• £49 million new state-of-the- art conference centre – The Rose Bowl
• New Carnegie Village to open for group accommodation and residential conferences
• A wide range of high profile events have already taken place in the new Rose Bowl
• Future bookings also confirmed

Wednesday 13th May 2009 will see Well Met conferencing at Leeds Met University attend the Academic Venue Show at the Emirates Stadium, London. The show will allow Well Met to showcase their unique facilities including the state-of-the-art new learning and conference centre – the Rose Bowl, which opens officially on the 8th May and, the new Carnegie Village which will also open later this year. On-stand, the team will also be promoting the quality that comes with choosing a Yorkshire venue, by offering delegates some tasty Yorkshire produce, including Yorkshire beer – Theakstons and Black Sheep.

The Academic Venue Show, which has moved to a new venue for the 2009 event, is this year themed ‘How to create a buzz at your next event’. The show provides the perfect opportunity for delegates to see more than 40 top academic venues who will be showcasing their facilities for a wide range of events, including day meetings, residential conferences and group accommodation. There will also be a seminar programme for the day including a number of industry speakers.

The exhibition will provide the perfect opportunity for Well Met to introduce The Rose Bowl to delegates who are looking for something different for their next event. The £49 million state-of-the-art centre offers dedicated space to conferences and events, with capacities that make Well Met one of the largest conference venues in Leeds. The Centre also has the added bonus of having 176 underground and 86 over ground parking spaces for visitors. Its unique signature glass structure is the new home for Leeds Business School and provides organisers with a choice of 7 lecture theatres which can accommodate for up to 256 delegates as well as breakout facilities for larger conferences. The spaces have the latest in audio visual technology with free wifi broadband, data projection, portable and permanent screens, smart boards, DVD and video monitors, which is all included in the day delegate rate package.

The Rose Bowl has already proved a hit with delegates – the first event to take place was a classic James Bond themed gala dinner as part of a three day conference for The British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG). The dinner, which was attended by 250 delegates representing finance in higher education, saw performances from the Northern Ballet Theatre and the Leeds Youth Jazz Rock Orchestra. This was immediately followed by Leeds Architecture Awards dinner. Well Met Conferencing has also secured some other high profile events for the Centre, including the Academy of Marketing, Leeds Business Week and the Royal Anthropological Institute.

2009 will also see the opening of the Carnegie Village in Headingley which, as well as providing accommodation for 479 students during term time, will also enable the University to offer all year round residential conferences as well as attract large residential conferences and summer schools.

For further media information please contact Gini Wilde, Bonner & Hindley Communications on 0113 279 9909 or email gini@bandhcommunications.co.uk

For further information about Well Met Conferencing and their facilities please contact 0113 8128555, visit www.wellmetconferencing.com or email conferences@leedsmet.ac.uk