building activities.

Ask the Experts
If you plan conferences and events, and need inspiration for new venues, visit www.stadiumexperience.com. Call the central conference and events office on 0845 226 5494 or email enquires to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Pitch Perfect

Here’s a selection of top football stadia that provide space, facilities and service for a broad range of events.

Hampden Park
Hampden Park boasts three floors of dedicated spaces for small meetings through to large conferences for up to 600 delegates. The 11 suites, tiered auditorium, exhibition suite and 26 executive boxes offer a range of options and can be tailored to suit requirements. There are 1,000 free car parking spaces and excellent transport links.

Galpharm Stadium
The variety of suites at the Galpharm Stadium can accommodate conferences, dinners, weddings and much more from 10-500 guests. The four conference rooms and 42 corporate hospitality boxes provide the flexibility for seminars, workshops and syndicate groups for all conference requirements. The stadium also benefits from 1,200 free parking spaces.

Keepmoat Stadium
Keepmoat Stadium has established itself as a premier venue in South Yorkshire. The variety of suites accommodate conferences, exhibitions and dinners for 10 to 700 delegates. The eight conference rooms and 16 executive boxes offer the most unique facilities in the area with the main restaurant overlooking the 15,000 seater stadium.

Villa Park
Villa Park has moved the goalposts in order to fight the credit crunch. Come and experience Villa’s stylish new Trinity suites which can accommodate business or private functions from 2 – 600 guests. New Year offers: Day Delegate meeting package reduced to £39 - £6 saving; 25 per cent off all room hire in January and February. Terms and conditions apply.