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Britain's coastal towns may range from traditional beach resorts to swanky weekend retreats, but they share the capability to host large C&I events. Paul Oswell reports
Brighton for fashionistas
Contact Melanie Sensicle
Tel 01273 292629
Web www.visitbrighton.com
Brighton has been appealing to the in-crowd for more than 250 years - George IV started it all off with his 'modest holiday home', the Royal Pavilion - and has enjoyed city status for the past six. Compact, accessible and vibrant, Brighton is a hip young gunslinger of a resort. The team behind boutique conference hotel Lansdowne Place is planning to open a similarly trendy 51-room hotel opposite Brighton Pier this year. This autumn, the New England Quarter by Brighton Station, will see a 249-room Jury's Inn property, while in Spring 2007, a 80-room Myhotel, based on feng shui principals, will open in the new Cultural Quarter in the North Laines.
Bright, young, and even not so young, things can be fed and watered at hotel du Vin, Koba, and the funky hotel bar at the Alias Seattle in Brighton Marina. Also in the marina, Ebony bar is another place to be seen.
Cultural venues for hire include the Brighton Dome, part of the recently refurbished historic Pavilion Estate, the Brighton Centre and the Komedia. The biggest news for Visit Brighton is a completely new convention bureau, with a new three-year sales and marketing plan that went live in January. Strutting their stuff around town recently have been Frankie & Benny's, Edmundson Electricals and Norwich Union, as well as the BBC and the Labour Party.
Torquay for watersports
Contact Nicky Harding
Tel 01803 206306
Email [email protected]
The palm trees certainly enhance the town's image as the 'Queen of the English Riviera', and its C&I centrepiece - the 1,500-capacity Riviera International Conference Centre - benefits from a prime seafront location. Its latest expansion has resulted in the £250,000 Rosetor, a space that can accommodate up to 400 delegates. Last year, the centre welcomed the Royal Bank of Scotland, Wrigley, Nutricia, and The Gallaher Group.
The cliff top five-star Imperial hotel gives delegates a dose of bracing sea air and most of its 153 rooms have sea views. There are two four-star hotels in Torquay, the seafront Grand...