Edinburgh’s Inspiring New Developments

New Opportunities for Conference Organisers

Some of the latest exciting developments in and around Edinburgh’s inspiring capital include the re-opening in August of the Assembly Rooms following a major restoration and refurbishment project of this unique, A-listed city centre venue. The Music Hall and Ballroom are large opulent spaces, ornately decorated with intricate plasterwork and crystal chandeliers. As well as additional space and flexible room layouts, a range of new facilities are available which include state-of-the-art background lighting and sound systems, in house audio visual, plasma screens in the foyer and a fully equipped finishing kitchen for exclusive use of the event caterers. Jamie’s Italian restaurant, operated by TV chef Jamie Oliver is also on-site.

The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel has been unveiled following the completion of a £24 million program of restoration and upgrade to The Caledonian, a historic, landmark property which opened its doors more than 100 years ago. The 241-room hotel provides a luxury guest experience that continues the legacy of The Waldorf Astoria New York. A world-class dining experience will also be provided by the Michelin-starred Galvin brothers who will bring their unique blend of culinary expertise and talent to Scotland for the first time opening two new restaurants in the hotel.

In December 2012, a new hotel, Tune Hotel Haymarket will open directly opposite Haymarket Rail Station. The limited service hotel offers 179 en-suite bedrooms with five-star beds, power showers, air conditioned rooms, central locations, a clean environment and 24 hour security - with guests only paying extra for the additional facilities and services they use such as television, towels.

And the long awaited Lennox Suite expansion space at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre is on track to open in spring 2013 with International Investigative Dermatology 2013 (IID 2013 the first event to have exclusive use of the new enlarged EICC. The 2,000 square metre Lennox Suite features a hall-wide moving floor system for transformations from flat floored exhibition space to tiered theatre and arena setups in a fraction of the time required in conventional halls.

Continual development of Edinburgh’s conference is vital if the city is to remain a major player in the highly competitive business tourism environment. Marketing Edinburgh is presently involved with a substantial number of conferences bids as far in advance as 2023 – these potential conferences have a wide variety of subject matter ranging from renewable energy to infectious diseases; reflecting Edinburgh’s worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence in the fields of energy, medicine, life sciences, computing and electronics.

For further information, please contact:

Head of Convention and Partnership Sales
Hillary Bett T: +44 (0)131 473 3871 E: h.bett@marketingedinburgh.org

For further media information and images, please contact:
Marketing T: +44 (0)131 473 3666 E: marketing@marketingedinburgh.org