Manchester focusing on higher value conference sales

THE value of conference and business events to Greater Manchester was £823m in 2013, only slightly higher than the £822m generated in 2011, but there was a larger number of overseas visitors.

Marketing Manchester, which commissioned the Conference Value and Volume 2014 study, said the figures were not a surprise as the sales mix of events were changing as a result of an increased focus on attracting international associations, often related to academic research, rather than domestic corporate business.

In 2013 there was a 76% increase in economic impact from the association market, up from £185m in 2011 to £325m in 2013 and this is mirrored by an increase in the number of overseas delegates attending a conference or business event in Greater Manchester, which grew by 64% from 171,000 to 281,000.

Overall Greater Manchester welcomed 4.9 million delegates and serviced 7.9 million delegate days throughout 2013. These figures were down slightly on 2011 figures and this is reflected in a fall in the number of overall conference and business events from 65,600 in 2011 to 59,200 in 2013.

The falls are largely due to a lower number of public, government and corporate events hosted during the period.

Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, said: “The value of conference and business events to Greater Manchester remains significant at £823m. We are now attracting higher spending delegates, increasingly from overseas markets and this has made up the shortfall where fewer events have been held.

“Not only do association meetings have a higher economic value, but they are also intrinsically linked to our academic and industry strengths, creating invaluable opportunities for the transfer of knowledge and allowing Greater Manchester to truly stand out on the global stage.
 
“We have laid solid foundations to grow our target market and looking ahead Marketing Manchester will continue to work with partners to focus on associations and those opportunities which offer most synergy with our academic community whilst adding value to Greater Manchester as a whole.”