Destination Emirates Old Trafford hosted PA Life and our event organiser guests on a 24-hour whistle stop fam trip to see the fantastic venue and stadium, home to Lancashire Cricket Club. We also had a chance to visit a couple of great venues in Manchester city centre to add to the experience of this great capital of the North.
The majority of us arrived by train from London, a quick 2 hours 15 minutes from Euston, and then hopped on the Metro from Piccadilly station right to the stadium itself. A pleasant and scenic 20 minute ride through the city – we’d advise visitors to make the most of the excellent Metro and the City centre’s free buses.
Upon arrival at the iconic stadium and a swift check-in to our brand new rooms at the recently extended on-site Hilton Garden Inn, we were met by Nicola Pinder, Head of Venue Sales and her lovely team.
We had a busy schedule ahead of us so we headed straight on a tour of this vast venue taking in the great spaces The Point building offers. The Point is the main event space, Event organisers can let their creativity flow here as the spaces offer a blank canvas where you can host a wide range of events including gala dinners, awards ceremonies, conferences, exhibitions and much more. Most of the spaces have a view of the pitch which is a really special touch. Delegates and guests can even step to the match seating areas to admire the beauty of this special stadium.
After a quick pit stop for coffees, fresh pastries and fruit is was time to head to see a what Manchester has to offer.
Afternoon tea followed by social cricket fun in Manchester
Nicola took us to The Edwardian Manchester, which is a Radisson Collection Hotel, in the city centre, next to the Manchester Central Convention Complex. We enjoyed a mouth-watering and very generous Champagne Afternoon Tea at this swish hotel’s Library and Champagne Bar.
Following our feast it was time to try our hand at cricket. Not on the frosty pitches we were pleased to learn, instead we got to check out the Sixes Social Cricket bar. We all had a go at batting and soon discovered it to be a lot more difficult than it looks. The nets were set up well giving a pretty realistic impression of the bowler on the large screen actually bowling before the ball shot out of the machine – always too fast it seemed. There are five speeds and various sizes and weights of bats to choose from making it a fun team game for any ability.
What was the food like at The Edge
Dinner was booked at the new first floor stylish restaurant and event space, The Edge which looked gorgeous dressed for the festive season. It enjoys a large terrace and panoramic views over the pitch making it a perfect venue what ever the season.
We had a delicious dinner cooked by the in-house kitchen team and served by a great team. That wasn’t all as Nicola and her team had arranged a talented caricaturist to capture the best features of the guests. He worked incredibly fast, penning fantastic portraits of us. A great memory of the special visit to Destination Emirates Old Trafford.
Overnight stay in the new extension of Hilton Garden Inn
We had a very comfortable night in the new block of the four-star 100-bed extension of the on-site Hilton Garden Inn. The rooms were opened for visitors in October this year and added to the existing 150-bedroom hotel. One and two bedroom suites also available. 135 bedrooms in total look over the famous Lancashire Cricket pitch and have their own balconies for incredible match viewing. With free parking, great transport links, and an on-site Caffe Nero – as well as the Garden Grille restaurant and fitness centre, you’ll find everything you’ll need for ideal business and leisure stays.
MORE ABOUT DESTINATION EMIRATES OLD TRAFFORD
View from the new Hilton Garden Inn pitch side bedrooms
Destination Emirates Old Trafford is an award-winning, sustainable, multi-purpose venue and hotel known for delivering inspirational conferences, meetings, incentives, multi-day events, award-dinners and much more. Catering from ten to 2,000 people across a multitude of events, from small meetings to large exhibitions, our flexible, high-end space is fully supported by dedicated and in-house services, such as event duty managers, IT support and experienced event planners.
You will find more Fam Trips and essential industry events in our Events pages.
