England has always had a fantastic reputation for its meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions offering and is continuing to expand, invest and develop. From a new 13,000 seat venue and world class exhibition space to international sporting events and unusual team building Bear Grylls style, England's latest developments are in a league of their own.

Ahead of IMEX America (October 15-17), VisitEngland highlights the latest developments in business tourism.

VENUE DEVELOPMENTS
The best acoustics in Europe

Just this month (September) saw the opening of the First Direct Arena in Leeds. The £65m, 13,000 seat venue, which features an innovative fan shaped design and the best acoustics in Europe, is already attracting the biggest names in the entertainment industry. The arena can be hired for conferences, exhibitions and gala dinners; it offers excellent corporate hospitality opportunities including exclusive executive suites on an annual hire basis, a seat debenture annual membership scheme, and event by event suite and lounge packages. www.firstdirectarena.com

Europe's largest library unveiled
Europe's largest library opened in Birmingham in September. The new £189m Library of Birmingham highlights the city's intellectual and cultural credentials. The space is split over 10 levels and houses a study centre, music library, community health centre, multimedia, archives, offices, exhibition halls and cafes. The library offers a range of flexible, purpose built meeting and conference facilities, with rooms to accommodate six to 50+ delegates.
www.libraryofbirmingham.com  

Conference in a church
Grade I listed 15th century St Mary's Church, located in the historic Lace Market district of Nottingham, opened recently following an extensive refurbishment. The newly refreshed church is available for event hire, offering a unique space for small exhibitions, conferences and events. http://stmarysnottingham.wordpress.com  

World class exhibition centre soon to open
A world class exhibition centre and integrated hotel at Kings Dock in Liverpool is to open in spring next year. Exhibition Centre Liverpool is set to be a three-hall exhibition centre and a 200-room 'headquarters' hotel, which will form part of ACC Liverpool, home to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena. Exhibition Centre Liverpool will be capable of hosting large scale conferences, trade and consumer exhibitions, concerts and sports events on a national and international scale. Plans for the facility include an atrium, meeting rooms and a business centre. www.exhibitioncentreliverpool.com

TEAM BUILDING WITH A DIFFERENCE
Bear Grylls survival academy
Celebrity English adventurer and TV Presenter Bear Grylls has launched the Ultimate Team Building Course, specifically tailored to the corporate world and ideally suited to organisations looking for results driven team building, staff incentives and corporate events. The courses combine remote land and water survival and adventure team tasks that culminate in a wilderness expedition designed to put the enrolees' new found skills to the ultimate test. Delegates will learn skills such as lighting fires, building emergency shelters, knife use for survival, rappelling, extreme weather survival, river crossings and foraging for grubs and rodents. Courses are tailor made and available all over the country. www.beargryllssurvivalacademy.com  
 
Street art and graffiti team-building
A new and highly original team building and motivational workshop is available in Bristol for corporate groups. Starting underneath 'Mild, Mild West',  one of  Banksy's most famous murals in the heart of Bristol's inspiring creative-community, delegates will take a one-hour tour of Bristol's most striking street art and graffiti before becoming artists themselves in a workshop led by a highly skilled artist.  Participants will be encouraged to express themselves through aerosol art, bond as a team, build confidence and develop creative ideas through this truly unique spray-can session. www.wherethewall.com  


HOTEL NEWS

Laura Ashley's first luxury boutique hotel
Quintessentially English lifestyle brand Laura Ashley has opened the doors to its first luxury boutique hotel - marking 60 years of the company's design heritage. Set in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, Laura Ashley The Manor, Elstree encompasses 49 elegant rooms and suites each individually designed using the current Laura Ashley Home collections.  The hotel has five stylish conference suites, designed and furnished with the brand's prints and quality products that can accommodate up to 84 people. Only 11 miles from London, the Tudor revival property is the ideal setting for seminars, meetings and conferences for delegates looking for accommodation with character. www.lauraashleyhotels.com  

 
New look for the Renaissance Manchester
The Renaissance Manchester hotel's £2.5 million bedroom and lobby refurbishment is due for completion next month (October). The Renaissance Manchester has been an iconic part of the city's skyline for decades. The property offers 203 bedrooms with 11 meeting rooms, the largest of which caters for over 350 delegates. www.marriott.co.uk/manchester  

Doubletree by Hilton Bristol City Centre refresh
The Doubletree by Hilton Bristol City Centre opened this month (September) following a £5million refurbishment. It now boasts contemporary bedrooms, modern conference and meeting facilities with flexible space, a 24-hour fitness centre and the unique Kiln restaurant, a former glass kiln from the 17th Century.  www.placesdoubletree.com/city-centre-bristol  

Paddocks House, Cambridgeshire
Paddock's House in Cambridgeshire opens this month with 15 suite bedrooms. The boutique hotel features two stylish meeting spaces with some unusual features, for up to 20 delegates to meet or dine in private.
www.thehousecollection.com  

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Following last year's Olympic sporting success, all eyes will be on England again in the coming months as it gears up for more world-class sporting events. Next year the Royal Liverpool Golf Club will host The Open, the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. Also next summer, the Tour de France returns to England for three glorious stages. The Yorkshire Grand Depart comprises two stages - Leeds to Harrogate and York to Sheffield - before the Tour moves south for a 3rd stage from Cambridge to London. Finally, looking ahead to 2015, England is the proud host of the next Rugby World Cup. Twelve venues across the country will host 400,000 international fans for the third largest sports event in the world. 
www.royal-liverpool-golf.com  
www.letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-depart-2014  
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/  
 

Further information on these and other new developments can be obtained at IMEX America (October 15-17) from England´s Convention Bureau on the VisitEngland Stand, 2416.