Hull may once have been on the receiving end of derogatory snipes from spectators around the country, but there’s nothing like a bit of urban regeneration to turn the tide. And that’s just what the Yorkshire city has successfully undertaken, adding major retail centres, offices, housing developments and a World Trade Centre to boot, making for a plethora of new corporate facilities, says Laura Gelder

But Hull’s not had it easy in the past. After its industrial peak at the beginning of the 20th century, the city was virtually flattened during the Second World War. With an economy built on its slowly declining fishing industry, the city has since turned its hand to the healthcare, chemical and retail sectors, with a series of projects helping to develop a diverse portfolio of meetings and events venues.

Wow Factor
Guildhall
Address: Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AA
Tel: 01240
Email: spa@ea.gov.uk
Web: www.hullcc.gov.uk
With its oak and walnut panelling and marble staircases, the historic Guildhall can’t fail to impress for sheer grandeur. The administrative headquarters for Hull City Council, the building also houses an impressive collection of artefacts – fine art and sculptures among them – and is located just five minutes from the train and coach stations.Rooms can accommodate anything from small meetings up to formal dinners for 250 people. On the technology front, the venue offers a full range of AV equipment, including PA system, microphones and multimedia centres with 50 inch LCD screens. A team of catering and conference support staff are on-hand to help.

Quirky Venue
The Deep
Address: Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 4DP
Tel: 01482 381000
Web: www.thedeep.co.uk
A space-age-style building perched on the banks of the River Humber within walking distance of the city centre, The Deep is a conservation and educational charity billing itself as the world’s only ‘submarium’, home to over 40 sharks and 3,500 fish. What’s that got to do with meetings and events, you may wonder. Well, there’s an adjacent business centre where guests are greeted by a mosaic tiled entrance, galleried landing and a glazed underlit reception desk, past which delegates will find a meeting room and boardroom with capacity for 55 theatre style. The main visitor attraction is also available for exclusive hire in the evenings, when clients can dine amid the sharks in the Oceans Gallery.

New Kid on the Block
The Owner Hotel
Address: Albion Street, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 3DT
Tel: 01482 219878
Email: info@ownerhotel.com
Web: www.ownerhotel.com
Once the home of Queen Victoria’s personal physician, Doctor J Alderson, the Grade II listed, four-star Owner Hotel opened in 2008 offering 27 boutique-style guestrooms and conference facilities for up to 50 people. Located on Albion Street, close to the city centre and train station, the hotel’s jewel in the crown is its Escher’s Restaurant and Bar, voted Hull’s favourite restaurant 2008/2009 and serving up traditional British cuisine in style. In addition to entertaining in the restaurant, the Alderson room can host up to 30 delegates theatre-style or 18 in boardroom layout – refreshments can be laid on and there’s AV equipment available and wifi internet access.

On a Shoestring
Freedom Centre
Address: 97 Preston Road, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU9 3QB
Tel: 01482 710100
Web: www.freedomcentre.info
It may be in the budget section but the Freedom Centre certainly doesn’t compromise on facilities or technology. Three miles east of Hull’s city centre and part of a regeneration programme, the venue’s Freedom Suite accommodates up to 300 delegates in a conference hall which doubles as a theatre with sound and lighting, a cinema-sized screen and optional technical support for your event.
The Top Pod executive business suite is one of four smaller training rooms capable of hosting up to 12 delegates, plus a breakout area. The Holderness Suite or Gallery Pod are more informal settings. Catering options range from finger buffets to silver service, while other facilities include childcare, a library and even a hairdresser, should you need a trim. Day delegate rates are from £23 per person and in October the Freedom Centre will unveil a new 100-seater conference suite with cutting-edge technology facilities.

Wired Up
World Trade Centre
Address: One Humber Quays, Wellington Street West, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 2BN
Tel: 01482 485200
Web: www.wtchumber.com
A lofty name but well deserved considering the state-of-the-art facilities and cosmopolitan air this venue has. The star attraction of the region’s new business district, Humber Quays – located at the mouth of the Humber Estuary and River Hull – the venue is part of a network of over 300 other World Trade Centres in 90 countries. A conference suite and five different meeting rooms are available, each with cutting-edge audio-visual equipment, video-conferencing facilities, wifi internet and ISDN and VoIP technology. There is also an executive business lounge with secretarial services and computer facilities, plus catering services and a spectacular waterfront setting to create a stunning backdrop for any event.

Small but Perfectly Formed
Barn House
Address: 18 East End, Walkington, Near Beverley,
East Yorkshire, HU17 8RY
Tel: 01482 880542
Email: info@barnhousewalkington.co.uk
Web: www.barnhousewalkington.co.uk
A taste of the real Yorkshire, Barn House is set in an acre and a half of its own grounds just outside Hull in the quiet village of Walkington. Meeting facilities are in the classic boardroom style, seating 16 people on leather chairs. A mezzanine floor acts as a breakout space, while the usual audio-visual and wireless internet facilities are available, plus DVD players, TV and projectors. The homely Pigeon Loft Dining Hall also seats 16. Team-building activities can be arranged. It’s small-scale but visitors can arrive in style thanks to the venue’s helipad.

How to get there: Humberside International Airport, with domestic flights to/from Aberdeen and Jersey, is 30 minutes from Hull city centre. Direct trains services to London are operated by Hull Trains and take two and a half hours.
Key sights: The Deep claims to be the world’s only ‘Submarium’ and is home to an abundance of marine life. In the Museums Quarter there are nine museums, all of them free to enter. They include the Streetlife Museum of Transport and Wilberforce House – birthplace of anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce – which re-opened in 2007 following a £1.6 million redevelopment.
Contact: www.realyorkshire.co.uk

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