The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) used its recent Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens to confirm it will continue to return to the venue annually until at least 2024.
The union, which is UK’s fifth biggest and the fastest growing with more than 430,000 members, has hosted its ADM in the resort regularly since being first formed in 1947. It has met in Blackpool exclusively every year since 1991.
To mark the agreement with the Winter Gardens, and the town’s tourism bureau VisitBlackpool, USDAW’s general secretary John Hannett signed a commemorative brick that will form part of Blackpool’s new Conference and Exhibition Centre.
Commenting on the extension of the Blackpool contract, USDAW general secretary John Hannett said: “Even before it was officially formed in the mid-1940s, Blackpool was a popular destination for a number of trade unions which eventually merged to become USDAW. Since 1947 our delegates have always found it to be a fantastic place to meet, debate and vote on important union matters and I fully support the Union’s decision to commit to Blackpool for at least the next six years.”
Michael Williams, managing director of the Winter Gardens, said: “Organisations like USDAW have been part of the fabric of Blackpool’s business tourism offer for over 70 years, so it seemed fitting to get a commemorative brick signed which will physically become part of the new conference centre’s foundations.
“These bricks also symbolise how the Winter Gardens complex is literally building for the future to accommodate larger and more diverse events, and deliver delegates an even better experience as a result.”
Currently being built adjacent to the existing Winter Gardens complex, the new £25m centre is planned to open in 2019. The venue will able to accommodate an additional 2,000 delegates across a 6,150sqm.
