Birmingham: an experts insight for meetings and events

Alex Dalby, Trinity Event Solutions Event Consultant, recently headed into Birmingham for a series of site inspections. If you’re considering Birmingham as a destination for your next meeting or event, take a read of Alex’s insight and key considerations for each of the venues.

Hyatt Regency Birmingham

The Hyatt Regency is a 10-minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station, so is a perfect location for delegates coming by train. When entering the hotel, my first impressions was how stunning it was, with a great atmosphere. The lobby is filled with plants and water fountains, making it a beautiful feel on arrival and flooded with natural daylight coming through the large rooftop atrium.

The hotel has 10 meeting rooms. The largest of these is the Symphony Ballroom which can accommodate 144 in a cabaret style. This is an elegant space for a meeting and can also be split into 2 separate spaces – Ballroom 1 and Ballroom 2.

There are 319 bedrooms, all spacious and comfortable. Depending on which side of the hotel you are on, the bedrooms either look out onto views on the city or the canals (has an extra charge).

The hotel had a refurbishment in 2014 and this was still clear to see from how modern and fresh it was. There is chargeable parking on site but there are limited spaces available.

Consideration: Hyatt Regency has a direct bridge link to the International Convention Centre (ICC). This means delegates can have direct access to both.

Novotel

The Novotel is situated in a great location as it is approximately a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station. On arrival, my first impression was how quirky and colourful the reception area was. The reception area leads onto the restaurant and main breakout area for delegates and both areas had a lovely atmosphere to them. The restaurant can hold up to a maximum capacity of 100.

There are currently 9 meeting spaces in total. 3 of the meeting rooms carry the largest capacity of 48 cabaret. As of December 2019, work will be starting to add a large meeting space for 150 cabaret. I felt that the meeting rooms would be perfectly suitable for an event, but be aware there is no natural daylight.

The hotel has a total of 148 bedrooms and my first impression of the bedrooms was that they were all bright and clean.

Consideration: Car parking is available on site however; it has limited access (50 spaces) and chargeable.

Jurys Inn

The Jurys Inn hotel has a convenient location being just a 10-minute walk from Birmingham’s New Street Station. The hotel welcomes delegates with a spacious reception area, themed with black and white décor.

The hotel has 20 meeting rooms situated on the first floor and 27 syndicate rooms on the second floor. All meeting spaces are partitioned, but these can all be removed to make larger, open spaces. The largest can accommodate 160 in cabaret style. They all have natural daylight and come with standard AV equipment.

There are 445 bedrooms in total. All bedrooms were comfortable and bright, but with varying designs to them. All bathrooms have recently been refurbished, and this was clear by how new and fresh they looked.

Consideration: There will be no parking available on site starting from January 2020, as the hotel is building a lifestyle hotel just next door to the main hotel.

Crowne Plaza Birmingham City Centre

The Crowne Plaza is situated in the heart of Birmingham City Centre and is a 10-minute walk to New Street station. The reception leads onto the restaurant and 360-degree bar, which is quite a fun idea. At the end of this, there is a private dining area which can fit up to 20 delegates. However, this is not an exclusive space so be aware of people from the bar next door.

The hotel has 12 meeting rooms which can be found on the conference floor (first floor). The largest meeting room (Vista Suite) can hold up to 150 cabaret or can be divided into 2 smaller meeting rooms. Along the foyer there are 3 executive rooms, which can hold a maximum of 10 boardroom. For larger events they can exclusive use of all 3 of these rooms. All meeting space have natural daylight, but even with this the spaces are a little dark. There are 312 bedrooms, which are all spacious and comfortable.

Consideration: Currently, the only car parking use is at the Mailbox with a 15% discount for delegates. However, there will be a new car park opening for the hotel in early 2020.

Malmaison

The Malmaison is located within the Mailbox car parking complex, a short walk from New Street station. Malmaison has 6 meeting rooms in total, with the largest meeting space has a maximum capacity of 77 cabaret. They would be suitable for a meeting, but the spaces are basic and standard. In addition, there are 4 pods which can hold a maximum of 4 people. The pods are quite fun and different, so would be suitable for delegates needing a smaller meeting space.

The hotel holds 193 bedrooms, which are spacious and uniquely designed. There is a gym, spa and a newly refurbished sauna that all delegates can use. Chargeable parking is available in the Mailbox.

Consideration: There is only one meeting space that has natural daylight.

Radisson Blu Hotel Birmingham

Radisson Blu Hotel is a 5-minute walk to New Street station, conveniently located near to the business district and shopping areas. On arrival the reception area (albeit a little small) is within a glass building and is flooded with natural daylight.

There are 10 meeting rooms in total, situated over both the 2nd and 3rd floor. The Lunar Suite is the largest of these spaces, with a maximum capacity of 80 in a cabaret layout. The hotel has 211 bedrooms that are all spacious, with the same décor and style. Bedrooms situated on the highest floor levels have views onto the city. The restaurant is situated on the first floor, which is spacious and full of atmosphere.

Consideration: The hotel has recently undergone a refurbishment in 2017 and this is clear by the modern feel to all spaces, so would be great for meetings.

Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre

The Holiday Inn, also known as the BCEC, is in a great location as it is only a short walk to New Street Station. On entering the hotel lobby, my first impression was that it had lots of decoration, with unique patterns and vibrant colours throughout.

There are 24 meeting rooms, with the largest holding a maximum of 250 cabaret. These includes a built-in stage and standard AV. The hotel has 216 bedrooms, all being decorated with a yellow and grey colour scheme. There is no car park available on site but there is an NCP, which is a very short walk away.

Consideration: A few of the meeting spaces have floor-ceiling glass walls so this would not be suitable for a pharmaceutical company due to the lack of privacy.

The Studio Birmingham

The Studio Birmingham is just a 2-minute walk from New Street station making it a great location for delegates. My first impression when entering was that the reception area was a very small space. However, on approaching the first floor I was pleasantly surprised.

All spaces had modem décor, with quirky features and bright colours throughout. There are 20 meeting rooms in total, all with natural daylight. The bar décor was in keeping with the meeting spaces, in that it was modern and vibrant. To the left of the bar, there is a quaint outside rooftop area. This would be a lovely space for delegates to use as a breakout space in summer.

Overall, this venue is different to most venues around Birmingham due to its quirky nature and relaxed atmosphere throughout. There is an NCP car park located a short distance from The Studio.

Consideration: This is just a meeting and event space, so there are no bedrooms.

Macdonald Burlington

The Macdonald Burlington is in the heart of Birmingham centre and is a short walk from New Street station. The hotel has 9 meeting rooms in total, with all having built-in Clickshare. The largest meeting space is the Horton Suite which can hold up to 250 in cabaret or can be divided into 3 smaller spaces. They were all soundproof so blocked out any noise from the city.

The hotel has 114 bedrooms in total, which are all clean and comfortable. The hotel’s restaurant area is spacious, giving a maximum capacity of 54 for dinner.

The hotel is adjacent to the NCP cark park, which holds 2000 spaces. The hotel has will be undergoing refurbishments in early 2020.

Consideration: All meeting spaces are partitioned and so can be opened out to provide more space if required.