PA Life Club members visited Destination Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 29th May for a full day of fantastic hospitality as guests of the iconic stadium venue in Manchester. The day finished with top cricket hospitality whilst we watched a T20 match before we retired to the on-site Hilton Garden Inn Hotel for the night…
Emirates Old Trafford is one of the UK’s most iconic sporting and events destinations in the UK, and the stadium also houses excellent meeting and event spaces. What makes the venue even more appealing for corporates hosting conferences or events is the option to stay overnight on-site at the four-star, 250-bed Hilton Garden Inn hotel. 136 of its rooms overlook the famous Lancashire Cricket pitch so guests can also enjoy the sporting action, or a summer evening concert, from the privacy of their balconies.
Upon arrival in Manchester Piccadilly station, after roughly a two-hour train journey from London Euston, I hopped on the Metrolink that took me directly to the stadium in around 20 minutes.
After checking into our comfortable rooms, and a quick view of the famous cricket pitch, we all met at Jimmy’s Bar for a light lunch. The bar has a large terrace which is perfect for post-event drinks or lunches. Our hosts Nicola Pinder, Ruby Lambros and Holly Bell from the venue team, and Cheryl Garnett from Hilton Garden Inn welcomed us and gave us a short introduction to what the venue holds for corporate events and guests.
City tour of Manchester
We didn’t spend the whole day at Emirates Old Trafford as there is so much the City of Manchester has to offer to both leisure and business travellers, so our wonderful hosts took us an a luxury minibus tour across the different areas of the city – or in fact two cities as we also crossed the River Irwell into Salford which is a separate city. It’s easy to mistake Salford as being part of Manchester as it lacks a distinct city centre, but don’t mention it when in Salford. We learned so many interesting facts about the city by the very knowledgeable tour guide John Consterdine – even the Mancunians were learned a thing or two.
Following the guided tour, we were surprised by a real treat as we stopped for afternoon tea at the beautiful at the Stock Exchange Hotel. The restaurant at the property, located at the heart of the city, in the former Manchester Stock Exchange, is Tender – managed by Niall Keating, head chef with two Michelin Stars from previously managed restaurants. The afternoon tea was truly sumptuous as you’d expect from a chef of this calibre, and the setting under the magnificent domed ceiling was truly special.
This was a great opportunity for the PA Life Club members to network with their peers and to get to know our hosts too. The journey back to Emirates Old Trafford took us to different districts of Manchester, and we even made a quick stop at the other famous Old Trafford stadium – Manchester United.
Cricket hospitality at the Premium Boxes at Emirates Old Trafford
We arrived back in our hotel rooms just in time to see the last bowling of the women’s T20 match before we got ready to gather at one of the Executive Boxes to watch Lancashire Lightning and Leicestershire Foxes battle it out in the men’s T20 match. The setting was fantastic with some of the best seats in the stadium. There is plenty of space inside the box and outside on the balcony for a relaxed experience. We enjoyed a range of delicious Thai-inspired dishes throughout the evening with our own bar, and wonderful server at hand to fill our glasses.
After a quick hop and skip back to our hotel rooms, we enjoyed a comfortable night and a delicious breakfast buffet the following morning.
This FAM Trip was designed specifically for EAs, PAs and other event bookers, and was exclusively to PA Life Club members. The Club is free for business support professionals to join here.
More about Destination Emirates Old Trafford
Destination Emirates Old Trafford is an award-winning and multi-purpose venue and hotel known for delivering inspirational conferences, exhibitions, awards dinners, Christmas parties and much more. Catering from ten to 1,000 people across a multitude of events, 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.
The venue also boasts an on-site, four-star, 250-bed Hilton Garden Inn hotel, 136 of which overlook the famous Lancashire Cricket pitch. With free parking, great transport links, and an on-site Caffè Nero – along with an on-site restaurant and a fitness centre making it the ideal choice for business and leisure stays.
