ACC Liverpool and the Liverpool Convention Bureau have launched an events ambassador programme, ‘Club Liverpool’, which aims to attract more conferences to Liverpool.
The aim of Club Liverpool is to double the number of city ambassadors over the next year in order to attract major national and international events to the city. Liverpool plans to grow the number of events that it hosts in scientific, medical and education sectors.
Club Liverpool’s launch heralds the city’s preparation to open the new £66 million exhibition centre at ACC Liverpool in September 2015.
Director of sales at ACC Liverpool said, Kerrin MacPhie, said:
“City ambassadors are crucial in helping us to attract large international conferences as they are experts in their field and can help to identify key events which they would like to see hosted in their home city. Each event in turn generates millions of pounds in economic benefit for the region.
“The launch of Club Liverpool, together with the opening of Exhibition Centre Liverpool, will allow us to further cement our growing reputation both nationally and internationally as one of the UK’s leading conference destinations.”
The new programme will include a refurbished website, ClubLiverpool.co.uk, enabling ambassadors to access events news, networking opportunities and other key information.
The site will also offer members access to exclusive events for networking in Liverpool, giving an insight into what’s new in the region and will give ambassadors a chance to meet up and share best practices.
Club Liverpool currently includes more than 100 leading members of Liverpool’s academic, business, medical, and cultural sectors.
Existing ambassador Professor John Hunt from the University of Liverpool, said:
“Being part of the ambassador programme allows you to more formally connect with all the help that’s available in the city for hosting events, and lets others see how fantastic the city is.”
Chair of Liverpool city region’s visitor economy board, Sara Wilde McKeown, said:
“Hosting business events and conferences has a huge economic impact on the city, extending right across the hospitality, retail and tourism sectors.
“To secure these events we have to compete with leading cities across the world and creating valuable connections through a robust ambassador scheme is the strongest way to achieve this. Our influential ambassadors raise the credibility of the city as a national and international event destination and help open pathways to attracting different subject matters and sponsors to the city. This is why we have focused on building on our existing programme, which has already proven to bring significant economic value to the city over recent years.”
For more information about Club Liverpool contact Jane Fawley, Club Liverpool programme manager, jfawley@clubliverpool.co.uk
Words: Peter Cribley