If you are responsible for organising client events, you know how difficult it is to find new and exciting venues time after time. So to help and hopefully inspire you, here are some suggestions for interesting and unusual venues selected from our extensive Supplier Directory where you will find lots more ideas:

Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, London's latest party venue, opened to the public in April 2001 after a £1.5 million restoration. With dramatic views down the Mall and across central London from spacious balconies, it can cater for events for up to 70 people.

The neoclassical arch, England's answer to the Arc de Triomphe, was first erected in 1826 as a grand entrance to Buckingham Palace. From 1846, it was topped with a huge equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, but a major road widening of Piccadilly in 1882 led to its removal to Aldershot. In 1912, the magnificent statue 'Peace Descending on the Quadriga of War' was placed on top of the Arch and remains today the largest bronze sculpture in the country. In more recent times, this monument served time as the smallest police station in the city when, in the 1950s, it was occupied by ten constables, two sergeants and a cat!

Contact: Charles Brook, Email: Click here

This Millennium Landmark Project in Leicester, supported by £28m from the Millennium Commission, only opened at the end of June and is the UK's only attraction dedicated to space science and astronomy. From the minute you catch sight of the Space Centre's futuristic Rocket Tower, you'll find yourself immersed in an awe-inspiring journey, taking in five differently themed galleries, seeing amazing space rockets, satellites and capsules, taking part in interactive hands-on activities and experiencing the latest in audio-visual technology.

Fast-becoming a top visitor attraction by day, at night the Space Centre is available for all kinds of functions including dining, receptions, product launches and seminars for up to 500 people. You can hire the whole attraction, a banqueting suite, or the amazing domed multimedia Space Theatre.

Contact: Jo Higgins, Email: Click here

Namco Station in London's County Hall offers fun and games on a massive scale for events for 20-2000 people. Corporate clients can choose from a combination of three hire options, which include unlimited freeplay on the latest video games and simulators, including Downhill Ski-ing, Skateboarding, Life-size Motorbikes, Grand Prix Racing, Horse Racing and Soccer.

As well as having over 250 video games and simulators, Namco has Europe's fastest bumper cars, Pinpoint Shooting (the first ever long-distance laser shooting game), Techno Bowl (ten pin bowling in the infinite darkness of space using ultraviolet light) and an American Pool Hall.

Contact: Amy Price, Email: Click here

The Anfield complex provides a range of suites in its two main hospitality areas, the Main Stand and the Centenary Stand and, when available, the TV studio offers a unique venue for entertaining guests and enjoying the match. In addition, a tour of the Anfield Museum can add an extra dimension to your event. The museum has four full-sized European Cups displayed with match shirts, newspapers and memorabilia from the winning matches that capture the excitement of those record-breaking days. The club has also recreated Bill Shankly's 1965 dressing room so you can step back in time and feel the exhilaration of a team on the up and up.

Contact: Candice Jones, Email: Click here

Cutty Sark at Greenwich is now the world's sole surviving tea clipper. Launched on 22 November 1869 from Scott and Linton's shipyard at Dumbarton on the Clyde, she bore a name that became famous throughout the world and won a place in the hearts of British seamen second only to Nelson's Victory.

Since opening to the public in 1957, Cutty Sark has welcomed more than 15 million visitors on board. She is a unique venue for corporate functions when clients have exclusive hire and access to all public areas and can choose a bespoke evening of cuisine and musical entertainment as part of the new Cutty Sark Experience, which offers the venue specific theme of 'Ports of Call of Cutty Sark'.

The ship is owned by the Cutty Sark Trust and is operated as a museum ship without government or local government support. To support future restoration work, a special fundraising event is being held on 22 November 2001, Cutty Sark's 132rd birthday.

Contact: Helen Jones, Email: Click here

A steam-hauled train along the beautiful Severn valley provides a most unusual venue. The Severn Valley Railway, a full-size standard-gauge line running regular steam-hauled trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and the medieval market town of Bridgnorth in Shropshire, has played host to many corporate events, dinners and parties over the years.

The railway's route follows the meandering course of the River Severn for most of the way, crossing the river over the Victoria Bridge, a massive 200-foot single span, high above the water, and passing through picturesque scenery and quaint 'olde worlde' country stations.

Contact: Pauline Stribble-Hill, Email: Click here