In this Meet In Northern Ireland guide, we feature Belfast, and have picked some of the best of the standout city-centre venues. The city offer seamless access and a warm welcome to impactful meetings and events…
For PAs and EAs planning meetings and events, Northern Ireland offer a compelling blend of accessibility, personality and professional delivery.
Belfast offers compelling proposition, with a growing reputation as a forward-thinking events destination. Its compact city centre makes logistics simple, while a range of modern hotels and refurbished historic buildings provide flexible, high-spec event spaces. The city’s transformation in recent years has brought renewed energy, making it an exciting choice for organisers seeking something fresh yet dependable.
The city benefits form excellent air connectivity to the UK and Europe, making travel straightforward for delegates.
Meet in Northern Ireland:
The Europa Hotel brings classic elegance and five-star luxury to Belfast
The Europa Hotel is a world-famous hotel in the heart of Belfast city centre. Known for its refined elegance, the hotel features stylish decor, a contemporary bistro, a relaxing piano bar lounge, the new Parlour Lounge and a range of impressive event spaces…
This four-star property is ideally suited to both leisure and business travellers, as well as those seeking a premium venue for special occasions.
The hotel offers 272 beautifully appointed and recently renovated bedrooms, each featuring luxurious interiors, modern amenities, and king-sized beds with plush bedding.
The Europa Hotel is at the heart of meetings and events in the city offering a variety of elegant spaces tailored to suit any occasion. Supported by an experienced and dedicated events team, every detail is carefully managed to ensure a seamless and memorable experience. Whether hosting a board meeting or an intimate gathering in one of the many conference rooms, a large-scale event in the Exhibition Centre, an evening of fine banqueting in the Penthouse, or a grand gala in the Ballroom, the hotel provides outstanding options for all meetings and occasions. Guests can also enjoy bespoke menus created by award-winning chefs to suit both individual tastes and budgets.
Grand Central Hotel in Belfast
Just a five-minute walk away is the five-star, Grand Central Hotel, another Hastings Hotels property, offering additional overnight hosting and event capacity. With 300 bedrooms, including 10 suites, and a variety of dining options such as Ireland’s tallest bar, The Observatory, the Grand Cafe, and the AA Rosette-awarded Seahorse Restaurant, the Grand Central Hotel complements the Europa perfectly. It features further meeting spaces, including two meeting rooms and the Panorama Suite, an elegant reception space for up to 80 guests. For more exclusive occasions, The Cavern provides a unique, premium private dining experience for up to 12 guests, hidden behind a piece of artwork.
Overall, Belfast is widely recognised as a leading destination for events. Having been named Best Events Destination at the C&IT Awards for five consecutive years (2021–2025), the city has demonstrated outstanding performance, hosting 121 conferences and welcoming over 34,500 delegates between 2024 and 2025.
Beyond its events offering, Belfast has also established itself as a must-visit city, celebrated for its thriving food scene, rich history, and lively nightlife. This is reflected in its inclusion in National Geographic’s ‘The Cool List’ in 2024, which showcases the 30 most exciting destinations to visit. More recently, Belfast was named one of the 15 Best Places to Visit in the UK for 2025 by Time Out.
Turning Belfast Golden: voco Belfast
Four-star stays, standout events, and a city that surprises — voco Belfast is the “reliably different” choice for PAs, EAs and corporate bookers who expect more.
Belfast has a story to tell — and voco Belfast puts you right at the heart of it.
Situated in The Gasworks district, this contemporary four-star hotel is ideally placed for business travellers and event organisers who want the best of the city on their doorstep. Think contemporary dining, buzzing cultural venues, distilleries, Titanic, rugby, golf, football and so much more. Belfast is a compact and walkable city. Access is easy from the UK – just an hour flight from London and within the island we have excellent rail, coach and private transfer connections.
As part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ refreshingly individual voco brand, the hotel offers everything you’d expect from a trusted four-star property — and then some. Guests enjoy stylish, highly spacious, well-appointed rooms designed for both rest and productivity, with the warm, characterful service that sets voco apart. IHG One Rewards members can earn and redeem points on every stay, making it a natural fit for frequent corporate travellers and the PAs who manage their bookings.
Meetings & events that mean business at voco Belfast
For PAs and corporate bookers, voco Belfast delivers where it counts. The hotel’s dedicated meetings and events spaces are flexible, fully equipped, and supported by an experienced events team who take the pressure off from enquiry to final applause. Whether you’re coordinating an intimate board meeting, a full-day conference, or a team away-day with a difference, the hotel’s day delegate packages are designed to keep everything seamless — from AV setup to coffee breaks that actually impress.
Great food, right where you need it
On-site dining at voco Belfast is anchored by POMO, the hotel’s vibrant restaurant and bar, where fresh, locally inspired menus meet a relaxed yet refined atmosphere. Whether delegates are unwinding over a working lunch, clients are being entertained over dinner, or a team is celebrating a successful conference at the nearby ICC Belfast, POMO delivers the kind of food and hospitality that makes an impression. It’s the detail that turns a good event into a memorable one.
Belfast is a city worth exploring
Belfast is having a moment — and those who’ve discovered it tend to come back. A city of remarkable resilience and creativity, it blends a rich industrial heritage with a thriving arts, food, and music scene that punches well above its weight. For delegates visiting for the first time, it rarely fails to delight. For PAs planning an event that needs to leave a lasting impression on attendees, Belfast brings an energy that few UK cities can match — and voco Belfast is the ideal base from which to experience all of it.
Get in touch with Judy.Hutton@vocobelfast.com, Director of Sales today. I’d love to welcome you and your delegates to Belfast.
There more to discover in PA Life’s Meet in Ireland & Northern Ireland guide
PA Life Summer 2026 Issue also features NYX Hotel Dublin Portobello in our Meet in Ireland page.
