Britain's Brexit from the European Union may be years away, but there is one substantial impact that it is having right now on the meetings, incentives, conventions, and events (MICE) business: the U.K. is a bargain. With the pound at historic lows, there's no better time to bring a group across the pond.
It can be hard to think past London, one of the great cities of the world, but there are plenty of other worthwhile business destinations in Britain. In England, look at Birmingham in the center of the country, and Manchester in the north, among others. And of course, in Scotland there are Edinburgh and Glasgow, among others.
But nowhere is as overlooked as Wales. That's starting to change, however. Work began last month on the $100 million International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), located in South Wales, about 30 minutes from both Cardiff and Bristol.
Capable of hosting events with up to 5,000 attendees, the 280,000-square-foot facility is set to open in June 2019. It includes a 43,000-square-foot pillarless main hall that is divisible into six parts and can seat 2,400 for dinner; a 1,500-seat auditorium split evenly on two levels; five event spaces divisible into 12 meeting rooms that can seat 1,750 attendees theater-style; and a 27,000-square-foot outdoor event plaza.
ICC Wales is part of the Celtic Manor Resort, which has plenty of experience with large, high-profile events, having hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament and the 2014 NATO Summit. Its own event spaces include a 13,000-square-foot exhibition hall, and 17 meeting rooms capable of hosting groups of up to 1,200. Its three hotels are the five-star, 334-room Resort Hotel, which is currently undergoing a major room renovation program; the 67-room, 19th-century Manor House Hotel; and the 148-room Coldra Court Hotel, also undergoing a room renovation project.
"This new center will be a real game-changer," says Sir Terry Matthews, chairman of Celtic Manor Resort. "In the past, we've been forced to turn away hundreds of millions of pounds of business because we did not have the capacity to hold the largest conferences. Not any longer. This International Convention Centre will allow us to attract the biggest and most lucrative business events to Wales, as well as high-profile summits."
Calling ICC Wales a major asset for Wales, Ken Skates, cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure for the Welsh Government, which is a 50-50 partner in the development, notes that ICC Wales, "will place Wales firmly at the forefront of business tourism destinations."
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This article appears in the April 2017 issue of Successful Meetings.