New venue for Annual Dinner 2018

In keeping with the principles of ‘good governance’ The President and Council of Leeds Institute are continually looking for ideas as to how our events can best be delivered to members. Following a review of our Annual Dinner arrangements we will be ringing the changes for this year’s Dinner, which takes place on Friday 2 November 2018.

Members attending last year’s Dinner will recall that then-President David Ross made changes to the format by doing away with the ‘top table’ concept, which many felt to be outdated. Also some of the formalities were completed before the meal itself to give maximum time to the guest speaker and after-dinner networking.

During the winter we took the opportunity to review the entire Dinner experience. As part of this process we were invited to visit the Royal Armouries, where we were blown away by the features available in the New Dock Hall.

Established in Leeds for over 20 years, The Royal Armouries is an internationally renowned venue attracting up to 2 million visitors each year from all over the world. There is virtually unlimited capacity, with plenty of space between tables! The facilities for pre-dinner entertainment, audio-visual display and the VIP area are quite stunning. The area is well served by a variety of hotels, bars etc and we are looking into the provision of transport from the city centre.

This decision is no reflection on the service provided by the Queens Hotel, which has served us well over many years. We retain a close relationship with the Queens and will continue to work with them in other areas.

We are sure that members and their guests will be hugely impressed with the new venue. Planning is already under way so please look out for further communications. Existing and new connections are most welcome to contact us for further details. Individual members wishing to attend in their own right will receive an especially warm welcome.

To register your interest please email Leedsinstitute@cii.co.uk

Bernard Thornton FCII
Dinner Secretary