14
Scotland
A night in Edinburgh
CN editor Martin Fullard takes a tour of the Scottish capital
he flight to Edinburgh
from London is little over
an hour, which is less
than a lot of our
commutes. Edinburgh is a laid-back sort
of city, and this becomes clear when
exiting the airport. You exit the terminal
building and just 20m from the doors is
the tram, a direct route to the city centre
which takes barely 30 stress-free minutes.
I arrived in West End, near Princes Street,
and walked for only a couple of minutes to
the Sheraton Grand Hotel.
The Sheraton Grand is a great snapshot
of what Edinburgh is about: it’s unique in
the brand with its own off-brand style.
After a light lunch of salad and lamb, I was
offered a quick tour of the hotel’s
conference and meetings facilities. There
are 14 events rooms and 12 breakout
spaces across nearly 1,000sqm. The
largest suite can hold up to 500 delegates
and the usual bells and whistles are
provided. The hotel is the largest
conference and banqueting hotel in the
city and sits opposite the city’s premier
venue: the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre (EICC).
After the Sheraton tour I popped over to
the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square
(pictured above left), where I would be
staying for the night. A fabulous hotel
room was provided to me which
overlooked Charlotte Square itself and
came equipped with all the mod-cons that
the discerning delegate would expect, and
then some. The mattresses are especially
soft, and the furniture high-spec. A
mini-bar packed full of Scottish favourites
was – literally – the icing on the cake.
For dinner I joined a delegation of
Association of British Professional
Conference Organisers (ABPCO)
members, and wow we were in for a treat.
The venue was the National Museum of
Scotland. Built in 1866 and renovated in
2011, the museum redefines the ‘wow’
factor when it comes to the delegate
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experience. A delicious 3-course meal of
Scottish favourites was paired with
specific wines, and an interactive dessert
competition saw the merriment hit new
heights. Come home time, the
magnificent, purple-lit hall echoed with the
sound of bagpipes as we stumbled out
back to our hotels.
The following day I took a tour of the
EICC. The venue may be confined in the
city in terms of its footprint, but its vertical
structure is a trove of secrets. The
Pentland auditorium looks like a
conventional circular theatre, and indeed
it is… until you realise that at the back the
two cylindrical walls are actually two
rotating platforms that sees the previously
separate Sidlaw and Fintry auditoriums
appear from nowhere. Add to this the
mysterious rising platforms that transform
the Lennox Suite from a large exhibition
hall into a 42-tiered multi-purpose theatre.
Edinburgh mixes old and new and
comes up a winner.