Manchester Site Visits
Hannah and Sarah headed to Manchester this time last week for a full day of site visiting! Once again they beat their one-day site visiting record by visiting a grand total of 8 venues around the cultural city of Manchester!
The first site visit of the day was at the newly opened 11 Portland Street. This conference centre is part of Etc. Venues, who have numerous venues located in London and one in Birmingham. 11 Portland Street is perfect for training and conferences. There is a total of 15 event spaces with a mixture of capacities. The largest of the rooms is the Panorama Suite that can take 300 in theatre, a key point for us it that every meeting room has floor to ceiling windows showing off the iconic skyline of Manchester.
The next stop was King Street Townhouse, which is part of the Eclectic brand. King Street Townhouse has been described as having the feeling of “staying with a rich friend who has extremely good taste”. There really isn’t a better way to describe it! The décor fits with the exterior of the hotel but with many modern twists, which gives it that ‘something different’ vibe. The biggest and possibly the most impressive space, was the South Terrace, which features both indoor and outdoor space making it perfect for a summer party (especially having the ‘wet weather’ backup of the indoor space just in case it happens to be raining in good old Manchester!!), with fantastic views of the Town Hall.
Hannah and Sarah managed to squeeze a visit into Hotel Gotham before their scheduled third visit to get a feel for the venue. They managed to have a sneak peak at the private dining room and stylish restaurant. The hotel has a very luxurious feel with its 1920’s style. It would be perfect for private dining or an intimate drinks reception.
Following on from Hotel Gotham the girls headed to Great John Street Hotel, that is also under the Eclectic brand umbrella – their venues have such a similar vibe which is great to know a small boutique company can offer the same standard and design across their portfolio! Great John Street was formerly a school building, which still resonates through the décor and names of the event rooms. Such as the Headmaster’s Office and the Boys and Girls Classrooms. The largest of the spaces, much like King Street Townhouse is the Rooftop Terrace and Playground - it can take a total of 175 for a reception, so is perfect for parties and relaxed dinners. A huge selling point for Great John Street is that all of their 30 bedrooms are duplexes, which is not something you see very often!
The next venue on the itinerary was Innside Manchester. The hotel is only a short walk to Deansgate and the centre of Manchester so is in the perfect location for a plethora of different events. It’s a purpose built venue but still has character and design. Innside is very chic and quirky with quotes about Manchester and images taken by a local photographer, but is still very business-like. The biggest meeting space is the Chadwick Suite, which when completely opened up can take 260 in theatre. It can also be partitioned off into 3 smaller spaces. The venue also has a very unusual meeting space called the Big Ideas Space; it is a very innovative room with bright colours and soft furnishings. This venue is perfect for clients that need a space for a conference and want something a bit different but still professional!
After Innside Manchester Hannah and Sarah made their way to the Museum of Science and Industry. At the museum they have a whole floor dedicated to conferences but you don’t forget that you’re still in a museum. The rooms have exposed brick and pipes, which gives that industrial feel that Manchester is known for. Events are not restricted to the conference floor either – they can also be held in the museum itself which would include access to the current Robot exhibition. The exhibitions change frequently which means you could host the same event there six months later and guests can enjoy a brand new exhibition! There is also the Power House and Air and Space Hall which can be used for gala dinners and drinks receptions, in amongst the steam trains and war aircrafts! The possibilities are endless!
Next on the agenda for the girls was Manchester 235 and it wasn’t to gamble!! Manchester 235 isn’t just a casino, it has some great spaces to hold all types of events for a range of sizes. The largest space at the venue is the 235Live Suite, which can take 150 in theatre. There is also the Icon VIP Lounge that is located right next door to the James Martin Restaurant, which is perfect for important clients! You can combine your conference with a ‘learn to play’ on any of the games tables, a fun alternative to do during your post event drinks reception! Manchester 235 is great for anybody who is looking for somewhere a bit different to host an event!
The final stop of the day was the new and first D&D venue in Manchester, 20 Stories. The venue hasn’t even opened to the public yet so Bell Events got the inside scoop! Even though it hasn’t opened it still looks amazing. To the left there is a restaurant more catered to fine dining and then on the right there is a bar and grill with a more relaxed feel. The two spaces are separated by a wall of plants and a walkway that leads out to the impressive open terrace. The venue can be hired out exclusively for up to 400 guests, but if you didn’t have the numbers to do that, there is the option of taking over one of the restaurants and half of the terrace. The terrace and restaurant offer an even split and can cater for up to 200 in both the indoor and outdoor space. There is also a private dining room which can take up to 14 guests on one table, which would be perfect for intimate dinners. We can’t wait for the venue to officially open so we can go back and see it in full swing (and try one or two of their cocktails which sound amazing!!)
Hannah and Sarah would like to thank each individual at all the venues above that took time out of their day to show them around!
If you’d like any further information on the hotels or you have a new event enquiry you think would match up to one of these venues, please call us on 01260 274 608 or email info@bell-events.co.uk
