The county of Devon has long been epitomized as an exquisite holiday destination being recognised worldwide as the English Riviera.

Meeting planners, however, regard Devon as an exceptional conference destination offering a vast variety of meeting venues able to cater for all conferences, meetings and events with prime locations including Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Barnstaple, Bideford and Newton Abbot.

Devon is one of England’s largest counties and boasts 2 separate coastlines, with over half of the natural landscape being protected or designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, making it an ideal escape destination for conference retreats, secluded strategy meetings and of course teambuilding events and corporate activities on both land and water. With conference venues ranging from city centre meeting rooms and rural country house hotels to state-of-the-art conference centres and historic buildings, Devon meets the requirements of even the most demanding conference organiser whilst offering meeting delegates a spectacular and diverse setting.

Despite the feeling of getting away from it all, Devon is easy for conference delegates to reach having excellent transport links to, from and within the county. By road, the M5 runs into Exeter and links with major motorways including the M4 whilst A roads such as the A361, A30 and A38 connect to other main locations including Plymouth. Served by trains from across the country, there are regular services from London Paddington and Waterloo whilst international meeting delegates can take advantage of Exeter International Airport. A business and pleasure destination, Devon provides the ideal venue whether hosting a major conference or exhibition, large corporate event, small banquet or wedding.

Devon county meeting venues offer versatile conference and banqueting facilities being able to accommodate both large and small delegate groups depending on the needs of the meeting planner. For example, outstanding conference and exhibition centres such as the award-winning Exeter Conference Centre and the Riviera International Centre, which boasts a glowing reputation built on 20 years experience of hosting successful corporate events, and academic venues such as Exeter University and the University of Exeter provide vast meeting spaces with capacity for up to 1,500 delegates alongside smaller meeting rooms and exhibition spaces. A variety of sporting venues within the county also cater for first class conferences, meetings, training events and weddings such as Newtown Abbot Racecourse and Conference Centre, Exeter Racecourse and Exeter City Football Club. Cultural venues well equipped with state-of-the-art conference and event technology and experience in providing flexible spaces to suit diverse corporate needs include the striking Plymouth Pavilions, Athenaeum and Theatre Royal as well as Barnstaple’s Queen’s Theatre Complex, Torquay’s Princess Theatre, Bideford’s The Plough Arts Centre and the multi-purpose Exeter Corn Exchange. Historic venues such as stately home Ugbrooke Park in Newton Abbot, Crownhill Fort in Plymouth and Bovey Castle in Exeter provide a diverse range of meeting and conference rooms which make spectacular backdrops for weddings, conferences and corporate hospitality events, whilst unusual venues such as Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium will also certainly impress delegates. Devon hotels are known to provide exceptional meeting facilities, often also catering for teambuilding events and corporate activities, whether rural country house hotels, historic buildings or modern town centre venues, such as the Northcote Manor Hotel in Barnstaple ideal for intimate conference retreats, the hill top situated Durrant House Hotel in Bideford with its 7 meeting and banqueting suites, Ilsington Country House Hotel set in Dartmoor National Park, or the prestigious Palace Hotel Torquay incorporating the 1,300sqm Arena suited to large exhibitions, conferences, training and corporate events. Major hotel groups represented in Devon include Barcelo Hotels and Resorts, Thistle Hotels, Choice Hotels, Akkeron Hotels and Holiday Inn.

All in all, the county of Devon offers something for everyone, from the most discerning meeting planner to the most adventurous conference delegate, in a remarkable area sure to inspire.