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Gleneagles Arena headed for Ryder Cup host

Hot on the heels of hosting a successful Ryder Cup, The Gleneagles Hotel has revealed plans for a new 2500 square metre event space – The Gleneagles Arena.

Located within Gleneagles’ 850 acre estate, as part of its Activity School complex, the Gleneagles Arena will transform one of its current equestrian arenas into a modern and versatile event space which also doubles as a four-court indoor tennis centre.

Due to launch in spring 2015, the new space will be perfect for conferences, exhibitions, product launches, concerts and team-building events.

With capacity for 500–2,000 guests, the five-star resort will now be able to accommodate much larger groups.

Its key features include a floor space of 2,500 square metres, a new combined reception and retail area, and 650 viewing seats.

Stuart Smith, Gleneagles director of events and leisure, said: “After celebrating our 90th anniversary and hosting The Ryder Cup, this has been one of the most memorable years in Gleneagles history, and we are delighted that we’ll be able to keep the momentum going in 2015 with the launch of this fantastic new events space.

“It’s going to be an amazing blank canvas for all kinds of events – from car launches, to concerts, to foodie extravaganzas.

“With 232 luxury bedrooms, fourteen function rooms and a wide range of leisure activities, Gleneagles already attracts some really high-profile, exciting events.

“The Gleneagles Arena will simply take us to the next level, meaning we can handle larger groups, and hopefully stage many more world-class events in the coming years.”

The Gleneagles Arena project represents a £650,000 investment, the latest in a long line of recent upgrades.

These have included a £5 million refurbishment of The Club earlier in 2014, a £3 million overhaul of the Dormy Clubhouse in 2011, the installation of The Blue Bar - a new outdoor whisky and cigar bar - in the same year, and a £1 million investment in its PGA Centenary Course in 2012.

Earlier this month, Gleneagles - which is considered Scotland’s Leading Resort by the World Travel Awards - also completed a £250,000 refurbishment of its flagship conference venue, The Gleneagles Suite.