Advances in technology are driving development at exhibition venues
throughout the UK. As clients demand more sophisticated equipment on
site, there is an increasing realisation by venues that they need to
invest in the best facilities for organisers.
Manchester International Convention Centre is a state-of-the-art
facility due to open in the middle of the year next to the G-Mex
complex. There is an 800-seat auditorium, the 1,900 sq m Great Northern
Hall and self-contained, fully equipped control rooms. In addition there
are seven breakout rooms kitted out with wall-mounted projection
screens, 35mm facilities and flip charts, as well as a seminar suite
with projection and sound facilities. The MICC is self-contained, but
benefits from its complete integration with the facilities of the G-Mex
centre next door.
Everything from lighting control to sound control is of the highest
standard and the facility benefits from a structured cabling network.
Fully integrated translation services are available as well as
state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities that can be linked up for
video-conferencing in the Great Northern Hall, the breakout rooms and
the seminar suite. There are also ISDN lines and Internet links in all
the rooms.
At Harrogate International Centre, 65% to 75% of events are managed by
the 20-strong in-house production company, which has been operating for
two years.
Logical progression
David Wilmore, who heads the venue's technical division, says: 'This was
a logical progression after the renovation work had been completed on
the buildings. Clients want a hassle-free conference. We can provide the
total production support. We know how our venue works and our two
production managers meet the clients at the first opportunity and get
involved in the design and visuals for any event. There is one point of
contact, something which clients appreciate.'
Recent events at HIC include the Conservative spring conference and the
Halifax annual general meeting.
Sheffield International Venues owns and manages five conference venues
as well as three golf courses. The organisation hosts more than 1,000
events every year. Facilities include Ponds Forge International Centre,
Sheffield Arena, Sheffield City Hall, Don Valley Stadium and
Hillsborough and Concord Centres.
SIV has an in-house events team to help organise and run events.
Facilities include support staff, mobile stage units, PA systems,
lighting, TV and video equipment, projectors, screens and on-site car
parking.
Leeds United Conference and Banqueting Centre can hold up to 500 in the
auditorium. It has 68 meeting rooms and 489 sq m of exhibition space.
Technical facilities include multimedia projectors, LCD video
large-screen format, three ISDN lines and Internet capability.
At the Jarvis Leeds North Hotel there is capacity for 325 theatre-style
in the main Central Park hall and an additional eight meeting rooms. The
hotel operates the Summit Conferences booking system, which provides a
single point of contact for conference organisers. All the rooms are
fitted with screens, overhead projectors and an extensive amount of
equipment designed for organisers. The main facility is also fitted with
ISDN lines.
Hilton National Leeds City has meeting space for up to 360 theatre-style
with 15 additional meeting rooms. Equipment provided includes overhead
projectors, screens, LCD projector, digital camera, flip charts, video
and television while the meeting centre has an organiser's office
equipped with a PC, scanner and e-mail retrieval facilities. An IT
technician is also on hand to support conference organisers.
Technical facilities
Wood Hall Hotel in Leeds has capacity for 140 theatre-style and five
smaller meeting rooms. Technical facilities provided in all meeting
rooms include flip charts, overhead projectors, microphones, television
and video. Telephone lines and ISDN lines can be installed on
request.
In Bradford, Cedar Court Hotel offers the Cedar Suite, which holds 800
theatre-style, and 14 additional breakout rooms. Equipment provided by
the hotel includes overhead projectors, screens, television and videos,
and the rooms are equipped with three-phase power. ISDN lines are also
available.
The Hilton Bradford has the largest meeting space in Yorkshire in the
Bronte Suite, which has capacity for 800 theatre-style. This room is
divisible with a soundproof partition and is on the ground floor of the
hotel. On the sixth floor there are 14 meeting rooms and a business
centre. These rooms have maximum capacity for 100 people. There are also
a number of boardrooms with daylight and air-conditioning. Within each
meeting room there are flip charts and overhead projectors, as well as
ISDN lines. The Bronte Suite has a full PA system, three-phase power and
variable lighting, as well as air-conditioning.
Midland Hotel in Bradford has two ballrooms - the Prince and the
French.
The former has capacity for 400 theatre-style, while the French can
accommodate 120. In terms of equipment there are overhead projectors,
screens, flip charts, televisions and videos. ISDN lines are installed
in three meeting rooms. All 11 meeting rooms have Internet
connections.
The Craiglands Hotel at Ilkley has a main conference suite - St Bernards
- with capacity for up to 500, while there are a further seven meeting
rooms. The hotel is a popular venue for car launches and has recently
hosted events for Rover, Peugeot and Jaguar. Equipment supplied by the
hotel is fairly rudimentary with overhead projectors, screens, videos,
televisions and slide projectors.
Computerised equipment is normally hired in while many clients and
production companies bring their own equipment to the hotel.
Hire in equipment
At the Hanover International Hotel Skipton, there are 12 meeting rooms
with capacity for up to 420 in the main Malham Suite. Basic equipment
such as overhead projectors, screens, televisions and videos are
provided by the hotel, while more complicated equipment needs to be
hired in. The majority of clients tend to bring their own equipment.
De Vere Whites Hotel at the Reebok Stadium, which is home to First
Division Bolton Wanderers Football Club, is the first fully integrated
football stadium and hotel in the UK. The four-star hotel is fully
integrated into the South stand of the Reebok Stadium and is the first
new hotel De Vere has built for six years.
The hotel has a number of audio-visual technicians and provides video,
video projection, data lighting, sound, laptop facilities and
video-conferencing.
Overhead projectors, screens and flip charts are also available.
Conference and banqueting facilities cater for up to 500 theatre-style.
In addition, there are 48 boxes holding 12 to 16 people available for
hire as breakout rooms.
The University of Northumbria in Newcastle has 40 lecture theatres with
capacity ranging from 50 to 250. There are also 600 bedrooms available
during the summer vacation. The latest technology and audio-visual
equipment is installed in the meeting rooms and this includes overhead
projectors, LCD presenters for Powerpoint presentations and computer
systems. There are also ISDN lines.
Britannia Hotel Newcastle Airport has six meeting rooms with maximum
capacity for 400 theatre-style in the Castellan Suite. Equipment is
fairly limited, but overhead projectors, screens, televisions and videos
are provided in all the meeting rooms.
The Stakis Newcastle Hotel has eight conference rooms with the largest
having capacity for 400 theatre-style. Although most of the equipment is
hired in, the hotel does provide overhead projectors, screens, flip
charts and LCD projectors.
Hotels and exhibition venues are acutely aware of the technical needs of
event organisers and are increasingly providing state-of-the-art
equipment to meet the most demanding requirements.