Our events agency team are often out and about! At the beginning of August, our Sales Executive, Kimberley Money, travelled to Belfast for the C&IT Agency Forum. This annual event for senior event professionals is a chance to catch up on trends and network with others in the industry. Kimberley had such a great time at the Forum and in Belfast in general that she wanted to share her experience with all of you!
Off to Belfast!
From the outset, I was very excited to go to the C&IT Agency Forum this year. The level of assistance and information the C&IT team gave – including the opportunity to to vote for your preferred speakers – was greatly appreciated. The build up to the event felt professional and seamless. What’s more, having never been to Belfast before I was excited for the opportunity to see the city and get some inspiration for future event planning!
Grand Central Hotel Belfast
We were lucky enough to be hosted at Grand Central Hotel Belfast, which I think is a very special hotel. Our party were met off the bus by doormen, and with a glass of prosecco at check-in; what a reception! Up in the rooms everything was immaculately clean and the beds were amazingly comfortable. The star of the show had to to be the deep-soaking bathtub; right by a floor-to-ceiling window. You could have a soak and look out over the Belfast skyline from the 21st floor. The hotel also has an observatory bar, which I wish I had had time to go to – maybe on my next visit!
The ICC Belfast
The C&IT Agency Forum was a held at Belfast ICC; a great, flexible venue with tonnes to recommend it. The location is fantastic and the staff are super helpful; they couldn’t do enough for us. There was space enough to have a lounge area, networking tables and a separate seminar room, which was great.
The food at the ICC was really varied, plentiful, super fresh and high quality. There were some locally sourced dishes with Irish twists like the apple juice and seafood broth, too. It was great to see plenty of healthy options and lots drink alternatives to the traditional tea and coffee.
The C&IT Agency Forum
The standard of suppliers and venues at the event was extremely high; it was great to connect with so many passionate event professionals. I learnt about a lot of new venues and destinations, as well as gaining fresh ideas to take back to Bien Venue HQ!
I also loved the overall focus on sustainability, health and well-being, which really showed with the green chill out area and swing seat. There were also some fun interactive areas like golf and Game of Thrones costumes. I was also big fan of the free massages from the showcased hotel massage therapists!
Seeing Belfast
But the experience wasn’t just in the forum itself. I was pleased to take in more of the city with our enthusiastic group. We were treated to an open top bus tour, complete with a brilliant guide, introducing the city and breaking the ice between us delegates!
Another highlight for me was visiting the Titanic Museum; brilliantly informative and one of the most beautifully designed buildings I’ve ever been to. I loved seeing the grand staircase made famous by the Titanic movie. This is somewhere I will definitely be going back to in my own time.
I absolutely loved Belfast, the whole city feels very up-and-coming, with lots of 5* hotels opening and so much to do; the bars, shopping, breweries and distilleries, and museums to name just a few things! I would happily recommend and plan large scale corporate events here for our Bien Venue clients in future.
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