Creative meeting spaces and experiences
Creative meeting spaces and experiences can play an essential role for fostering innovation and engagement. Whether it's for a corporate event, a workshop, or a team-building session, or large scale conference, having a space that inspires creativity can significantly enhance the experience. So when searching for a unique and creative backdrop for your next business event, Wales should be at the top of your list. With its dynamic Creative Sector, respected conference ambassadors, and breathtaking landscapes enriched by a deep heritage perfect for TV and film, Wales offers an array of stimulating locations, venues, and incentive experiences. Here are just a few examples.
BBC Cymru Wales backstage tours
BBC Cymru Wales - Delve into the world of broadcasting with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of BBC Cymru Wales' broadcasting centre at Central Square, Cardiff. This tour offers a glimpse into the state-of-the-art news, sports, and radio studios, unveiling the intricacies of BBC programme production. Designed by the renowned architects Foster + Partners, delegates will explore one of the BBC's largest newsrooms, brimming with advanced technology such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and robotic cameras, and get an insider's view of TV galleries and other broadcasting facilities.
The Dylan Thomas Centre and Boathouse
The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea West Wales, is home to a permanent exhibition, ‘Love the Words’, which opened on 27 October 2014, Dylan’s 100th birthday. The interactive displays tell the story of the work, life and cultural context of one of the twentieth century’s most significant writers One of the greatest writers from Wales and famously known for 'Under Milk Wood'.
The Exhibition has a permanent exhibition on Dylan and his life, as well as excellent restaurant, function and conference facilities and a café bookshop.
In addition you can visit the Dylan Thomas Boathouse in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, West Wales where he lived for the last four years of his life, during which time many major pieces of work were written - including Under Milk Wood. The boathouse offers a fascinating look at the memorabilia, interpretation, bookshop and tea-room. There is also a display of original paintings, prints and photographs to purchase.
Fforest
Fforest is the ideal location for hosting an event in a remarkable natural setting. Spanning 200 acres alongside a river and adjacent to a nature reserve, it's just minutes away from the town of Cardigan and the pristine, secluded beaches of the West Wales coast, which have featured in movies such as the James Bond film Die another Day.
The venue features a large-scale outdoor tipi equipped with audiovisual facilities for conferences and events, as well as a luxurious Georgian farmhouse that provides an elegant setting for indoor meetings and gala dinners accommodating up to 150 guests.
Fforest provides a diverse range of incentive experiences and team-building activities, including foraging, bushcraft, surfing, paddleboarding and coasteering. Accommodation at Fforest range from a renovated farmhouse to open-plan cottages and luxurious outdoor domes equipped with king-sized beds and en-suite shower rooms.
Fforest also offers a stunning creative space suitable for various business events, from photography festivals to large-scale conferences.
Land of song - music experiences
Music experiences
Male Voice Choir - The male voice choir, or 'côr meibion' in Welsh, stands as a prominent symbol of Welsh identity. Its roots are embedded in Wales' industrial past, and for many, it continues to be a central expression of the people's identity and national pride, with over eighty choirs actively performing to this day.
Wales offers a truly unforgettable experience with opportunities to hire choirs to perform at your event. Additionally, for those seeking incentive experiences, numerous practicing choirs will gladly welcome groups to visit and listen to their captivating voices, which consistently stir the emotions of even the most indifferent listeners.
For more information or to book: Male Voice Choir
Clwb Ifor Bach - a live music venue and promoter situated in Cardiff city centre on Womanby Street, hosting international, local and emerging artists and has been an early platform for some of the biggest names in music today. Since establishing in 1983, Clwb Ifor Bach has been a musical focal point in Cardiff and Wales, welcoming all musical styles and genres from all corners of the world through its doors.
Cardiff Music City Festival - a three week festival of gigs, immersive happenings, residencies, installations and pop-ups, pushing the boundaries of music innovation, performance and tech, The festival will bring together talent both international and local, including household names and emerging, startling talent. Its festival site stretches and sprawls through a labyrinth of spaces, busy streets and quieter corners, through Cardiff’s dynamic city centre to Cardiff Bay
National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff (Amgueddfa Cymru in Welsh) is one of 7 National Museums in Wales.
The entire first floor of the National Museum Cardiff is devoted to Wales' national art collections, encompassing paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics. It boasts one of Britain's finest collections of Impressionist art, alongside works by prominent contemporary international artists.
Additionally, the museum offers private hire for meetings, product launches, and various events, with curated tour guides available for those who wish to enhance their visit with an expert-led experience.
Portmeirion Village and Hotel
Portmeirion Village and Hotel - a truly wow factor venue for events. Designed by Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis in 192, think Italian riviera meets rural Wales, where the subtropical forest known as The Gwyllt (Wildwood in Welsh) features some of Britain's largest tress, secret gardens a derelict castle and rare flowers with over 70 acres of exotic woodlands to explore. The unique backdrop of Portmeirion Village gives meetings and events a distinct look-and-feel.
The charm of the site and the grandeur of the meeting and events spaces combine to make this an utterly unique location and experience and is known for its tv location of the 1960's cult hit series The Prisoner.
The establishment boasts a luxury hotel featuring an outdoor pool and a restaurant awarded two AA Rosettes for dining. Additionally, it offers a selection of cottages throughout the village, providing breathtaking views of the gardens and estuary, as well as 12 modern rooms within the 4-star Castell Deudraeth, a castle styled in Gothic architecture.
For events, there are five private spaces available, accommodating groups from 10 to 150 people, alongside a variety of local activities suitable for incentive trips and team-building excursions.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) - the National Conservatoire of Wales. which contributes to the cultural identity of Wales and attracts some of the most gifted students from around the World. From hosting world leaders at the NATO Wales summit and the Champions League Final to appearing as one of the locations in BBC hit sci-fi series Dr Who and attracting a number of World and European Association conferences and an impressive list of alumini including international actors such as Richard Burton and Sir Anthony Hopkins to popular Welsh tv screen actors including Rith Jones Eve Myles and Rob Brydon.
The Royal Welsh College is dedicated to supporting the creative industries and live performance sector in Wales. This venue will have real appeal to those working in or supporting the creative industries and hire of the venue goes towards supporting the vision and mission of the College. Hosting a meeting, drinks reception or product launch here will give many attendees a rare opportunity to visit the College.
The Dora Stoutzker Hall takes up to 400 delegates: the Richard Burton Theatre a further 180. 10 state-of-the-art breakout and meeting rooms add smaller spaces into the mix. But it is the three-story high, glass-walled foyer that has the real wow factor that can host up to 500 for a reception, offering majestic views over the capital city and parkland towards Cardiff Castle.
Small World Theatre
Small World Theatre - a creative almost carbon zero venue built using materials from renewable or recycled sources.The venue not only presents live events, classes and even aerial circus training it is also home to the Small World puppet theatre company.
Recognised by the Design Commission for Wales as a great design built for the environment to build " A Creative Space for a Creative Community’, with highly commendable sustainability credentials and a testament to the dedication of the team who have achieved a very special project for the local community.
The venue offers a beautiful creative space for up to 200 pax theatre style and also offers incentive experiences. With a year round programme of live events and available for private hire their skilled team will help plan a creative flair to your event with taster workshops of your artistic choice.
Swansea Arena
Swansea Arena - a multipurpose entertainment and events space in the heart of Copr Bay Swansea, West Wales. The development of the Arena is the most significant achievement within phase one of Swansea city centre’s regenerative Copr Bay district and forms part of the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project which is being part-funded by the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal.
The Arena is located within a 1.1-acre coastal park – the first new city centre park since the Victorian era – and surrounded by new independent restaurants, apartments, two new multi-storey car parks and a landmark ‘gateway’ bridge seamlessly connecting the city centre to Swansea’s Marina, the beach and coastal path.
The auditorium has the ability to host 3,500 at full capacity or can be broken down with a partition wall to create multi space events plus there are a variety of purpose built meeting spaces for up to 80 capacity theatre style and has a series of music, theatre and comedy events programmed for out of conference or incentive experiences.
Twr Y Felin Art Hotel
Twr y Felin Hotel offers luxury accommodation, three AA fine dining and 39 luxurious bedrooms including two suites at its a spectacular location in Britain's smallest city of St Davids overlooking the Pembrokeshire coastline, West Wales.
This former windmill and first contemporary art hotel in Wales which evokes the Pembrokeshire landscape in a new way with artists producing a body of work that is full of contrast, colour, design and scale.
The hotel boasts private function rooms perfect for meetings, alongside a plethora of land and water activities nearby for team building and incentives. These include tours of the majestic cathedral and bishop's palace dedicated to St David, the patron saint of Wales, as well as exhilarating opportunities to engage in coasteering or foraging adventures on the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast which have also been the backdrop of films such as Robin Hood.
Venue Cymru
Venue Cymru - situated in an attractive seafront location with over 10,000 sqm of event space. It is situated in the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno on the North Wales coast with plenty of accommodation close by. Everything about Venue Cymru is large-scale but space is reassuringly versatile.
From theatre, music and comedy performances including performances from the Welsh National Opera for an incentive or out of conference activity to large conferences or smaller meeting spaces with unspoiled sea views. The Arena can hold an impressive 2,500 standing or 1,000 sitting. Venue Cymru has an in-house technical team who work with local suppliers to really bring the venue to life and it's worth a conversation with them about how best to use indoor and outdoor spaces to best effect.
The venue also has a restaurant on site and expert in-house team to support event planning.
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre - Wales’ national home for the performing arts in Cardiff Bay. One of the UK’s top cultural attractions and home to eight resident partners, this Welsh landmark stages musicals, opera, including performances by the Welsh National Opera, ballet, circus and contemporary dance alongside the UK’s largest programme of free performances.
With variety of different spaces, delegates can host meetings to awards dinners on the beautiful Donald Gordon Theatre stage, and have an experienced in-house hospitality and technical team on hand to support planning and event delivery.
Clients can also experience backstage and exclusive behind the scenes tours, which includes the Donald Gordon Theatre and barely seen backstage areas, with a photo opportunity by the famous inscription wall.
Welsh music experiences
Male Voice Choir - The male voice choir, or 'côr meibion' in Welsh, stands as a prominent symbol of Welsh identity. Its roots are embedded in Wales' industrial past, and for many, it continues to be a central expression of the people's identity and national pride, with over eighty choirs actively performing to this day.
Wales offers a truly unforgettable experience with opportunities to hire choirs to perform at your event. Additionally, for those seeking incentive experiences, numerous practicing choirs will gladly welcome groups to visit and listen to their captivating voices, which consistently stir the emotions of even the most indifferent listeners.
For more information or to book: Male Voice Choir
Clwb Ifor Bach - a live music venue and promoter situated in Cardiff city centre on Womanby Street, hosting international, local and emerging artists and has been an early platform for some of the biggest names in music today. Since establishing in 1983, Clwb Ifor Bach has been a musical focal point in Cardiff and Wales, welcoming all musical styles and genres from all corners of the world through its doors.
The Welsh National Opera In 1943, Welsh National Opera was founded by a group of people from across south Wales including miners, teachers and doctors. They wanted to forge an opera company befitting Wales’ rich reputation as the ‘land of song’. The energy which drives the Company today is rooted in its formation in the 1940s and perform at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff and periodically in Swansea and Venue Cymru in Llandudno North Wales