Manchester Conference Centre
Encyclopedia
The Manchester Conference Centre is a conference centre in Manchester
, England
that is owned and managed by the Opal Property Group. It has several locations, distributed over the campus of Manchester University. As the Weston Building it was originally built, owned and operated by UMIST
.
When it was built in 1982, British universities
had already become established in the conference market, providing large-scale facilities for conferences during university vacation down-time, and bringing in cash to help bridge the funding gap. The Manchester Conference Centre was built to appeal to the corporate market; the architecture is very modern, and all of its facilities were cutting-edge.
The Sackville complex was built in 1991, using the latest technology at the time. However, in some areas it is starting to look a bit dated by modern standards.
The lower foyer features one of the few Foucault's pendulums
in the United Kingdom
, but this particular pendulum is pushed by an electro-magnet and no longer demonstrates the turning of the earth
, but remains as an interesting feature of the centre. Unaffected by this technicality, a brass plate still tells the history of the pendulum and describes the effect in detail.
In recent years, the 117 hotel bedrooms have been franchised
to Days Inn
as a Days Hotel which has seen further growth in its business as a premium budget city centre hotel. A great factor in its success is that it is within 300 m of the Manchester Piccadilly station
, Manchester's main west coast station. Manchester
has seen a vast increase in hotel build in recent years and competition has been very stiff in the city.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that is owned and managed by the Opal Property Group. It has several locations, distributed over the campus of Manchester University. As the Weston Building it was originally built, owned and operated by UMIST
UMIST
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research...
.
When it was built in 1982, British universities
British universities
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by Royal Charter, Papal Bull, Act of Parliament or an instrument of government under the Education Reform Act 1988; in any case generally with the approval of the Privy Council, and only such recognised bodies can award degrees of...
had already become established in the conference market, providing large-scale facilities for conferences during university vacation down-time, and bringing in cash to help bridge the funding gap. The Manchester Conference Centre was built to appeal to the corporate market; the architecture is very modern, and all of its facilities were cutting-edge.
The Sackville complex was built in 1991, using the latest technology at the time. However, in some areas it is starting to look a bit dated by modern standards.
The lower foyer features one of the few Foucault's pendulums
Foucault pendulum
The Foucault pendulum , or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, is a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. While it had long been known that the Earth rotated, the introduction of the Foucault pendulum in 1851 was the...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but this particular pendulum is pushed by an electro-magnet and no longer demonstrates the turning of the earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, but remains as an interesting feature of the centre. Unaffected by this technicality, a brass plate still tells the history of the pendulum and describes the effect in detail.
In recent years, the 117 hotel bedrooms have been franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
to Days Inn
Days Inn
Days Inn is a motel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant...
as a Days Hotel which has seen further growth in its business as a premium budget city centre hotel. A great factor in its success is that it is within 300 m of the Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
, Manchester's main west coast station. Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
has seen a vast increase in hotel build in recent years and competition has been very stiff in the city.
See also
- Manchester Central (Conference Centre) Complex consisting of two venues formerly known as the GMEX Centre and Manchester International Conference Centre (MICC))