Drive launched to bring more business events to city
Liverpool has launched a new international marketing campaign aimed at attracting more business events to the city.
The campaign focuses on Liverpool’s sector strengths, highlighting the pioneering work that takes place in fields such as medical and life sciences, manufacturing and digital.
This follows extensive research showing that conferences and events are attracted to locations not only because of their facilities, but primarily because the destination has a strong connection with their subject.
However, most British cities suffer from a lack of awareness internationally about what their sector strengths are.
The campaign is led by Liverpool Convention Bureau with partners ACC Liverpool, Royal College of Physicians and the University of Liverpool.
The main thrust of the campaign is a digital magazine launched in association with CAT Publications, one of the world’s leading publishers for the meetings and convention industry.
This magazine will be promoted through CAT’s channels as well as targeted marketing and at various national and international trade shows attended by Liverpool Convention Bureau and partners.
Jennifer Jensen, head of business tourism at Marketing Liverpool, said: “The impact of the meetings and conference industry is already huge to the city, but there is also a lot of untapped potential, particularly around sectors in which the region leads the way on a global stage.
“We have to come up with fresh ways of attracting business events to the city, and all the research shows that focusing on sector strengths is the most effective way to do this.”
She added: “It also dovetails perfectly with our other activity, such as the Club Liverpool ambassadors programme – a network of ambassadors who are leaders in their fields and work to bring world-class conferences and events to Liverpool.
“I have no doubt that this campaign will increase awareness of Liverpool’s offer, increasing our chances of attracting big events from those sectors.”
The city points to the Knowledge Quarter, for example, as a world-class destination for science, education and technology.
Containing The University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Science Park and the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, it’s unique in the UK, providing an unrivalled concentration of expertise.
Great discoveries are made every day within this hub, providing huge potential for international events.
Examples of international events which focus on the region’s sector strengths include Smart Factory Expo – part of Digital Manufacturing Week – the fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2018, and the forthcoming European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health.
Nick Hussey, chief executive of Hennik Group said: “Liverpool has a really strong culture of developing innovative technologies and huge initiatives such as LCR 4.0 – a UK manufacturing first that aims to put the Liverpool City Region at the heart of an evolution which is set to transform production in the modern world economy.
“For the past two years we have brought Digital Manufacturing Week to Exhibition Centre Liverpool. We have had fantastic support from the entire region, using facilities around the city such as university incubators.”
Sally Theobold, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s chair in social science and international health, said of the fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2018: “Having the event here definitely generated a legacy for the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and presented an excellent opportunity to put our health systems and research portfolio on the global map.”
