Staff at Elland Road Stadium, Leeds United’s Conference & Events facility, are celebrating after achieving not one, but two meetings accolades recently.

Elland Road a partner of Conference Leeds the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire, recently secured the prestigious AIM entry level accreditation and also won the Director’s Choice Dining Room Award, League 1, presented recently at the official Football Hospitality Awards 2008. more...

Stephen Ashburn, Rudding Park’s Conference and Banqueting Head Chef, was awarded “Banqueting Chef of the Year” by the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs at their 2008 awards ceremony held in London. more...

Many conference organisers are moving away from traditional, multi purpose venues and looking for somewhere that little bit different to hold their event. According to David Meli, commercial development manager at the University of Leeds, there is one venue on campus that is starting to cause a stir and has a slightly more spiritual feel.

“We have seen increased demand from conference organisers and delegates for more unusual, quirky venues that have a story to tell,” says David. “One venue that has proved particularly popular for meetings since its transformation several years ago is the University’s Emmanuel Centre.” more...

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Bradford on Thursday April 24th to see motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss drive a long-nose Jaguar D-Type to Speedmaster in Greengates, where he opened Europe's first motoring themed conference centre.

Sir Stirling headed a cavalcade of historic Jaguars from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, that were given a police escort from Bradfords City Hall to the new conference centre in Greengates. more...

Conference Leeds, the Super Convention Bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire are flying the flag for Bradford, as the city’s immense pace of development raises its national and international profile and puts it firmly on the UK conference industry map.

Bradford has one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration programmes currently underway – valued at a colossal £3 billion. Developments include:

• A major city centre master plan with a £340 million retail heart, a unique 10 acre park which will contain 1 of the worlds largest city centre water features and a new business district

• International business park developer, ProLogis Developments is creating their biggest logistics centre in Europe, with familiar names such as Marks and Spencer already on board, creating 2,500 jobs

• An expanding technology sector centred around the University and Airedale Pace with global businesses such as Micro Technology, Filtronic and Power Wave

• Hotel and conference development continues to flourish with the Tomahawk group winning “Best Small Venue of the year” in the Yorkshire Insider Business Tourism Awards 2008 for their boutique style Great Victoria Hotel, the opening of the new Speed Master Conference Centre (including a state of the art showroom for classic cars), and major developments at West Yorkshire’s largest 2000 capacity venue the ALCC. more...

The Midlands Hotel in Bradford is hosting an event aimed at transforming catering in Colleges across the UK, the way that Jamie Oliver’s “school dinners” did for pre-16 schools.

The Midland Hotel, part of Conference Leeds, the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire is the chosen venue to host Bradford College’s “Healthy College Annual Conference” – a one day event on April 23rd.

Celebrity chef Lesley Waters will be on hand to launch the event. Lesley is a well known face on TV, regularly appearing in Ready Steady Cook, Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and making guest appearances on Food and Drink and Who’ll Do the Pudding? more...

The National Coal Mining Museum for England, located in Wakefield West Yorkshire, is celebrating after it has recorded its most successful year yet for conference visitors to its unique facilities. The Museum smashed its previous highest visitor numbers during 2007/8, with over 10,000 people experiencing conferences with a difference!

The Museum, a member of Conference Leeds the Super Convention Bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire has proved popular with delegates who not only enjoy the extensive, modern conference facilities, but many also take the opportunity to travel 140 metres underground down one of Britain 's oldest working mines! more...

Conference Leeds, the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire and the organisation responsible for attracting conference and events into the area, has launched its most ambitious guide yet aimed at national event and meeting organisers.

The free “Conference Leeds Business Tourism Portfolio” features almost eighty venues in a 64 page glossy guide designed to raise West Yorkshire’s profile amongst UK and overseas Conference Organisers. more...

Conference Leeds, the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire is celebrating after 4 of its venues scooped awards in the Yorkshire Insider Business Tourism Awards which took place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on the 12th March. more...

For the very first time, dresses created especially for Hollywood’s most iconic film star, Marilyn Monroe, will come North to showcase at SAVILES Hall opposite the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds on Monday March 17th. The exhibition is open from 11am to 7pm daily until the 29th March.

Suzie Kennedy – Voted The Worlds No 1 Leading Marilyn Monroe look-a-like will launch the exhibition with Sir Jimmy Savile, Conference Leeds and Event Organiser Andrew Hansford on 11am Monday 17th of March 2008 more...

Conference Leeds, the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire enlisted the help of local celebrity and fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile to launch this year’s Northern Venue Exhibition and Big Wow Show.

The Show is taking place on Wednesday 12th March in newly opened Savile’s Hall in Leeds – Leed’s largest meeting and exhibition venue with 3,700 sq metres of space. Savile’s Hall forms part of the Royal Armouries suite of function rooms.

Sir Jimmy Savile, after whom the Hall is named, was only too happy to help Conference Leeds staff launch the event which has become an annual date in Event Organisers’ diaries. more...

Conference Leeds, the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire are quietly celebrating after 9 of their members were nominated for awards in the forthcoming Yorkshire Insider Business Tourism Awards taking place the 12th march at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

This is the inaugural year for the awards which have been launched in recognition of Yorkshire’s business tourism industry which has flourished in recent years due to a host of new facilities and the massive growth in hotel stock across the Leeds area. more...

North East Destinations Masterclass at the Northern Venue Exhibition and Big Wow Show

Royal Armouries, Leeds on Wednesday March 12th 2008

• Want to know how to make every event run smoothly?
• Need to know how to get the best from your venue?
• Do you ever wish there was a magical place where all
your conference destination questions could be
answered?

Be Dazzled! Joanna Aspin has a wealth of conference sales and destination experience and today provides consultancy and training to the conference industry. Having worked with venues to improve their customer service she will teach you simple tricks to ensure that you get the best from them! From rate negotiation to ensuring you get the best service possible for your delegates. Be Amazed! Mike Lyons, director of Write Style Communications Ltd, has over 15 years experience in conference buying for some of the UK’s largest companies. Having the right tool to research the appropriate venue and destination were key to guaranteeing the success of his events. Mike will reveal his secrets for getting the most from attending site visits and ensuring time out of the office is well spent. Be Astonished! By what the North East Conference Destinations can do for you! Simply by contacting any destination with your conference requirements or destination queries time can be instantly saved!

9:15 Registration & refreshments
9:30- 10:40 Presentations

To book your space telephone 01904 554460 or e-mail conference@york-tourism.co.uk more...

2007 was a boom year for business tourism in Leeds. The City has been named as one of the UK’s top 5 meeting destinations in every major independent business tourism survey undertaken last year. Leeds has appeared in the top 5 rankings of both the UK Conference Market Survey (UKCMS) and the United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS). more...

The renowned Great Victoria Hotel in the city centre of Bradford opened its doors to the ultimate in luxury accommodation on February 8th, as it launched its spectacular ‘Fourth Floor’.

The collection of rooms and suites are ideal for business travellers who need easy access to both Leeds and Bradford. Amongst the luxurious bedroom suites is a two-bedroom penthouse with lounge, dining area and separate study, designed with the longer-staying business traveller in mind. more...

Conference Leeds enlisted the help of national celebrity and fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile to celebrate one of Yorkshire’s finest culinary treats – the Yorkshire Pudding on Sunday 3rd February which was “National Yorkshire Pudding Day”! more...

Conference Leeds – the newly formed “super convention bureau” that now represents over 200 venues across Leeds and West Yorkshire - has recently expanded its activities and taken on a new member of staff to assist with its new role of promoting Leeds and West Yorkshire for meetings, conferences and corporate activities. more...

Yorkshire’s own celebrity chef, Brian Turner created a mouth-watering range of Yorkshire treats for conference buyers at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair.

Conference Leeds – the newly formed “super convention bureau” that now represents over 200 venues across West Yorkshire - joined Brian and hosts Yorkshire Tourist Board, at the all day event on Thursday 17th January. The Conference Leeds team showcased to buyers how creative and extra-ordinary meetings and events in Leeds and West Yorkshire can be. more...

The Great Victoria already has 57 stunning individually designed bedrooms but in early February, the new fourth floor will open and this will be the ultimate in luxury loft living in a city hotel. more...

Conference Leeds Launch of “super convention bureau” – hailed a success at special Leeds Met events network reception in Leeds.

Conference Leeds, the organisation responsible for promoting meetings and events in Leeds launched exciting new plans for expansion at a celebratory network event hosted by Leeds Met’s UK Centre for Events Management on December the 7th at the Round Foundry Media Centre, Leeds.

Conference Leeds have joined forces with Leeds Met and partners from across the entire West Yorkshire region to celebrate the creation of a new events network and a “super convention bureau”, representing almost 250 venues and giving buyers access to a “one stop shop” for event planning covering venues across the West Yorkshire region – including Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Calderdale. more...

A formal groundbreaking event on Friday, 7 December celebrates the start of construction of The Hepworth Wakefield on Wakefield’s historic waterfront. more...

Conference Leeds, the organisation responsible for promoting meetings and events in Leeds are unveiling exciting new plans for expansion at a celebratory network event being hosted by Leeds Met’s UK Centre for Events Management on December the 7th at the Round Foundry Media Centre, Leeds more...

The National Coal Mining Museum for England scooped the prestigious Business of the Year Award at the First Wakefield Business Awards. The First Wakefield Business Awards provide Wakefield’s thriving business community with a platform on which to showcase the districts outstanding success stories. more...

LEEDS’ growing appeal as a business tourism destination is being boosted this week by the unveiling of the city centre’s biggest collection of hotel meeting rooms.

The Met Hotel in King Street – part of Harrogate-based Principal Hayley Group - has doubled its capacity for conferences, meetings and training events as part of a £6m modernisation programme across its estate. more...

David Andrews, chief executive of regional tourism agency Yorkshire Tourist Board has roundly condemned the Government's decision to cut funding to national tourist board, VisitBritain, by 18%. This follows static funding over the last decade, meaning a 50% reduction in real terms since 1997 more...

Bretton Hall at Wakefield is set to be developed as a luxury hotel and spa with strong creative links to the adjoining and highly-popular Yorkshire Sculpture Park. more...

Showing their support for National Meetings Week, Conference Leeds highlighted careers in the hospitality industry this week in an event staged to raise the profile of the Meetings Industry. more...

City Inn, the award winning (“Best Business Hotel Brand” 2006, 2007), privately owned UK hotel company, that owns, develops and operates high quality, new build, contemporary hotels, has announced the imminent start of construction of a brand new landmark hotel in the prime location of Granary Wharf Leeds. more...

Jet2.com, the low cost airline, has today not only announced eight new destinations from its base at Leeds Bradford airport but also a significant expansion of existing routes and a closer working relationship with Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie, all aimed at significantly raising the profile of Jet2.com, Leeds Bradford International Airport and the Yorkshire region, particularly on the European stage. more...

Raymond Blanc will launch his sixth Brasserie Blanc in the centre of Leeds in early September 2007. The 120-cover French Brasserie & Bar will be located on the former site of Leodis Restaurant (Victoria Mill, Sovereign Street, Leeds LS1 4BJ). The Brasserie will have a warm and stylish interior with banquette seating and contemporary art by acclaimed artist Jenny Muncaster. more...

Conference Leeds has won the Silver Award in the 2007 Meetings & Incentive Travel Industry Awards in the Category of Best UK Convention Bureau. This was the first time that Conference Leeds has made the finals of these prestigious awards. more...