Our newest Silver member is the British Motor Museum, offering superb event facilities and inspiring stories of the UK's automotive heritage in the heart of the country.
The British Motor Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of historic British cars.
Located in the West Midlands, just 10 miles from Leamington Spa and one mile from Junction 12 of the M40, the museum boasts almost 300 vehicles in its collection which span the classic, vintage and veteran eras.
The museum opened in 1993 as the amalgamation of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s preserved car collection.
The Trust had decided that its car collection and artefacts were outgrowing its then two locations, Studley in Warwickshire and Syon Park, London.
A dedicated purpose-built residence was needed to ensure the collection could be viewed by the public. It was the Trust’s mission to keep the memory of the British motor industry alive and to tell its story to all, starting from the beginning of the 20th Century to present day. So a building was designed that not only housed the cars and its extensive motoring archive, but also had educational and conference facilities, thus ensuring its sustainability.
The Heritage Motor Centre, as it was first known, opened in May 1993.
The museum underwent a £1.1million refurbishment over the winter of 2015 and reopened in February 2016 as The British Motor Museum.
However, it’s so much more than a museum dedicated to the history of the UK car industry. From a comprehensive archive and picture library, education and learning programmes, a calendar of specialist motoring events, clubs, rallies, and group visits, to weddings, corporate team building and conference facilities, there is a lot more at the venue to be discovered.
Its modern and flexible conference facilities can accommodate meetings for between five and 600 delegates.
The venue also offers up to 1,500sqm of exhibition space, while its landscaped grounds and external event space is licensed for up to 5,000 visitors.
The Conference and Exhibition Suite is ideal for larger self-contained meetings, with its own dedicated entrance and private reception area complete with registration desk and private toilets.
The conference suite seats up to 600 delegates in a theatre-style layout. It’s ground level, and has wide access doors to allow for vehicle access or large stage sets.
One of the highlights of the museum’s event space is the self-contained 360sqm Sky Suite on the top floor (pictured below). It features panoramic windows, rooftop balconies and beautiful views of the Warwickshire countryside and has a capacity for 250 delegates theatre-style.
There’s also a number of smaller meeting rooms for up to 50 delegates and three lecture rooms that flow from the Conference & Exhibition Suite, making them ideal for providing additional exhibition or networking space.
Lecture Room One seats up to 100 delegates theatre style, with the flexibility of interconnecting doors with Lecture Room Two, and can accommodate a vehicle so is ideal for car launches.
Lecture Room Three seats up to 100 delegates theatre style and is ideal as a meeting or breakout room.
The museum’s day delegate packages start from just £40 and include entrance to the museum’s collection. A number of temporary automotive exhibitions are held at the museum throughout the year so check with the venue to see what coincides with your event dates.
From its earliest days, the British motor industry has been a vital part of the economy and the lives of people living in the Midlands. Experience their stories and use the creativity of the British motor industry to inspire your event audiences.
By Mike Fletcher