International conferences bring £39m to Liverpool’s economy
International conferences and meetings have reaped a valuable reward for Liverpool, with global networking opportunities injecting around £39m into Liverpool’s economy.
Since January 2014, the city has welcomed a number of high-profile international conferences, not including those held during the International Festival for Business in June and July.
The report, commissioned by ACC Liverpool and Liverpool Convention Bureau, shows around 20,000 international delegates have visited the city, bringing with them an estimated economic impact of £39m whith accommodation, retail and social events all considered.
The European Society of Biomaterials conference, held at ACC Liverpool in September, attracted more than 1,000 delegates with an economic impact of £1.8m. Forthcoming internationals include EuroLabFocus and the European Society of Surgical Oncology in October.
Kerrin MacPhie, director of sales at ACC Liverpool, said:
“At ACC Liverpool alone we have many more in the pipeline such as UNI Global Union due in 2018. We have a further eight potential events which we have submitted bids for – if these all confirm, they will generate a further £22m in economic impact for the city region.”
Other venues in the city boasted events such as the International Conference on Sensing Technology at Liverpool John Moores University, and the Public Administration Conference UK at the Foresight Centre, the University of Liverpool.
The report has been released ahead of the city marketing board’s visit to IMEX America next month where, as well as a dedicated zone on the VisitEngland stand and a ‘Beatlemania’ event, the team is hosting an exclusive evening reception at Madame Tussauds complete with a Beatles tribute act.
Emma Bellis, head of Liverpool Convention Bureau added:
“As well as conferences from the UK, the potential of the international market is huge for us. While we have made some great progress in recent years, we know there’s much further potential to grow this market – especially with the opening of Exhibition Centre Liverpool next year.
“There is a lot of interest in Liverpool in the US and people are already familiar with the city because of football and The Beatles, so we’re really targeting that market as the next step.”