Top five reasons for choosing Leeds as your conference destination

As the third largest city in England, there are plenty of reasons to visit Leeds. With an exciting portfolio of venues that are perfect for a range of activities, great public transport links, warm and welcoming local people and ideally located venues, Leeds is an obvious destination for conference organisers and delegates with looking for a conference venue in the UK.

1. A lively location in the heart of the UK

Leeds is a vibrant and energetic city, placed in a prime location and easily accessible by road, rail and air. Leeds Bradford Airport is conveniently only a 30 minute taxi ride from Leeds city centre, servicing 75 destinations including hub airports Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow and Dublin. In Leeds city centre the train station is accessible from a wide range of locations from across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Manchester Airport, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

2. An outstanding offering of delegate experiences

Leeds is home to a wealth of activities that lead to a brilliant delegate experience. From our cultural and historic museums, galleries and theatres to an unrivalled retail scene ranging from global high-end stores to independent and quirky boutiques. Whether you’re looking to relax taking in world class ballet or opera from Northern Ballet or Opera North or want to unwind and dance the night away with the eclectic mix of bars and clubs (the well-known Call Lane is not to be missed), delegates will find something that satisfies their appetite in this lively and inspiring city. Leeds also has a vast array of restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine and dining experiences, which is sure to go down a treat after the conference day is done.

3. An exciting venue portfolio

The city boasts an exciting venue portfolio, from world-class academic Universities, historic civic venues such as Leeds Town Hall and the flagship National museum of arms and armour, the Royal Armouries one of the largest conferencing venues in Leeds.
Click on the links below to explore the venue portfolio:
• Academic
• Historic/Civic
• Hotel
• Purpose built Conference venue
• Unique
• Outdoor space

4. A hive of expert knowledge in several sectors

With expert knowledge in a multitude of areas, Leeds is a versatile and interesting city in which to hold your next conference. Being able to boast strengths in industry sectors such as:
• Manufacturing: Leeds has a rich industrial heritage with the city rising to prominence in the 16th century thanks to its woollen cloth industry. Today Leeds is the biggest manufacturing centre in the UK, with the region continuing to be a world leader, contributing over £7 billion to the UK economy.
• Healthcare: The city is a powerhouse in terms of its contributions to the UK healthcare sector, collaborating with world-leading companies, clinical expertise and research and development capacity across its universities, hospitals, healthcare and medical devices. Four of the five NHS bodies are headquartered in Leeds including, NHS England, NHS Digital, NHS Leadership Academy and Health Education England.
• Digital: Leeds is home to over 3,500 digital and technology companies and over 102,000 people working in the digital sector. The city has specialisms in creative media, data analytics, cyber security, FinTech, telecoms, health and education technologies. Digital transformation built within Leeds is already transforming businesses all across the globe.
• Finance and Professional Services: Leeds is the UK’s second largest financial centre and named as a ‘Financial Centre of Excellence’ by UK Trade and Investment, a Government body working with companies in the UK to help them succeed internationally. The four key specialisms lie within the banking, legal, insurance and financial technology (Fintech) sectors.

5. A convenient location for walking between venues

Leeds is a compact city and many of the venues, main attractions, bars and restaurant are all accessible on foot. Look out for our Leeds Welcome People who are friendly and always on hand to help with directions and give advice. Alternatively the city centre’s public transport includes the Leeds CityBus which stops at various key city centre locations such as University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Trinity Leeds, the CornExchange and Leeds Train Station and costs just £1. Or the quirky and free water taxis which run between Leeds Train Station’s South Entrance and the Royal Armouries in Leeds Dock.