Delegates representing 55 convention organisers from all over the UK were invited to Brighton over the weekend of 4-6 November for a familiarisation trip.
The event called Brighton UnConventional is part of the council’s continuous work with local businesses to attract visitors and conferences.
VisitBrighton teamed up with local conference venues and business partners to organise the two-day event. It aimed to highlight the range and quality of venues available – as well as other city attractions conference-goers can enjoy in their free time.
The conference organisers who attended represented a range of sectors, both public and private. The British Airways i360 provided all attendees with a free flight followed by a welcome reception. Major hoteliers offered everyone a complimentary two night stay.
On the Saturday, the Brighton Centre hosted a gathering where local venue representatives were on hand to chat to conference organisers. Venues present included British Airways i360, the Dome complex, The Royal Pavilion, major hotels, Sussex County Cricket Club and the Amex stadium.
Chair of the council’s economic development and culture committee Cllr Alan Robins said: “This is part of continuous work we do with businesses to sell the city as a conference venue”
“We want to get conference organisers here in person to see the city for themselves, rather than judge by what they might read. Meeting them in person, we’re far more likely to convert that into business that will benefit the city and sustain jobs here.”
This year the city has welcomed 4,500 delegates to the Liberal Democrats’ conference in September, 3,500 from the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases in May and 1500 from the National Union of Teachers in March.
