Destination Birmingham: Annual Conference 2018

22 February 2018

Birmingham Centenary Square

The Microbiology Society’s Annual Conference 2018 is taking place in Birmingham this year, and we have a packed scientific programme, expanded professional development programme, improved facilities and a range of social activities in place as part of the Conference.

Birmingham is easily reached from both within and outside the UK. Birmingham Airport serves over 150 direct flight destinations, both international and domestic, and is only 10 miles away from Birmingham city centre. A regular train service from the airport takes you directly to Birmingham New Street station, and is only a 10-minute ride. New Street station, fully redeveloped in 2015, is a major transport hub with trains coming in from London Euston, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly, and plenty more. If you are considering driving, being in the heart of Britain means the city is linked by many motorways, including the M5 and M6, and the M1 is less than 30 minutes away. See the Visit Birmingham website for further details on getting to Birmingham.

Getting around

Once you have arrived, there are many ways of getting around Birmingham, including public transport, taxis, or even on foot. There is a large bus and tram network, linking a variety of popular locations – find out more on the Network West Midlands website, including timetables and a journey planner. Birmingham also has its own fleet of black cabs that can be hailed in the street or reached at one of the many taxi ranks dotted around the city. Looking for greener ways to travel? Birmingham launched a self-service bike hire scheme for Brompton folding bikes, which are available to collect from near Birmingham New Street station and Brindleyplace, just beside the Conference venue, the ICC Birmingham. Alternatively, Birmingham is well suited to exploration on foot, and there are plenty of restaurants, bars and other sights to visit within walking distance of the ICC.

Accommodation and facilities

For your ease, accommodation options to suit all budgets have been reserved by the Society’s partners, Reservation Highway, and these can be booked online through their website. The Society has listened to feedback from previous Conferences and has teamed up with Nipperbout this year to provide a free crèche at the Annual Conference. The crèche will be available to all children of delegates between the ages of 0 to 12 years. We are also providing a nursing room, cloakroom and prayer room – find out more on the Annual Conference page.

Extending your stay

Being the second-largest city in the UK, Birmingham has lots to offer outside of Conference too, whether you are a sports fan, a history buff, or simply enjoy a spot of shopping and plan to stay over the weekend too.

Just across the canal from the ICC is the National SEA LIFE Centre, perfect for visitors who want to keep their children amused or simply love penguins, sharks, octopuses and otters. If you would like to indulge in some shopping during Conference downtime, the famous Bullring shopping centre is under 20 minutes’ walk away from the ICC Birmingham. Feeling peckish but want to try something local? Nearby under Digbeth’s railway arches, a variety of street food vendors pop up shop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 16:00–23:00.

Those interested in sports may already know that Edgbaston Cricket Ground is just outside the city centre. Villa Park, home to Aston Villa Football Club, is nearby too although bear in mind that there will be two home games taking place on Tuesday 10 April and Saturday 14 April. Other local clubs include Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, whose stadiums are all within easy reach of the city centre.

If you plan to extend your trip to Birmingham, there are many more attractions to see a bit further out from the city centre. Aston Hall is a stunning, Grade I listed mansion from the Jacobean era that is now a community museum. Interested in J.R.R. Tolkien? It is believed Birmingham served as inspiration for Middle Earth, in particular Sarehole Mill – a 250-year-old working watermill – and Moseley Bog, which Tolkien based his description of the Old Forest on. For Peaky Blinders and other history fans, the Black Country Living Museum takes visitors through 300 years of Midlands history and is only a 17-minute direct train ride away. To the south of the city, the village of Bournville may sound familiar – it was built by the Cadbury family at the end of the 19th century, specifically for their chocolate factory workers. As such, the Cadbury World attraction is situated here and takes visitors through the history of Cadbury’s chocolate.

Register now for the event on the Annual Conference 2018’s page. Booking closes on Monday 19 March.


Image: BCFC/Thinkstock.