It’s all change in Sheffield. Sheffield Convention Bureau is the new name for the conference desk and Marketing Sheffield is leading on a number of new initiatives to put the city at the forefront of major events.
The Sheffield Convention Bureau is an important part of Marketing Sheffield and the joined up approach allows for a much stronger offer and a clearer message to conference and event organisers across the UK and internationally.
Two million delegates came to the region in 2008, equating to an economic impact value of over £279m.
The rebrand follows last year’s decision by the four local authorities within South Yorkshire to dissolve Yorkshire South Tourism. Sheffield’s tourism team moved to take control of its own visitor offer while still, on occasion, tapping in to the benefits of the wider city region.
Leader of Sheffield City Council, Councillor Paul Scriven, said: “I know that the city can continue to develop more great visitor offers in order to attract a larger number of UK and international visitors to the city. This will significantly benefit our hospitality and leisure businesses and create more job opportunities.”
The services provided by the city’s tourism team will remain the same, with the city’s Conference Ambassador Programme one of the key tasks.
Sheffield Convention Bureau now represents venues across Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and The Peak District.
The Holiday Inn express Hotel has just opened in Sheffield. The new venue offers 161 bedrooms, a small meeting room for up to 30 people and adjoins the Holiday Inn Royal Victoria which has conference facilities for up to 400 delegates.
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Case Study:
The Liberal Democrats held their Spring Conference at Sheffield City Hall in March 2011.
The event attracted record numbers, with 2,141 delegates attending.
Mercure St Paul’s was the HQ hotel for the conference that was expected to deliver £1m impact for the wider local economy.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “The conference was one of our largest and most successful to date and I know the team put in a lot of hard work to make the event run smoothly and professionally.
“I have spoken to many Liberal Democrat members who said they thoroughly enjoyed their experience. By all accounts the venues for debates and fringe meetings were fantastic.”
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
