We always think twice before suggesting a football stadium for a conference. They tend to unleash tribal loyalties which can affect attendances and hence the success of an event. So it proved last week when I was invited to sample the new menus at Old Trafford. It is a tough job but someone has to do it. I hadn’t seen their new meeting rooms before, particularly the 1200-seater Manchester Suite. It seemed like a good idea to go along reacquaint myself with the Club’s conference package. This was much to the disgust of a colleague, a passionate Manchester City supporter.
The event involved checking the located on three sides of the ground with diversions such as a pitch side inspection and a trophy cabinet viewing. However, because there was a food and drink station at each stopping point, the meeting facilities didn’t seem quite as disjointed, as would otherwise be the case. But that is just carping. The facilities are extensive and very good. Manchester United was one of the first to ‘set out its stall’ to attract the corporate meetings market and they do it very well. Nonetheless, I hadn’t realised quite what an attraction the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has now become. There were plenty of tourists inside and outside the ground.
The conference team at the club did a good job on the day. It was a useful visit and the food and drink were quite good as well. Following Manchester United’s two recent league defeats, my colleague is now convinced my visit has put a curse on the club. ‘Would it be possible for you to go down every Friday afternoon and perhaps squeeze in a weekly visit to Stamford Bridge and the Emirates Stadium as well?’ he now wants to know.