Department store Harvey Nichols has teamed up with Manchester City Football Club to open a new corporate suite at the Premier League Champions home, The City of Manchester Stadium. The custom-designed space for up to 10 people can even provide a personal shopper, a cocktail masterclass and spa treatments.
Chocolate – York’s Sweet Story, in York, is a new attraction – part shop, part museum, part interactive experience. Incentive evenings and team building events of between 15 and 60 guests booking the site, which is on Kings Square at the end of the Shambles and close to the Minster, receive the services of a confectioner-guide, as well as a private and extended tour of the colourful premises that culminates in a live chocolate-making demonstration.
London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be available to host corporate events from as early as summer 2013, with the multi-use arena the first planned venue to re-open, in July 2013. The arena will have capacity for 7500 theatre style or 2000 for a gala dinner. The 560-acre Olympic Park will offer 15 outdoor event spaces and five sporting venues, including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome. The Aquatics Centre will have capacity for 2500 for seated events, or 500 for poolside dining or drinks.
As the debate over the need to expand Heathrow Airport drags on, Gatwick Airport has resurrected proposals for a second runway and its Chief Executive, Stewart Wingate, has blasted Heathrow for giving foreign airlines a false impression that London was ‘closed for business’. Chancellor George Osborne, meanwhile, has been championing plans to increase drastically the number of flights at Heathrow, without building a third runway, the main bone of contention between lobbyists. Travel industry sources claim ‘mixed mode’ proposals could see more than 1,000 extra flights a week and as many as 20m more passengers each year.
The skyline of London now boasts Britain’s first urban cable car system, which officially opens on 28 June 2012. The Emirates Air Line will provide a new and exciting river crossing over the Thames in East London, from terminals at Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. The project has been developed by Transport for London (TfL).
The Ramada Hyde Park has been rebranded as the London Hyde Park Hotel. A Canadian group has bought ownership of the hotel, and following a full refurbishment the property is projected to become the DoubleTree by Hilton Hyde Park, to complement the nearby Hilton Hyde Park. The refurbishment is currently in planning stages, and is due in the next few years.
Marriott International, Inc. is on track to have 4,000 hotels in 90 countries across its 14-brand lodging portfolio by 2014. With 115,000 hotel rooms in its development pipeline, it could open between 90,000 and 105,000 new guest rooms around the world in 2012 through 2014, not including the planned Gaylord acquisition.
Senate House – which is part of the University of London – is launching a choice of four ‘Alfresco Summer’ packages within its Malet Street Garden. Packages available include the ‘Sizzler’ incorporating a barbecue selection or hog roast, an ‘English Summer’ offering guests afternoon tea with strawberries and ‘Picnic on the Lawn’ consisting of individually served picnic lunches. Throughout the summer the venue will be opening up its gardens for groups to enjoy alfresco networking. Senate House ‘Alfresco Summer’ package prices range from £16 to £40 plus VAT per person.
Sail Royal Greenwich is capitalising on the maritime cultural history of Greenwich by bringing a flotilla of 15 tall ships from the Netherlands for corporate hospitality cruises during the 2012 Olympics. The daily excursions along the Thames will run from July 25 to August 12, with opportunities for corporate branding outside the LOCOG event zone restrictions. Starting at Woolwich Arsenal Pier, the cruise will pass sights including the Old Royal Naval College, the Royal Observatory, several Olympic venues and the iconic Tower Bridge. At around £200 per person for groups ranging in size from 10 people to 135, it includes parking, the sailing trip, plus drinks and a menu devised by renowned Michelin chefs Richard Corrigan and Ron Blaauw.
Carlton House Terrace – The home of the British Academy – has just completed a million pound refurbishment that has taken over two years to complete. The central London venue is made up of two separate houses and event organisers now have the ability to use both seamlessly as they have been interconnected on each floor. In addition to a full restoration, the historic venue also benefits from three new lifts, new loos, a new kitchen, the latest AV in the auditorium and environmentally friendly lighting. It is also now fully DDA compliant.
