Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire
Just your cup of tea
- 40% of the UK population live within a two-hour drive of Staffordshire, making it a great English county to hold your next event.
- The largest city in Staffordshire is Stoke-on-Trent, affectionately known as The Potteries due to its ceramics history and expertise.
- Groups can try their hand at the potter’s wheel, visit authentic Victorian pottery factories or dine on locally-made Wedgwood china.
- Other major towns include Stafford, Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Tamworth.
- Stoke-on-Trent is blessed with beautiful surrounding countryside, where you’ll find castles, country houses and theme parks, all of which offer first-class facilities for hosting conferences, events and incentives.
Getting here
Staffordshire’s venues, hotels and attractions are flanked by two major UK motorways, providing fast access to the county’s towns and cities.
BY PLANE
Three international airports:
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Nottingham East Midlands is under an hour to Staffordshire. It serves Edinburgh, Belfast, Glasgow and over 80 European destinations.
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Birmingham International is an hour south of Staffordshire and serves global destinations.
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Manchester International is an hour north of Staffordshire. It is one of the UK’s busiest airports and is directly connected to over 200 global destinations.
BY TRAIN
Under 50 minutes from Birmingham or Manchester Airport and under 90 minutes from London.
BY CAR
One-hour drive from Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham East Midlands Airport.
Expertise
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CeramicsAs well as advanced manufacturing operations, ceramics is still a key sector in the area, with Stoke-on-Trent in particular boasting a rich history stretching back to the 17th Century. The traditional Wedgewood and Burleigh potteries still operate today and Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramics industry continues to thrive with the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone. As well as high-end manufacturing, the ceramic skills base has attracted a growing number of specialised companies including Biocomposites and Mantec Technical Ceramics.
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Agricultural technologyStaffordshire and the broader Midlands region has the UK’s largest concentration of food processors and supply chain companies (including Pepsico, Mondelez and Müller), and is home to world-class centres of excellence supporting the agri-food industry. Agri-tech is not just limited to crop farming either. Keele University has partnered with Harper Adams University to establish a joint veterinary school. From 2020, the vet school will build on the research specialisms in agriculture and animal sciences at Harper Adams University, complemented by Keele University’s established track-record in the fields of life sciences and medicine. |
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EnergyMany of the major firms involved in the energy transmission supply chain, such as GE Power Conversion, ABB and Siemens Wind Power are all located in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. GE’s Staffordshire training facilities include generator and steam turbine engineering training centres, a state-of-the-art welding facility, and a world-class lifting and rigging facility. Siemens Research Centre at Keele University is a significant investment in wind power research and development. The centre specialises in developing power converter technology, which converts and controls the electrical power from wind turbine generators into a form compatible with the electricity grid. |
Where to stay
Stoke-on-Trent has an abundance of quality accommodation, with 5,050 bedrooms available in the city and more across the Staffordshire county. From a converted silk mill, set amongst the Peak District’s most beautiful scenery, fantastically themed hotels, first-class country houses and a luxury AA-Inspectors Choice hotel in a prestigious setting, Staffordshire hotels really could be ‘just your cup of tea’.
Venues
Every Staffordshire venue is unique in its own way, from theme parks to ceramic attractions, academic centres of excellence to centres of sporting prowess.
Incentives
From making a china pot and sampling beer, to white knuckle rides, sporting events, and touring historic houses, Staffordshire has something to appeal to every incentive programme.
Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent Conference Bureau
Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent Conference Bureau offers a free and impartial service that’s been going for 21 years. The team can recommend nearly 40 different venues across the county. They boast unrivalled local knowledge, up-to-date information and can even help with accommodation booking and suggestions for partner programmes.
