Grand old palace for conferences

The 1393-seat Regent on Broadway in Palmerston North - opened in 1930 - has new conference and function facilities.

For its reopening in 1998 the original magnificent interior was recreated to "bring back the timeless elegance of this grand facility," says its general manager Bruce Warwick.

The opulent neo-classical picture palace was built in a renaissance style "that is pure escapism," he says. The grand lobby is barrel-vaulted and a stunning marble staircase leads up to the mezzanine enroute to the circle.

The stalls area of the auditorium holds 721 people and the first 200 front seats can be moved for dancing or display purposes.

Regent on Broadway has three ample-sized breakout rooms and its 12m by 12m foyer and mezzanine areas are great, Mr Warwick says, for cocktail parties, wine and cheese gatherings and for product and trade exhibitions.

It has "all the latest in audio visual equipment," including a full-sized motion picture screen, five TV monitors, a data projector, a portable back projection screen, a video recorder and three VCR players.