The AMA conference 2009 is being held at Curve Theatre, Leicester’s new state of the art venue, designed by the world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly.

The theatre is based in the heart of the emerging Cultural Quarter on Rutland Street. Curve Theatre features two auditoria: a main auditorium with up to 800 fixed seats and a studio that seats up to 400 people.

When the 32-tonne steel walls separating the stage and the foyer are lifted, the stage becomes visible from street level. The stunning glass façade encloses a magnificent open plan foyer with views onto the café, bars, backstage area, and across the stage.

For more information about Curve Theatre please visit www.curveonline.co.uk.
For directions please click here.

1. Leicester is the most populous city in the East Midlands, with an estimated population of 285,100.



2. The name ‘Leicester’ derives from the words ‘castra’ and ‘Ligore’, meaning a camp on the River Legro, an early name for the River Soar where the city lies.



3. The city’s motto, Semper Eadem, was the motto of Queen Elizabeth I, who granted a royal charter to the city. It means ‘always the same’, but with positive overtones meaning unchanging, reliable or dependable.



4. There are around 70 languages spoken in the city alongside English. In primary schools in Leicester, English is not the preferred language of 45% of pupils – a proportion that’s significantly higher than other cities within the UK.



5. The first Walkers crisps production line was opened in the empty upper storey of Henry Walker's Oxford Street factory in Leicester.



6. Leicester Market is the largest outdoor covered marketplace in Europe.



7. Leicester is home to the National Space Centre, one of the UK’s leading visitor attractions. The Beagle 2 Mars spacecraft was controlled from the centre’s Landing Operations Control Centre.



8. Leicester hosts an annual Pride Parade (Leicester Pride), a Caribbean carnival (the largest in the UK outside London), the largest Diwali celebrations outside of India and the largest comedy festival in the UK (Leicester Comedy Festival).



9. Leicester Tigers are one of the most successful rugby union teams in Europe, having won the European cup twice, the first tier of English rugby seven times, and the Anglo-Welsh cup six times.



10. Monty Python’s Graham Chapman was born in Leicester in January 1941.

Leicester city centre has some great hidden gems. While walking to and from your hotel, look up - many of the buildings have some great architectural touches on the floors above the usual chainstore fascias eg High Street, The Elephant Cafe. If you fancy a bit of peace and quiet, take a stroll down New Walk away from the traffic and if you arrive by train, turn around to see the railway station facade - a reminder of the days when travelling by train was a grand event. And finally, enjoy some fabulous Asian food - Belgrave Road and London Road both have loads of great curry houses.

Gillian Garratt, Marketing Manager, The Richard Attenborough Centre (University of Leicester)