12
Leeds
Investment buzz
adds to the true grit
Ewan Jamieson, Ashfield Meetings & Events
eeds is currently
booming. The legacy
of hosting high profile
events, such as the
Tour De France’s Grand
Départ, which was watched
by 3.3m people and boosted
the Yorkshire economy by
more than £100m, has raised
its global profile exponentially.
Travel access has never
been better. In addition to
KLM operating four flights a
day to Amsterdam (perfect for
connecting international
event attendees), Jet2 now
flies direct to 50 European
destinations from its hub at
Leeds Bradford Airport. Even
the train station has had
something of a revamp
recently, and is well served
from across the country
(though for a facility of its size
and stature, the pick-up/dropoff facilities leave a lot to be
desired).
With the opening of Leeds
Arena last year, the city finally
got a multi-purpose,
13,500-capacity venue,
meaning it can attract events
- and touring shows - looking
for modern, indoor, mid-sized
facilities.
The arena itself is
impressive with a fan-shape
design distinguishing it from
the usual bowl or horseshoe
seating arrangement,
meaning seats at the back
are still only 70m from the
stage. Unfortunately, a
planned Hilton being built
close to the site looks set to
remain forever half-built, with
the £32m project mothballed
as the builders entered
liquidation earlier this year.
Due to its history and
heritage, there has always
been a range of industrial,
non-residential venues in the
city. Corporate clients looking
for an edgy, blank canvas
with a bit of Yorkshire grit
could consider Holbeck
Underground Ballroom,
Temple Works or Canal Mills
for their event.
The recent addition of Trinity
Kitchen has added an
informal dine-around option
for event groups, with a
rotating array of pop-up
restaurants and street food
carts serving everything from
Vietnamese pho to
Californian tacos; great if you
need to cater to an audience
of mixed tastes and dietary
requirements.
Another great venue for a
high profile dinner if you can
get a reservation is The Man
Behind The Curtain, Michael
O’Hare’s Michelin-starred
restaurant serving
ultra-modern food inspired by
the arts, music and
contemporary culture. CN
Claire EllisonTope, Just
Venues
As a local agency and a
‘Leeds Girl’ I’d like to think
Leeds has always been a
great city but for the last
few years it has been
absolutely buzzing thanks
to major investments such
as the first direct Arena,
and Trinity and Victoria
Gate shopping centres.
The business sector has
been looking at locations
away from London and
Leeds’ access to great
transport links clearly
appeals.
In order to get the most
from the city it is useful to
get some expert guidance.
Despite a lack of large
hotels with conference
space and a dedicated
exhibition centre, the city
has seen growing demand
for meetings in both the
centre and the surrounds.
On a smaller scale,
Lamberts Yard is an event
space with a warehouse
and perfect for private
parties and meetings. And
there is Studio Leeds on
Riverside West. Its quirky
design and food offering is
popular with clients.
New venues have been
popping up on the
outskirts, like Bowcliffe
Hall’s ‘Blackburn Wing’, an
airplane wing designed
event space, ideal for
board meetings or
exclusive launch events.
And Aspire in Leeds was a
venue we used recently for
Tenet Group Ltd. The
building used to be the
Yorkshire Penny Bank with
a split level banking hall
and an old immovable safe
on the ground floor.
www.conference-news.co.uk
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