Leeds, England Meeting Planning Overview
Located 200 miles north of London and with excellent road, rail and air links, the city of Leeds is a thriving financial and business hub. In fact, after London, Leeds is the largest center for business, legal and financial services. For this reason, there is a highly impressive range of convention venues in Leeds, supported by fashionable shops, high quality restaurants, stylish pubs and bars and a very lively nightlife.
More than 700,000 people live within Leeds proper, with approximately one million more in the surrounding region. Nearly three million passengers pass through Leeds Bradford International Airport each year, which serves many domestic and European destinations. Adjacent is the 137-room Britannia Leeds Bradford Airport Hotel, which can provide modern conference facilities for up to 200 delegates.
The most important event in the city's conference scene is the opening of the new Saviles Hall extension to the Royal Armouries Museum, which provides Leeds with nearly 40,000 square feet of exhibition and convention space, as well as a banqueting hall for 1,000 guests. (Saviles Hall and the Royal Armouries are served by 850 hotel rooms within close walking distance.) Other conference venues include the recently refurbished Leeds City Art Gallery, which provides superb reception facilities for up to 400 guests.
Some of the best conference venues in Leeds are to be found in its impressive range of modern city center hotels, including the famous 217-room Queens Hotel, 135-room Crowne Plaza, the stylish 33-room City Inn, the elegant 244-room Leeds Marriott and the sophisticated 208-room Leeds Hilton.
Three university campuses also offer excellent meeting venues for up to 280 attendees with budget accommodation available outside of term time. Leeds Metropolitan University manages the spectacular 43,000-square-foot Carnegie Pavilion which is a world-class sporting venue offering 18 conference rooms for up to 150 delegates, all of which have spectacular views looking out over the city. Situated in the city center and adjacent to the Civic Hall, the Leeds University Rose Bowl building is a flagship conference venue providing state-of-the-art meeting facilities for 256 delegates in a theater-style auditorium and banquets or receptions for up to 600 guests.
