Coordinates: 53°49′01″N 3°03′00″W / 53.817°N 3.050°W / 53.817; -3.050 The Empress Ballroom is an entertainment venue in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre. As part of the Winter Gardens, the ballroom is a Grade II* Listed Building. It is operated by Crown Leisure Ltd, on behalf of Blackpool Council, who purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010. It hosts a variety of events including conferences, concerts, dance and darts competitions as well as trade fairs, and for the first time (in August 2018) the British Beard & Moustache Championships. It has hosted the main annual conferences for all three major British political parties: the Conservative Party Conference, Labour Party Conference and the twice-annual Liberal Democrat Conference, as well as those of a number of trade unions. The owners of the Winter Gardens say that every British prime minister since World War II has addressed an audience at the venue. From Wikipedia