Your organization increasingly is going global, and wants to make the move to meet overseas. In addition, your social-responsibility plan calls for global environmental guardianship, so a green meeting is a must. On top of that, you're tasked with making sure that the destination is accessible and affordable, and that language isn't an issue. It turns out that the place where "the Queen's English" got its name fulfills all your requirements - which makes your choice easy: Visit Britain!

Shakespeare's "precious stone set in the silver sea" is a literal international crossroads, easily reached from North America as well as from most other places in the world. Within the United Kingdom itself (which includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), cities are connected via dynamic air, railroad, and highway systems. British hospitality partners are becoming ever more creative at designing packages that give North American meeting planners more bang for their flagging buck. And with Europe ahead of the United States in terms of sustainability initiatives, it's easy to find British conferencing venues that embrace green practices - from running on alternative sources of energy, to incorporating their own water plants, to converting food and beverage waste into compost in a "wormery."

Throughout Great Britain, aging dockyards are being converted into thriving mixed-use destinations. Old building facades now house modern, airy hotels and event spaces. But the rich British tradition your attendees expect remains intact - from stately palaces, castles, and country-house hotels, to the skirling of bagpipes, to the pageantry of costumed waiters serving in 11th-century buildings.

Holding a Meeting in Britain
"Simply put, Britain is so easy to get to," said Margaret Cassilly, vice president of international operations for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). "London alone has five airports, and there are many reasonably priced intra-Europe flights available. Of course, there's also the Eurostar for easy rail connections from the Continent. This benefits our European attendees, who make up 80 percent of our audience each year."

Nancy Evenden, CMP, senior meeting planner for InterShow, calls London a "natural choice" for her organization, the world's largest producer of investment trade shows and cruises. InterShow's investment conference and trade show in London, Evenden said, attracts "3,000 people from all over the world."

There are 134 nonstop daily flights from North America to Britain, making it one of the most accessible destinations for U.S. and Canadian conferences. While the majority of flights go into London (Heathrow, Gatwick), there are also direct flights to Manchester (close to Liverpool), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Bristol (close to Cardiff, Wales).

"The fact that English is the 'mother tongue' is also an advantage of holding your meeting in Britain," Cassilly said. "When you are conducting business in another country, the cultural and business practices can be challenging - drastically different from those with which we are familiar in the United States. But most people are aware of British customs and business practices, so there is an easy transition."

Vicki Johnson, CMP, principal of Vicki Johnson & Associates LLC, who is working with the Society for Gynecologic Investigation (SGI) to plan a meeting in Glasgow in March 2009 - SGI's first outside the United States - agreed. "Meeting there should be an easier adjustment," Johnson said, "since the official language is English." Instead of attendees having to cram for a visit by digesting an entire translation guide, they just need to be aware of the handful of key differences between North American and British terminology (see the box above).

More formidable than the language barrier, of course, is the British pound, which like the Euro has been outpacing the U.S. dollar for more than a year now. But Cassilly has a straightforward answer for those who cite the weak dollar as a reason to forego an international meeting: "If you want to be considered a global enterprise, you must bite the bullet and go abroad." In addition, she advises planners to "be creative, and frugal with expenses such as travel and marketing." Cassilly was able to keep NAB's costs in line, for example, by partnering "with several European associations to market our event, which saved money and has helped increase attendance. In addition, our registration fees are listed in U.S. dollars, which is very appealing to our international delegates."

Evenden recommends that planners carefully weigh exactly what they need for each conference. "Use your air miles for staff and speaker travel," she said, "and consider holding meetings on weekends, when you will get a much better rate at hotels." Also, if you're able to hold your meeting in July or August, Evenden noted, you'll find rates are lower and attendees can stay in more economical university housing.

Likewise, Angelique Wilkins, CMP, vice president of conferences and meetings for the Futures Industry Association, has found that it pays to take the time to research a number of suppliers for her events. "Our members do business in Britain, so we were able to reference with them to keep bids competitive," she said. "But you need to allow yourself enough time to do this." Wilkins also had a partner association with which she worked to handle the Value Added Tax (VAT) for exhibitors and sponsors and to plan a special event in London's Royal Courts of Justice. (See box to left for more on VAT.)

As with any venue, it helps if you have local guidance, which, in Evenden's experience, has included her British suppliers. "For our conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London," Evenden said, "much was included - the comfortable lounge furniture for our Knowledge Center, even a six-foot table and two chairs for each exhibit."

That's not unusual. Britain clearly wants North American business, with some hoteliers guaranteeing today's dollar-versus-pound exchange rate - and even going so far as to honor a more favorable rate if and when that occurs. "Many people will tell you that some London venues aren't always ready to negotiate," said James Rees, head of sales for associations and the public sector at ExCeL London. "But we do. We'll look at your overall package and your requirements, and give you the best value we can."

To help ease your way onto the sceptered isle, consider using a destination management company (DMC) or professional conference organizer (PCO). "My PCO acts as my 'hands and feet' in Glasgow," said Terry Onustack, CMP, meetings and education manager for the International Association for the Study of Pain, which in August brought 5,000 delegates to Glasgow for the 12th World Congress on Pain. For a list of DMCs and their services, go to www.visitbritain.com/M&I.

But for now, I'll be your hands and feet in Great Britain. Recently, I visited five cities there that are eager to welcome national and international organizations based in North America: London, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow. And all I can say is, rule Britannia!

LONDON: 'Nestled in History'
"We held our meeting in London because it is a global financial center; it has world-renowned cultural, social, entertainment, and dining options, and a fine mix of the traditional and modern," Wilkins said. "You are nestled in history, looking at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and the next minute you are in a fully functional meeting facility close by. It's pretty amazing."

Added Evenden: "Five years ago, we began having an annual World Money Show in London for investors because it is the financial hub of Europe. There is so much for attendees to do, and they feel safe coming and going."

Coming and going is not only safe, but easy. London offers a number of transportation options: the Underground, buses, the Thames Clipper riverboats, as well as the iconic black London taxis. Heathrow Express and National Express Dot2Dot (www.dot2.com) provide direct access from Heathrow International Airport, and the Oyster travelcard offers 40 percent off Underground and bus fares (www.visitbritain.com/onlineshop).

Visit London's associations team has launched a number of initiatives, including an association directory and an online marketing toolkit, which can be found at www.visitlondon.com/associations. The organization's Event Solutions team, at eventsolu tions@visitlondon.com, can help with any questions about using London to host an association meeting.

Conference and Exhibition Centers
ExCeL London is situated on a 100-acre, campus-style, mixed-use setting beside the Royal Victoria Dock in East London. It offers 968,400 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space. The facility is organized along a central "boulevard" hallway, flanked on the north and south sides by two column-free event halls - a total of 699,500 square feet of space, with 32-foot ceilings. The halls can be divided into as many as 16 separate sections of 21,520 square feet each. The North and South Gallery meeting rooms on the second floor seat from 90 to 200 people theater-style.

All told, there are 45 meeting rooms, including the three-level Platinum Suite, with a separate lobby, a second level with 6,994 square feet of space, and the 16,990-square-foot Platinum Room on the third level, divisible into four sections. Hotels offering 1,500 bedrooms are located on the ExCeL London campus, and there are 5,000 additional rooms within a 15-minute ride.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre offers seven floors of flexible meeting space, with rooms that seat from 40 to 1,300 attendees theater-style. This includes four auditoriums, seven conference rooms, 20 smaller breakout rooms, and 21,165 square feet of exhibit space. The center has its own audiovisual and information-technology professionals, wireless Internet network, and online conference service. Hotels in close proximity offer 4,000 sleeping rooms committable to groups.

"The QEII Centre, with its superb facilities in central, historic London, has an excellent staff to work with and has far exceeded our expectations," Evenden said. "The convention services manager with whom I worked is one of the best in my experience."

Alternate Sites
Central Hall Westminster sits next to the QEII Conference Centre. The two venues are joining forces to provide an option for meetings and exhibits accommodating up to 2,000 people. It offers a spectacular great hall that seats up to 2,000, and an additional 30 rooms can accommodate groups from 10 to 200.

The Barbican is Europe's largest multi-arts and conferencing venue, offering meeting facilities for 20 to 2,000 attendees. Although the venue hosts theater, music, and dance events, said Anthony Hyde, head of corporate sales, "conferences and special events get equal footing with performances." This means that meeting planners can book space well in advance - very rare for a performing-arts complex.

Palace of Westminster, a.k.a. the Houses of Parliament, can be used for functions from 30 to 168 guests for seated meals or up to 350 for cocktail receptions. However, the availability of these rooms is extremely limited, and they can be used only under certain conditions. Every event must be hosted by a member of the House of Commons or the House of Lords, and it then becomes the host's event. The protocol for holding events must be strictly observed. Your DMC can advise you and help arrange appropriate events for senior-level attendees.

East Wintergarden and Canary Wharf are part of a revitalized docklands area in East London. The 86-acre Canary Wharf offers 3,000 hotel rooms, galleries, high-end shopping, and dining options. Situated in the heart of Canary Wharf, the East Wintergarden is a glass-covered atrium tucked between two high-rise buildings. It offers a 7,338-square-foot main hall and a mezzanine gallery that accommodates up to 300 people for receptions.

Natural History Museum offers a Central Hall - with a vaulted Gothic ceiling and a 150-million-year-old Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton - that accommodates 1,200 people for receptions and 650 for dinner. Its Victorian staircase features a landing that can be used as a stage. Other spaces within the museum include the Waterhouse Gallery and the Earth Gallery, which can accommodate 550 to 600 people for receptions.

The London Eye, a cantilevered observation wheel located on the bank of the Thames, offers spectacular views of London. It features 32 enclosed, climate-controlled capsules that accommodate 25 people each, and a total of 800 people per 30-minute revolution. It can be used for champagne flights for groups.

The Tower of London, a city landmark for more than 900 years, accommodates events for groups of 10 to 300 people. There are several different venues: the New Armouries (available in the daytime and evening for groups of up to 150), the White Tower, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the Jewel House. If you want to impress your board, plan a dinner for 12 people who are seated beside 12,314 diamonds! Tours of the Crown Jewels and the Treasury can be arranged for groups, as can attendance at the opening and closing key ceremonies.

The Old Royal Naval College, located at Greenwich on the river Thames, offers several spaces for groups of 50 to 480 people, including the richly decorated Painted Hall, the King William Restaurant, and the Queen Mary Hall. The college is easily accessible via riverboats, the Docklands Light Railway, the Underground, and by car.

Hotels
London offers more than 100,000 hotel rooms, with another 20,000 scheduled to be completed in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The Westminster Bridge Park Plaza, opening in 2010, will feature 1,037 guest rooms, studios, and penthouse suites, and meeting rooms accommodating up to 1,250 attendees theater-style.

Hilton London Metropole is Britain's largest conference hotel, with 1,054 bedrooms (800 committable to any one group) and 40 conference and meeting rooms. Two conference suites each accommodate 1,600 people theater-style or 1,000 for dinner. The hotel has a dedicated reception in the West Wing for delegate registration and a conference entrance.

London Hilton on Park Lane offers 397 bedrooms and 56 suites, which are renovated on a regular basis. The ballroom accommodates 1,200 people theater-style or 1,000 for dinner. A dozen additional meeting rooms accommodate from 15 to 250 people. The top-floor Galvin at Windows restaurant, which can be rented for groups, has views of Buckingham Palace.

Grosvenor House, a Marriott Hotel, offers 494 sleeping rooms (350 of which may be booked for groups), including 72 suites. The Great Room, the largest ballroom in London, seats 1,500 people theater-style or 2,000 for lunch and dinner (using the balconies). Other meeting rooms seat 200 to 550 attendees theater-style or 190 to 500 for dinner. The 86 Park Lane Conference Centre has rooms that seat between 20 and 140.

The Park Plaza Riverbank offers 394 bedrooms and a ballroom that is divisible into two sections and that seats 650 guests theater-style or 490 for dinner. In all, there are 21 meeting rooms, including the Thames Room, with views of the Thames and the London Eye.

Novotel London West is only 20 minutes from Heathrow Airport and has a spacious on-site car parking facility that is open 24 hours a day. The hotel offers 630 bedrooms, and four floors of meeting space in 32 meeting rooms. This includes the 18,578-square-foot Champagne Suite, divisible into eight sections, and the 14,638-square-foot Chablis Suite - both of which can be used for exhibitions and other functions.

CARDIFF/CAERDYDD - WALES: 'Warm and Welcoming'
Located on the southern coast of Wales, Cardiff offers more than 7,000 sleeping rooms and a wide variety of meeting facilities. "The city is situated in a beautiful location and has a wonderful mix of the traditional and new," said Eben Yancey of RES Seminars, who organized the 3rd International Conference on Advanced and Digital Technology in Head and Neck Reconstruction, held in Cardiff from June 29 to July 1. "It is easy to walk to any of the major venues, and the people are warm and welcoming. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cardiff."

Large Venues
Millennium Stadium - measuring 117,300 square feet, with 72,000 seats - is often used for a combination of meetings and exhibitions. The turf can be removed and carpet and equipment installed on the flat floor (18 hours for move-in and move-out). You can rent the entire stadium, or any of nine conference rooms that seat from 15 to 300 attendees theater-style or 12 to 300 guests for meals.

Wales Millennium Centre, a performing-arts center, can also be used for conferences and special events, subject to performance schedules. The Donald Gordon Theatre holds 1,896 people in fixed seating over five levels, and - in conjunction with the foyer bars - can be used when the theater is "dark." The stage accommodates dinners for up to 450 people. In addition, there are seven function rooms that aren't subject to performance scheduling, seating 40 to 250 people theater-style and 32 to 200 for dinner.

Alternate Sites
Cardiff Castle, "the jewel in the crown of the city," dates to circa 50 AD, and is available for special events after 6 p.m. The main house accommodates up to 200 people for a buy-out. Individual rooms accommodate 120 to 150 guests for a reception, or 50 to 100 guests for dinner. The new Interpretation Center is also available for dinner for up to 70 guests.

Cardiff City Hall, opened in 1906, is an English Renaissance building that offers state-of-the-art conference facilities. Available day and evening, it offers several spaces that can be used for meetings - for 200 to 600 attendees theater-style, or 50 to 500 for meals in richly decorated rooms. You can even meet in the Council Chamber, which has fixed-arena seating for 94 people, with additional seating for 50 people in the public gallery. Plus, the hall includes 5,380 square feet of exhibit space.

The National Museum of Wales Cardiff offers a variety of meeting and event spaces, some of which are available day and evening.

The Reardon Smith Theatre accommodates 400 attendees in fixed seating. Five additional meeting rooms accommodate from 12 to 50 people theater-style. The Grand Hall accommodates 400 guests for receptions and 300 guests for a gala dinner. The hall and the art galleries can be rented on Mondays all day (when the museum is closed) or in the evening after 6 p.m. Yancey used the facility for two events. "We had a reception in the marvelous galleries before dinner in the Grand Hall," he said. "And our final session was held in the Reardon Smith Theatre, a wonderful space. Both were memorable experiences."

Hotels
Park Plaza Hotel has 129 guest rooms and approximately 8,630 square feet of meeting space. This includes two meeting suites, seating from 120 to 160 attendees theater-style or 48 to 150 guests for dinner. The Civic Suites, perfect for breakouts, seat 30 people theater-style.

The Hilton Cardiff offers 196 bedrooms, some overlooking Cardiff Castle, and seven meeting rooms that accommodate 16 to 350 attendees and up to 250 guests for banquets.

Mercure Holland House Hotel and Spa has 165 bedrooms, up to 100 of which are committable for a group. The main conference suite is divisible and seats up to 645 attendees theater-style and up to 500 for dinner. An additional 16 breakout rooms accommodate from 13 people board-room-style to 100 theater-style.

The Parc Hotel is the oldest hotel in Cardiff, dating back to 1883. Its traditional exterior defies a thoroughly modern interior. The 138 bedrooms and suites have been refurbished to the highest standards. The Parc offers 10 function suites, including two rooms that seat up to 300 people theater-style or 250 guests for dinner.

St. David's Hotel and Spa, located nine miles from downtown Cardiff on the Cardiff Bay waterfront, features 132 bedrooms, including 20 suites. The hotel has 13 meeting rooms, including the Dylan Thomas Suite (3,366 square feet), divisible into two sections, and the Roald Dahl Suite (2,620 square feet). Breakout rooms seat from 15 to 40 attendees theater-style.

The Celtic Manor Resort, located 20 miles from Cardiff, offers 400 bedrooms, including 32 suites, within two hotels - a five-star resort hotel and a traditional 19th-century manor house. The convention center accommodates up to 1,500 attendees theater-style and banquets for up to 800. The center also has 31 meeting rooms accommodating from 10 to 170 people. The adjacent exhibition hall offers an additional 12,000 square feet of space. The resort is home to three world-class golf courses and will host golf's Ryder Cup in 2010.

MANCHESTER: 'Traditional and New'
"Manchester is a great combination of traditional and new," said Leo Platt, marketing executive for Visit Manchester. "That's what the city does well." I saw evidence of this everywhere I went. Famous for its explosion of influential rock bands in the '70s and '80s, the city today is at the forefront of contemporary urban design, while still embracing its Victorian past - an original, cutting-edge city. Nowhere is this more evident than in the compact city-center convention district. In just over one square mile sit Manchester Central, a variety of hotels offering more than 2,500 beds, and Bridgewater Hall. This complex is much like a campus and can be completely secured, as it was when Britain's Labour Party held its annual convention there in 2006.

Manchester Central Convention Complex
Manchester Central Convention Complex is the new name for the Manchester International Convention Centre and the Greater Manchester Exhibition and Event Centre (GMEX), which encompass a variety of facilities:

Central Hall is a historic Victorian building that has been converted from a railway station into a 100,435-square-foot exhibition hall. The column-free building can host not only exhibitions but also plenary sessions of up to 9,000 people. The hall also can serve a dual purpose, since it can be divided into two sections of 29,876 square feet and 80,025 square feet. The newer part of the convention complex was designed to complement the historic structure. Exchange Hall has 20,273 square feet of column-free space for meetings or exhibitions; Exchange Auditorium seats 804 in fixed seating, each chair equipped with its own storable desk. Seven breakout rooms accommodate between 40 and 80 attendees theater-style. The Charter Suite features five rooms on two levels, providing for 40 to 400 attendees theater-style and 20 to 300 for meals. Renovations and additions to Manchester Central will provide for 42,680 additional square feet of meeting space by 2010.

Alternate Sites
Bridgewater Hall sits directly across from Manchester Central and is connected by an underground walkway. A performing-arts center, it provides a 1,875-seat auditorium over four levels. The Circle Foyer accommodates up to 400 guests for a reception or 350 for dinner. Other rooms accommodate 40 to 220 people theater-style and 30 to 170 for meals.

The Lowry is a visual- and performing-arts center located on the regenerated Salford Quays, just one-and-a-half miles from the center of Manchester. The venue offers a variety of spaces for conferences and special events that accommodate 50 to 300 people theater-style or 80 to 280 for lunch or dinner. The L.S. Lowry galleries accommodate receptions for up to 250 people. When "dark" for performances, the Lyric Theater, which seats 1,730 people in fixed seating, or the Quays Theater, which seats 441 guests, can be rented for conferences.

Manchester Town Hall, still a working government seat, is a Victorian Gothic building with several spaces for meetings and events. The Great Hall accommodates 500 people theater-style with staging, and 330 guests for meals. Across the hall are four rooms that seat 80 to 150 guests for meals and 100 to 200 people theater-style. In addition, seven committee rooms, ranging in size from 237 to 900 square feet, can be used when not assigned for council committee meetings.

The Monastery is another example of urban restoration. This High Victorian Gothic former friary is now a magnificent setting for events. The main space seats up to 550 people theater-style or 400 guests for banquets. The private chapel suits smaller groups, seating 50 guests theater-style or up to 40 for meals. Six other smaller rooms accommodate 10 to 30 people.

Hotels
There are more than 19,000 hotel rooms in Greater Manchester, 5,000 of them in the city center. Here are three close to Manchester Central:

The Radisson Edwardian Hotel is an example of how Manchester has blended the traditional and the new. Situated in an historic building, the interior is fresh, light, and fully modern. The hotel offers 263 sleeping rooms, including 30 suites, and flexible meeting space. The Hallé Suite, divisible into four sections, accommodates up to 400 people theater-style and 280 guests for meals. Eighteen additional meeting rooms accommodate from 12 to 170 attendees theater-style, or from eight to 90 guests for dinner.

Hilton Manchester Deansgate is housed on the lower levels of Manchester's first skyscraper. It offers 279 sleeping rooms, including four suites, and 11 meeting rooms that seat from eight to 600 attendees theater-style. The largest, the Deansgate Suite, is divisible into two sections, and accommodates up to 530 guests for a seated meal.

The Midland Hotel, a Victorian railroad hotel restored to its former glory, offers 312 guest rooms. Two main conference suites accommodate 240 to 600 attendees theater-style or 220 to 500 guests for dinner. Nine additional meeting rooms seat 30 to 120 attendees theater-style or 24 to 100 for banquets. Fun fact: It was in the Midland Hotel that Mr. Rolls met Mr. Royce.

LIVERPOOL: 'Art and Architecture'
Like Manchester, Liverpool has been a pop-music epicenter - giving birth to the Beatles and other practitioners of the Mersey Sound in the '60s. And, like Manchester, Liverpool has undergone a vivid transformation. The city's Georgian and Victorian architecture is being joined by modern, innovative structures. Its old docklands are being converted to trendy mixed-use quarters. And Liverpool has been named European Capital of Culture 2008.

Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool
On the River Mersey waterfront at King's Dock, the brand-new Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) is cutting-edge - from its high-tech offerings, to its innovative design, to its environmentally friendly operation. The facility is truly green. The lighting takes advantage of the daylight streaming into the building. Rainwater is recycled for the air-conditioning coolant, and wind power is harnessed from a bank of modern windmills that take advantage of the stiff breezes coming off the Mersey.

ACC is a conference center and an arena in one - sandwiching a glass galleria that serves as a welcoming point and registration center. The conference center has an auditorium that seats 1,350 people in fixed seating. A unique feature: The auditorium has two pods of 250 and 260 seats each that combine with the main 850-seat facility for the complete seating - all with storable tablet desks. Or, you can use the auditorium for larger sessions and the pods for simultaneous sessions. Sound, light, and audiovisual support comes with the rental. There are 18 breakout rooms seating from 28 to 500 attendees theater-style. The conference center also features a ground-level, fully carpeted, 40,801-square-foot multipurpose hall.

The arena, built primarily for concerts, is also available for conventions and exhibitions. It houses 10,600 attendees in fixed seating, with 7,500 additional seats on the arena floor. The floor offers 36,584 square feet of exhibition space, and the tiered seating can be portioned off to accommodate as few as 4,500 seats.

Alternate Sites
The Beatles Story, a living-history museum that tells the story of the Liverpudlian rock group's rise to fame, stands on Albert Dock. Rare memorabilia and several interactive exhibits are included. The museum can be available for small groups at a time (up to 50 people), or a reception for up to 60 people in a recreation of the Cavern Club, the famed subterranean club where the Beatles played hundreds of shows in the early-'60s.

The Tate Liverpool, also on Albert Dock, offers the Wolfson Gallery for special events for groups of up to 150 for a seated dinner. Nearby, the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum, which can be rented together, offer unique settings for groups.

The Liverpool Cathedral, a working Anglican church, actively solicits meetings, conventions, and exhibitions. "We reach out to the community to keep our cathedral vital," said Eryl Parry, the cathedral's director of hospitality. "We don't evangelize. It's all about art and architecture." The Main Space, the center of the cathedral, accommodates 1,450 seated or 2,000 standing, while the Lady Chapel can host 300 guests for a reception or 200 people for dinner. Events can be scheduled after 6 p.m.

Neoclassical St. George's Hall offers the Small Concert Hall, which has 284 fixed seats, with an additional 132 moveable chairs on the floor. For dinner, Smart accommodates 80 guests. Nearby, small suites also are available. The richly decorated Great Hall features a vaulted ceiling and a world-famous Willis Organ. It accommodates up to 1,000 guests theater-style or 500 for dinner, and also can be used for exhibits.

Hotels and Attractions Near ACC
The ACC site offers more than 450 bedrooms in four nearby hotels. In addition, there are more than 5,000 bedrooms available in Liverpool City, including university housing. King's Dock is connected by footbridges to Albert Dock, the site of numerous restaurants, retail outlets, and museums of note.

GLASGOW: 'A Hip, Modern City'
Or, you might want to set your sights north, toward the rugged beauty of Scotland and the post-industrial renaissance of its largest city. "Glasgow has a good number of museums and sites steeped in history," Johnson said. "Alongside those are contemporary structures like the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre [SECC], as well as the Glasgow Science Centre and the offices of the BBC. It is a striking combination that works effectively. There are a number of hotels, all of which have the amenities an American traveler would expect." Onustack added: "It's a hip, modern city in close proximity to many areas that people want to visit."

Both planners cited another reason for selecting Glasgow: its long history of being a location where medical discoveries have taken place. "It has always been a center for medicine," Johnson noted, "and makes a great destination for this reason." Plus, there's the support their organizations got on the ground. "The convention bureau in Glasgow has been tremendous to work with, very involved and hands on throughout the entire process," Johnson said. "To me, they were more like a DMC than a CVB in terms of service."

SECC
"We wanted a facility large enough for our diverse needs, with as much flexibility as possible," Onustack said. "The SECC fit the bill." The SECC is Britain's largest integrated conference and exhibiton center. Its Clyde Auditorium accommodates 3,000 people in fixed seating. In addition, there are 31 breakout rooms that seat from 30 to 300 attendees - including the two-level Loch Suite, which features the Lomond Auditorium, accommodating 624 people in tiered and floor seating, and six additional rooms, ranging in capacity from 30 to 220 people. What's more, Halls 1 and 2 are directly adjacent to the Loch Suite, providing 33,248 square feet of exhibiton or meeting space. In all, the SECC has 220,000 square feet of column-free exhibition space. Halls 3-5 open into one another to provide 190,000 square feet of exhibition or meeting space. These three halls can seat up to 19,000 people theater-style.

High-tech audiovisual support, including computer-managed presentation technology, equipment, and security, come with the fee. "Every planner I talked with in advance raved about the way the SECC staff handles events," Onustack said, "and they were right."

The SECC is located at Glasgow's city center and is easily accessible via the facility's own train station, with future plans for a light rail. In addition, the SECC has announced a master plan that includes the construction of the 12,500-seat Scottish National Arena, due for completion in 2011.

Alternate Sites
The Glengoyne Distillery welcomes groups for tours, tastings, blendings, receptions, and banquets. The Reception Room accommodates 40 guests for lunch or dinner. It's adjacent to a covered balcony that overlooks the distillery's waterfall, where your guests can enjoy a reception before their meal.

House for an Art Lover, a minimalist art-deco house designed by famous Glasgow architect, designer, and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, provides rooms that accommodate up to 170 guests for lunch or dinner. The Music Room accommodates 110 guests theater-style or 80 people for meals. Two other spaces seat 60 to 80 guests theater-style or 50 to 60 people for dinner.

The Glasgow Science Centre, an interactive science attraction, accommodates up to 2,500 people for receptions, 400 for dinners, and 380 for conferences. Want to add pyrotechnics to your event? The Science Centre permits indoor fireworks. The outside terrace can also be used for receptions. The Science Centre features the only IMAX Theater in Scotland, with 380 seats, and both a 120-seat Planetarium and a Science Show Theatre. "We used the Science Centre for an informal reception for our younger members, with a piper marching us over from the SECC," Onustack said. "It was a great experience for our trainees."

"The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has one of the most extensive collections of art and artifacts in Europe," Johnson said. "We will be holding a gala dinner there." The museum offers the Great Hall for dinners for up to 500 people, and 1,000 for a reception. Or, you can choose to have your reception on the upper floors overlooking the Great Hall, where attendees can appreciate the richly decorated vaulted ceiling and organ. And your guests can visit the galleries during the reception.

Hotels There are more than 17,212 sleeping rooms in Glasgow, including university housing; 5,500-plus are within two miles of the SECC.

The Crowne Plaza Glasgow, just 40 yards from the SECC and connected by covered walkways, offers 283 rooms, including 15 suites. Fifteen conference rooms are located in a dedicated wing. These include the 6,500-square-foot Argyll Suite and the 2,253-square-foot Castle Suite, both divisible into three sections, and the 2,272-square-foot Island Suite, which is divisible into four sections.

The Radisson SAS Hotel offers 249 rooms, including 15 suites and one apartment. Fifteen meeting rooms range in size from 366 to 6,262 square feet. The largest is divisible into three sections, and accommodates 800 people theater-style or 500 guests for dinner.

The Hilton Grosvenor Glasgow, located in the city's trendy West End, features 96 bedrooms, 70 of which are commitable to groups. The six meeting rooms are all on one level, along with the lobby bar, which can be used for refreshment breaks. The Grosvenor Room accommodates 450 people theater-style or 280 guests for meals. The Botanic Suite seats 120 people theater-style or 100 guests for dinner. The neighboring Kibble (divisible into two) and Kelvin Suites share a breakout area with the Botanic Suite.

Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens, located in a row of five Victorian townhomes connected together in the West End, feels more like a home than a hotel. It offers 49 individually designed bedrooms and four meeting rooms, the largest of which can accommodate 70 people theater-style or 50 guests for dinner.

De Vere Cameron House Hotel - on the banks of Loch Lomond, 35 minutes from Glasgow and 20 minutes from Glasgow International Airport - is a country-house hotel that has been tastefully enlarged to offer 128 bedrooms, including 26 suites. The hotel features 10 meeting rooms, the largest of which seats 300 people theater-style or 240 guests for meals, and is divisible into two sections. The other meeting rooms vary in size, seating from 15 to 50 attendees theater-style. And, give your group a truly unique experience at the Carrick golf course, where the front nine holes are in Scotland's lowlands and the back nine are in its highlands.

Hello to All That
To the south is the English Channel; to the north and west, the Atlantic Ocean; and to the east, the North Sea. In the middle is the eighth-largest island in the world, spanning four countries, 60 million people, and thousands of years of history and culture. During my visit to Great Britain and five of its magnificent cities, I felt as if I were only scratching the surface of a meeting planner's dream destination.

Fortunately, each of Britain's destination marketing organizations provides a wealth of services - finding the best venues for your conference, arranging site visits, helping with attendance  promotion and publicity, providing housing and booking services, distributing RFPs, putting you in touch with on-site suppliers (including DMCs and PCOs), arranging for delegate travel services, introducing you to special-event sites, and providing custom-prepared bid presentations to your board.

"For all the extra time you put into planning a meeting in Britatin, the payoff is incredible," Wilkins said.  "With the mix of traditional and modern, it provides a great experience for your delegates." Cassilly belives that "international events and meeting planner play a very significant and vital role in global trade in the most cost-efficient way possible." Her advice to planners sitting on the fence? "Just do it. Go abroad. And work with your Visit Britain partners to be sure you do it right."

Contributing Editor Sara Torrence, CMP, is the president of Sara Torrence & Associates, a meeting- and events-planning consulting firm in Gaithersburg, Md. She is the author of How to Run Scientific and Technical Meetings.