A diverse and inspiring area

Visit Liverpool today and you can bet next time you come back something will have changed. The city continues to boom – from the striking architecture of the recently opened new Museum of Liverpool on the waterfront to the plethora of new hotel projects that are transforming the city, it’s all happening in Liverpool.

Recent years have seen a boom in Liverpool’s hotel stock with the addition of 2,000 rooms since 2008, bringing the total number of rooms in the city centre to over 5,000. Voted European Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool boasts hotels with large meeting spaces such as the Novotel, Malmaison and the Hilton, as well as boutique establishments such as Hope Street Hotel and Heywood House situated in Liverpool’s oldest bank building. Additionally there are plenty of apartments from boutique, serviced and luxury with yet further investment still to come.

The 154 bedroom Days Inn with business traveller facilities and the luxury 151 bedroom Hotel Indigo with Marco Pierre White restaurant have recently opened targeting both ends of the price spectrum. Under construction is the indulgent 84 bedroom Layla Hotel, Club & Spa, hotly tipped to be a five star deluxe boutique property. 

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The city’s academic venues continue to offer some of the best fully functional and purpose built conference and event venues for delegate meetings. Liverpool is well known for its educational links, and with a wealth of first class university campuses housing large theatres, conference venues and small intimate rooms they can cater for any number of association meetings, big or small.

Liverpool’s landmark Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool) has taken the city to a new level. It is set to benefit from the addition of a new 8,100m² exhibition and events complex, which is due to open for business in September 2014. The extension to the existing ACC Liverpool, home to Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre, will also include the development of an on-site upscale 200-bedroom hotel. The new facilities will be connected by a sky bridge directly into ACC Liverpool, making it the only interconnected arena, convention centre and exhibition facility in Europe.

EASY ACCESS
Access to the city has never been easier. Delegates can travel easily by air with new routes from Brussels and the popular business hub Amsterdam airport Schiphol. Liverpool John Lennon airport is only seven miles from the city centre and links the city to over 650 worldwide locations. Manchester airport is also only 50 minutes travel and London is a little over two hours away by train.

Liverpool’s ‘Small Meetings Package’ continues to offer affordable city rates for delegates; with 27 participating venues the initiative offers a tiered scheme of day delegate rates across the City Region starting from as little as £17.50. For large events, the bureau has launched an interactive delegate mapping service as part of the welcome, allowing visitors to view and book participating venues and accommodation – ideal for those unfamiliar with the city.

Liverpool Convention Bureau has itself been busy in the run up to significant forthcoming events; congresses in 2012 include the International Conference on the Arts in Society, the UK Digestive Disorders Federation, and the SSC International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. 2013 sees the European Congress on Obesity and the sixth European Conference on Head & Neck Oncology (ECHNO) is happening in 2014.

GETTING OUT AND ABOUT
Liverpool’s social credentials are second to none, and this plays a large part in attracting delegates to the city. Not only does the city boast the biggest number of museums and galleries outside London but it also features a host of interesting attractions and shopping destinations, including the impressive Liverpool ONE shopping district. Liverpool ONE is a huge 1.65million square feet of shopping and leisure space, which includes 160 shops, more than 20 bars and restaurants, a fantastic 14 screen cinema and a five acre park.

The city’s restaurant scene is also impressive, with celebrity fronted establishments such as Jamie’s Italian and the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse as part of the Hotel Indigo. Thai restaurant Chaophraya, which has three private dining rooms, additionally offers teambuilding with delegates able to take part in a cookery school master class, which is perfect for those looking to experience an exotic culture.

SOUTHPORT
Just North of Liverpool is the classic resort of Southport. Its convention bureau, Southport Conferences, promotes the destination’s combination of high quality conference facilities, welcoming hotels, stylish restaurants, and numerous other attractions, all situated alongside miles of beautiful coastline and countryside.

Its flagship venue, the 1,600 capacity Southport Theatre and Convention Centre (STCC) has been at the forefront of the town’s regeneration for years. Sales manager, Wendy Lucas comments: “Southport has changed dramatically over the past five years. The STCC is one of the largest and most flexible venues in the North West and we have been implementing several strategies recently, to increase the awareness of this. At the moment, we are in the process of setting up an agent’s reward club, set to go live in the Autumn.”

Connected via a direct link is the 133 room Ramada Plaza. The hotel has seen a staggering 58 per cent increase in the number of delegates booking residential conferences this year, something that general manager Enda Rylands believes is a result of its close links with the STCC.

He comments; “We have become an established conference venue in Southport and delegates know we can offer them something special. Our links with the Convention Centre’s conference facilities have helped massively because we can use that space too – making us more flexible and enabling us to become a one-stop shop for up to 2,000 delegates.”

BUSINESS ON THE RISE
Meeting room usage in the hotel has also increased significantly with associate room hire sales up by 31 per cent on last year and associate food and beverage spends up 15 per cent over the same period. There has also been an increase in banqueting business in 2011 with growth of 16 per cent on 2010.

Enda adds: “We’re pleased with the popularity of our facilities and it shows our relationship with the STCC really benefits both parties. In addition, the team at Southport Conference is an excellent first point of call when buyers are considering Southport as a conference destination and as the venues work so closely with them, they are able to offer a bespoke service and assist in all aspects of an event.”

Within walking distance of this complex, Southport has a further 42 choices of meeting spaces. These span the contemporary Vincent Hotel, to the more traditional Scarisbrick and Prince of Wales hotels. Just a short drive from Southport is Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa and the world famous Aintree Racecourse, both offering a range of conference and banqueting facilities available all year round.

As ‘England’s Golfing Capital’, Southport houses six top courses and a further 15 within 30 minutes drive. Three of the links courses, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham St Annes, remain popular incentive choices for the corporate visitor.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa is also popular with the corporate golfer as home to the UK’s first PGA National Residential Academy.

INVESTING IN BUSINESS TOURISM
Investment in Southport is continuing all the time. At the beginning of 2011, the convention bureau announced a series of initiatives that it would strive to implement to further extend its credentials and increase its profile within the business tourism market.

This has included the launch of ‘The Meetings Movement,’ a free activity guide aimed as a way of combining conferences with physical activity, detailing coastal walks, golf courses offering corporate bookings and several other healthy pursuits.

The guide also forms part of a wider plan to further develop the destination’s delegate welcome, which has most recently included the re-launch of ‘Delegate News’ the area’s regular conference update, which has been made more accessible.

Speaking of the town’s developments, Mike Booth, cabinet member for leisure and tourism, Sefton Council comments: “All of the initiatives that we are looking to implement this year are as a result of extensive delegate research carried out with our business visitors. We have put a lot of investment into the town financially in recent years, and it is vital that we match this with the best quality service offering and moreover, one that remains on track with what conference organisers and delegates actually want.”

He adds; “The plans will be driven by Southport Conferences, with the full support of the town’s Business Tourism Steering Group and all of its venues and services.”

New for 2013, will be the addition of The ‘Southport Cultural Centre’, a brand new arts complex and events space for the resort with a 430 seat theatre and a studio space, capable of hosting meetings and events for up to 600.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
For information on Southport call +44(0)151 934 2436, e-mail info@southportconferences.com or visit www.southportconferences.com. For information on liverpool, call 0151 237 3964 or visit www.liverpoolconventionbureau.com.