Information for Organisations at Welsh Lib Dem Spring Conference 2025

Holiday Inn, Cardiff City Centre
Castle Street, Cardiff, CF10 1XD

Friday 4^th – Sunday 6^th April 2025

Schedule Overview

• Friday, 4th April – Q&A with Jane Dodds MS and David Chadwick MP in the afternoon, followed by a Welcome Party for party members in the evening.
• Saturday, 5th April – A full day of Conference sessions, concluding with the Conference Dinner in the evening.
• Sunday, 6th April – Conference continues throughout the day, wrapping up mid-afternoon.

The Provisional Agenda was published at the end of February. The final agenda, which will include new motions and other items, will be available on Monday, 31st March at www.libdems.wales/conference/agenda.

When you arrive, please check in at the Conference Registration Desk on the first floor of the Holiday Inn, Cardiff City Centre. The desk is located at the top of the stairs or to the left as you exit the lift.

If you have already provided attendee names, your Conference badges will be ready for collection. If not, please send the names as soon as possible.

We encourage everyone to travel to the Confernece by public transport.

Drop Off

If you are just dropping anything off at the venue you can park in area outside the hotel entrance. Please let the hotel reception know that this is what you're doing before heading upstairs.

Holiday Inn Parking

• Cost: £10 per day or £15 for 24 hours. Please speak to the hotel reception upon arrival.

Nearby Car Parks

For additional parking options, the following car parks are within walking distance of the venue:

• Sophia Gardens Car Park
• Cardiff Arms Park Car Park
• NCP Cardiff Stadium Car Park
• NCP Cardiff Westgate Street Car Park

Please note that all these car parks charge a fee, and some may require pre-booking.

All Observers, including those with complimentary passes such as for exhibition stands and fringe meetings, are invited to a Question & Answer session with Jane Dodds and David Chadwick on Friday, 4^th April at 4:30pm in the Conference Hall.

The session will last around an hour. A complimentary drink will be provided, and the bar will be open for further purchases.

A full list of exhibition stands is available at www.libdems.wales/conference/exhibition. If you’ve booked a stand but are not listed, or if you need to update your details, please contact us urgently.

Set-Up Times

If you have booked an exhibition stand, you can set up during one of the following slots:

• Friday, 4th April: 3:00pm – 5:00pm
• Saturday, 5th April: From 8:00am

Please let us know your expected arrival time, and a member of our team will meet you at the registration desk.

Opening Hours

We ask that stands remain open during the following times:

• Saturday, 5th April: 9:30am – 4:30pm
• Sunday, 6th April: 10:00am – 1:00pm

If you are unable to staff your stand for the full duration, please inform us in advance.

Security & Storage

The exhibition area spans two spaces—one will be locked overnight, while the other remains publicly accessible. If your stand includes valuables, please let us know so we can place you in the lockable area or arrange secure storage.

A full list of Fringe and Breakout Meetings is available at www.libdems.wales/conference/fringes.

All meetings take place on the first floor of the Holiday Inn, just down the corridor from the exhibition and conference hall.

Set-Up Time

Rooms will be available for set-up 30 minutes before your scheduled fringe event. A member of our team will be at the conference registration desk to direct you.

Catering

If you require catering for your fringe event, please contact Tommy McFarland at the Holiday Inn:
Email: tommy.mcfarland@hicardiffcitycentre.co.uk
Telephone: 029 2034 7206

Lunch Options

• Enhanced Finger Buffet – £18.95 per person
• Basic Sandwich Lunch – £9.95 per person

Tea & Coffee Options

• Tea, Coffee & Cookies – £2.50 per serving
• Tea, Coffee & Cake – £5.75 per serving

Other Drink Options

• Jugs of Juice – £8 per jug
• Prosecco – £6.50 per flute
• Bottled Lager – from £5.85 per bottle

Fringe rooms can hold up to 50 people, but we recommend planning for around 30 when ordering catering.

When and Where

• Venue: Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre
• Date: Saturday, 5th April 2025
• Time: Drinks reception at 6:45pm, dinner at 7:30pm.

A small number of tickets are still available if you wish to attend.

Guest Speaker: Tom Gordon MP

Tom Gordon is the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, elected in July 2024 after defeating the Conservatives with a majority of over eight thousand.

His political career began as a councillor in Newcastle before he became the first Liberal Democrat elected to Wakefield Council since 2011. He also stood in the 2019 General Election and the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election.

Tom’s path to Westminster brought him to Wales ahead of the last Senedd election, where he served as the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ Campaign Manager.

It’ll be interesting to hear about his journey to winning a parliamentary seat, how he found campaigning in Wales, and his experiences from his first year in Westminster.

Dinner Menu

Please let us know your menu choices, or if you have any dietary requirements, as soon as possible.

Starter

• Chicken Liver Parfait
  Red onion chutney, roquette salad, garlic croutons
• Leek & Potato Soup (V)
  Crispy leeks

Main Course

• Roasted Pork Loin
  Apple creamed potato, star anise roasted carrot, savoy cabbage, broccolu, Asian infused sauce
• Lemon and Tarragon Butter Roasted Pollock
  Dauphinois potato, green bean, wilted spinach, tomato and white wine cream sauce
• Roasted Butternut Squash (V)
  Grilled Mediterranean vegetable tagine, basmati rice

Dessert

• Chocolate Brownie (V)
  Cookie cream, chocolate sauce
• Raspberry and Almond Tart (V)
  Caramelised pineapple, passionfruit coulis
• Fresh fruit salad (V)