This document provides insider tips for exploring England in 2015 and recommends unique locations and activities for corporate meetings and incentives. It highlights destinations less than 2 hours from Belgium, including Windsor, Birmingham, Bristol, Greenwich, the Peak District, NewcastleGateshead. Some suggested activities are hosting a meeting at Ascot Racecourse, tours of Cadbury World and Banksy street art, team-building at Brunel's ss Great Britain, and experiences at Chatsworth country estate, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Alnwick Castle. The document encourages meeting planners to consider new exciting experiences in England as alternatives to common golf and spa breaks.

1. mice2 issue 4410 february - maart 2015 mice2 11
DestinationDestination
Insider Tips to Explore
England in 2015
Travel to London St Pancras International with Eurostar
Windsor
Best known for its world class attractions and unrivalled royal
heritage, Royal Windsor is 15 miles from Heathrow Airport and
easy accessible from London centre. Combining history and
heritage with sophistication, Windsor offers fantastic meeting
and unique incentive ideas. Imagine hosting a meeting at Ascot
Racecourse and ending the day watching an International Polo
match? You can even learn how to play in a special team building
experience.
Steeped in 1000 years of history, a visit to Royal Windsor wouldn’t
be complete without visiting Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s
favourite homes.
www.windsor.gov.uk
Travel to Birmingham with Brussels Airlines
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city that welcomes events and visitors like no other.
With undeniable connectivity, located in the heart of England,
Birmingham’s incredible range of world-class venues and state-of-
the-art facilities make it a perfect event destination.
We all know Belgium is famous for its chocolate but did you know
that Birmingham is home to Cadbury World? You can organise a
meeting in the middle of the Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory followed
by a private tour. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra can
be hired to add a creative element to your event and why not end
your day in Birmingham’s popular Balti Triangle – the home of the
English / Indian curry to sample some of the best curries in the world.
www.meetbirmingham.com
Travel to Bristol Airport with Brussels Airlines
From stand-up paddle-boarding through the city centre docks, to
leaping through the air like a lemur, Bristol has a variety of new
business incentive and team-building to wow delegates. Bristol is
the home of world renowned street artist Banksy and to honour
this, ‘Where the Wall’ has launched an exclusive package of street
art tours and spray can workshops for corporate groups including
the popular theme ‘exploring your business through street art’.
Teams will also love the opportunity to ‘go aloft’ on Brunel’s ss
Great Britain, the world’s first great ocean liner dating back to 1843.
Recently launched, this fun activity gives visitors the chance to put
themselves in the shoes of a Victorian sailor, climbing the mainmast
of the ship by scaling the rigging for a unique and exhilarating view
of the city.
www.visitbristol.co.uk/conference
Last but not least, let’s not forget that 2015 will see the Rugby World
Cup return to England. This exciting sporting event will start on the
18th September with matches held across the country in a
celebration of rugby and its unique values. For more information,
please visit
www.rugbyworldcup.com
Greenwich
A stay in London is incomplete without a trip to Greenwich, home
to a World Heritage Site, Europe’s most successful entertainment
arena, London’s oldest Royal Park and the place where hemi-
spheres meet. Explore the Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich
Mean Time and stand astride the Prime Meridian of the World.
Take in breathtaking views of London from the top of the O2
arena, which offers a unique roof climbing experience for groups
and dine in style at the Royal Naval College whose banqueting hall
recently featured in Les Miserables.
www.visitgreenwich.org.uk
Travel to East Midlands Airport with bmi Regional or
Manchester Airport with Brussels Airlines
Peak District outdoors adventures
For an active incentive trip in a beautiful setting, look no further
than the Peak District National Park. One of England’s best kept
secrets, there is lots on offer for corporate meetings and incentives,
from a photography hiking tour to a gala dinner in the impressive
Chatsworth country estate. Chatsworth is the perfect place to bring
a team and encourage free thought or to celebrate success. With an
incredible team of award-winning chefs and bakers creating
mouth-watering feasts with the very best local produce, Chats-
worth offers a unique venue of quality and elegance.
www.visitpeakdistrict.com
Travel to Newcastle with bmi Regional
NewcastleGateshead
Set in the heart of North East England, NewcastleGateshead is
proud of its friendly Geordie welcome. Its huge choice of exciting
urban and rural venues, striking setting and excellent transport
links make it the perfect place to create unforgettable conferences
and events.
NewcastleGateshead is the delegate experience capital - 87% of
delegates surveyed by Convention Bureau enjoyed their time here
so much, they said they would return with family and friends for a
leisure break, describing the place as “friendly, vibrant, fun”.
Experience the iconic River Tyne on your coffee break with an
injection of adrenalin with the 1000ft long Zip Slide or perform at
Sage Gateshead- an international home for music with a range of
musical sessions from banging steel drums to playing the fiddle.
Alnwick Castle (also known as Hogwarts) offers broomstick
training as an incentive and you can shoot, edit and star in your
own film at Tyneside Cinema’s spectacular Pop-Up Film School.
For that extra special wow moment, you can tilt the Gateshead
Millennium Bridge to celebrate your business event and wash the
structure in company colours.
www.newcastlegateshead.com/conferences
At VisitEngland in Belgium, she often gets consulted for unique original ideas by corporate meeting planners.The
once common golf and spa breaks are on the way out so here’s a roundup of new exciting experiences in England.
Less than 1 or 2 hours travel time from Belgium, England offers fun incentive ideas to get your creative juice flowing.
Hannah Longman shares some exclusive and sensational concepts for your 2015 meetings and meetcentives.
If you would like some more information about holding your event in England,
please do get in touch:
Hannah Longman
Business Visits and Events Sales Manager Northern Europe VisitEngland
Hannah.longman@visitengland.org