Enjoying the event facilities at the University of Leeds

Britain’s universities provide a multitude of benefits for public sector event buyers looking for conference and events space thanks to their affordable rates and variety of purpose-built, learning- focused environments. In the current and prevailing environment for the public sector, it is not just budgets that are tight there is also an increasing, and justifiable, move towards more recognised value for money. Where better to explore more ‘bang for your buck’ than an academic venue.
    
Offering variety, value and innovation these venues understand the pressures on the public sector purse, but also align themselves with the understanding that the value of an event is in more than just financial terms. University facilities now offer a wide range of settings from slick, modern high-tech spaces to inspiring historical venues, featuring impressive architectural surroundings, many with year round onsite accommodation.

The University of Leeds
Leeds is a thriving, diverse city which continues to grow in popularity and its excellent air, rail and road links means it’s easily accessible, making it a perfect city for meetings and events.
    
Dominating the city’s skyline, the University of Leeds’ iconic gleaming white Parkinson Building provides an impressive gateway to a myriad of the University’s hugely attractive buildings, ranging from the Victorian era to art deco through to modern architecture, set amid a beautiful, tranquil landscaping just a short walk from the bustling city centre.
    
The unique venues allow organisers to add some theatre to their event, regardless of whether it is a small meeting or large scale conference, all with access to the latest high-tech equipment and excellent, award-winning cuisine from stylish buffets to silver service dinners.

Outstanding facilities
After beating other major European cities, including Florence, to host the first stage of the Tour de France, opening a £60m new arena attracting the biggest names in show business and with the award-winning Yorkshire Sculpture Park just down the road, Leeds is fast becoming the city to visit in 2015.
    
From local companies and organisations to visitors from all corners of the globe, people come to the University of Leeds to experience everything from an intimate dinner with butler service in one of the beautiful, carved wood dining rooms to a four-day Medieval Congress – the largest gathering of its kind in the world.

What makes the University of Leeds a unique conference venue is that, as well as the wide range of venues, the University also offers first class city campus accommodation at a fraction of the cost of a city centre hotel room and is easily accessible thanks to its excellent air, rail and road links.
    
Facilities range from a state-of-the-art 550 seat theatre and huge exhibition space in the heart of the campus to meeting rooms for small groups in more rural locations, yet still just a couple of miles out of the city centre, as well as cost effective city centre  modern style rooms in the heart of the University campus.  
    
Storm Jameson Court hosts 460 stunning en-suite bedrooms, with a modern 24-hour reception area, wifi and a nearby state-of-the art gym and pool available to all event delegates staying in the apartments. There are also stylish lounge areas with comfortable seating and plasma screens for time to relax.
    
Storm Jameson Court is an extremely cost-effective way to spend some time in this wonderful city but with all the facilities you need. We’re delighted with all the positive feedback we receive from our guests*.
    
Leeds is a thriving, diverse city which continues to grow in popularity for public sector conferences and events. It’s really buzzing at the moment and it’s exciting to be helping attract people to the city and see them returning time after time. Storm Jameson Court has received a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme and is committed to working to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

Investing in the future
Gone are the days when universities could simply offer classroom facilities for events. With rival hotel and conference centres to compete with, the University of Leeds is continually investing in facilities for students and delegates to ensure they are offering the best service possible.
    
The University has recently invested over £2million to set up a state-of-the-art lecture capture and multimedia management system throughout the University. By capturing video and audio recordings of lectures and other teaching activities, the new technology will provide students and delegates with a flexible and personalised approach to learning, enabling them to revisit and review content shared.  
    
Professor Neil Morris, Director of Digital Learning at the University of Leeds, said: “This is a significant investment which will transform teaching and learning here at Leeds. Not only can we capture all our audio and video assets, but this new platform will allow us to store, manage and publish content across multiple channels. We are unique in having a digital strategy that encompasses all of these elements.”
    
The significant investment in teaching and learning at the university holds real potential for conference and event visitors to the Leeds campus.  The team at MEETinLEEDS are committed to finding new ways to add value to the conference offer and such developments will soon allow clients to interact with their conference material both during and after it’s delivered.

Sustainability is key
We have noticed an increase in organisations looking for more sustainable ways of working and meeting. Due to this increased demand we are quickly gaining a reputation for leading the way in this arena. Not only is this about attracting more sustainable conferences to the University, we are receiving endorsements from key players including The Soil Association and the Green Tourism Business Scheme for our food, venues and accommodation. The University of Leeds is also a Coeliac UK GF accredited caterer. GF accreditation aims to make eating away from home stress free for people with coeliac disease.
  
Earlier this year, the University hosted the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) Annual Conference, including the Further Education Sustainability Summit and Transformational Leadership Summit for key people from across the FE sector, and received The Soil Association’s Gold Award for its menus.
    
The University is also hosting the International Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE) this June/July and promises a cycle-powered evening event and a day of serving only vegan food. The event will also set a target of recycling 95 per cent of waste; offering delegates bicycles and offsetting emissions from the venues, accommodation and catering.
    
Sustainability is the word on everyone’s lips and the team has worked hard to not only help attract prestigious conferences and events focussed on sustainability to the University, but to ensure that we work towards ensuring our environmental footprint leaves barely a trace before, during and after the events.
    
The EAUC Conference attracted more than 300 people on both days and incorporated an exhibition in the University’s Sports Hall as well as sessions across the University, including a gala dinner in the Refectory. With everything being as sustainable as possible in keeping with the theme of the conference, all food was served on crockery, nothing was disposable and the menus were Fairtrade, local and seasonal with a good presence of organic produce, which helped the University achieve The Soil Association Gold Award.
    
One of the conference organisers, Ella Tacey said: “The catering was excellent, with special dietary requirements really well catered for, which was really important for this particular conference. The events team and staff service on the day was great, nothing we requested was too much trouble and all queries and issues were resolved really quickly.”

Further information
www.meetinleeds.co.uk