Birmingham gets ready to welcome IPEX 2010 visitors
16th Feb 2010
For the fifth time, Birmingham will host the international Ipex 2010 exhibition which will take place from 18th – 25th May 2010 at The NEC, Birmingham, UK. To ensure visitors can plan their visit to Ipex as effectively as possible, the Ipex organisers have teamed up with the Birmingham Convention Bureau (BCB) to launch a dedicated website about the Ipex exhibition in Birmingham: www.ipexinbirmingham.co.uk
Whether visitors to Birmingham need accommodation for the night, directions to the city centre, transport information, a map, information on the extensive array of cultural events or tourist attractions, where the cool shops are, or the best places to eat and drink, www.ipexinbirmingham.co.uk has the answers. Those who want to receive individual advice or information about a bespoke social programme can also receive a free of charge planning service directly from BCB’s experienced staff. For more information call BCB on +44 (0) 121 202 5151.
Ian Taylor, Commercial Manager at Birmingham Convention Bureau, says: “We’re delighted to welcome back Ipex to Birmingham. This international exhibition will attract thousands of visitors from across the globe to the city, and we want to ensure they receive a good welcome. Birmingham Convention Bureau is working to ensure delegates receive added value and can make the most of their time in Birmingham. We have negotiated a series of exclusive offers with restaurants across the city, and with over 200 restaurants covering 27 nationalities, delegates can enjoy cuisine that really reflects Birmingham’s diversity.
“Birmingham is now widely acclaimed as a global events city and is well equipped to host this prestigious exhibition. It was recently named as the best performing European city in which to do business according to Cushman & Wakefield’s influential European Cities Monitor, and BCB is working hard to ensure this success continues throughout 2010 and beyond.”
Destination Birmingham
Birmingham has re-invented itself over the last decade to become a major tourist destination. It has transformed into a cultural hub with world renowned arts collections, award winning restaurants and a host of great activities and attractions.
Hotels
Birmingham has accommodation to suit every taste and budget. The city centre provides nearly 7,000 hotel rooms ranging from the major hotel chains to a full selection of budget hotels and friendly guesthouses. With a further 47,000 bed spaces in the greater West Midlands region, visitors will be spoilt for choice.
The Ipex organisers have appointed BCB and Creative Travel & Event Management as the two official accommodation agents in the Birmingham area. Both offer online booking services through the Ipex website (www.ipex.org/accommodation) and are holding thousands of the rooms in the area across all price bands. Visitors are encouraged to contact them as soon as possible for the best selection and competitive rates
BCB
T: +44 (0) 121 202 5143 (Ipex Hotline) F: +44 (0) 121 202 5123
E: bcb.accommodation@marketingbirmingham.com
W: www.ipexinbirmingham.co.uk
Creative Travel & Event Management
T: +44 (0) 208 582 0460 F: +44 (0) 208 582 0464
E: Fiona@ccem.co.uk
W: www.ipex.org.uk
Transport
With a population of one million in the city centre and circa five million in the region, Birmingham is one of the largest cities in the UK. Its excellent international transport links make it one of the most accessible cities in the UK and therefore a highly popular business and leisure tourism destination.
By air: The airport is situated next door to The NEC and eight miles from Birmingham city centre and with its own mainline international station next door, access to the city centre and London couldn’t be easier. The NEC is linked to Birmingham International Airport by sky trains which run every 90 seconds. More than 20 international airlines operate flights to over 100 international destinations in the UK, Europe and North America. Frequent flights to the main European hub airports provide convenient connections to destinations worldwide.
By road: Birmingham lies at the heart of the UK’s motorway system with direct links to the M42, M5, M6, M6 toll, M1 and M40. The city is also at the centre of Britain’s national coach network, connecting directly with hundreds of destinations.
By rail: Birmingham is served by two main line stations – Birmingham New Street in the city centre and Birmingham International for the airport and The NEC. There are fast and direct services from London Euston to The NEC with an incredible journey time of less than 70 minutes.
The Ipex organisers have teamed up with VisitBritain to offer a highly discounted rail pass for visitors from outside the UK. The eventBritain BritRail Pass allows unlimited travel for a set period in England, Scotland and Wales on any scheduled trains over the whole of Great Britain’s National Rail network, without restrictions. Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and Stansted Express, trains from Luton Airport to London and from Birmingham and Manchester airports are all included in the pass, allowing for enormous savings. Passes are available for periods of three days travel within eight days for only £99.00 or seven days travel within 15 days for only £161.00. For more information visit www.ipex.org/travel or www.ipexinbirmingham.co.uk
The NEC
The NEC has been the home to Ipex since 1994 and 2010 will be the fifth consecutive event in the series to be held at The National Exhibition Centre (NEC). Opened in 1976, The NEC is the busiest exhibition centre in Europe, staging more than 140 exhibitions and welcoming more than four million visitors each year.
With 20 interconnecting halls providing over 190,000 square metres of covered exhibition space it is also the biggest exhibition centre in Britain and the seventh largest in Europe. Its flexible, flat-floored, interconnected halls make it ideal for major multi-sector events like Ipex and its extensive conference and banqueting facilities enable business to continue beyond the walls of the exhibition. A continuing £40 million improvement programme will be complete in time for Ipex 2010, helping provide a superb exhibition experience for visitors and exhibitors.
