Lancashire tourism bosses take on city conference venues
TOURISM bosses in Lancashire & Blackpool have launched a new campaign to challenge ‘big city’ conference venues.
The campaign comes after Blackpool Council’s successful bid to take ownership of the resort’s iconic Winter Gardens as part of a £40m deal, which also includes Blackpool Tower, The Sea Life Centre and Louis Tussauds waxworks.
The deal will see £5.5m immediately spent on revamping the Winter Gardens, to bring in more conference events.
The initiative, which includes the launch of a new website and literature, began with a Venue Show at Park Hall Hotel Leisure and Conference Centre near Chorley.
The event had a ‘Camelot’ theme in keeping with the visitor attraction at Park Hall, with more than 100 visitors entertained by fire-eaters, jesters, wandering minstrels and knights on horseback.
The new campaign focus on further increasing delegate numbers in the area – during the conference season the team will assist over 38,000 conference delegates with venues, accommodation and social and entertainment programmes in Blackpool alone.
Tony Openshaw, director of marketing at Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board, said: “The Venue Show was a key element of the first phase of our cohesive campaign to showcase Lancashire & Blackpool to as wide an audience of businesses, organisations and societies as possible.
“Attendees liked the diversity and variety we offer, from smaller intimate venues steeped in history, such as Stanley House, Mellor, to the major attraction of the Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool. It means we’re in a great position to meet all their requirements.”
Exhibiting venues at the show included Barton Grange Hotel, near Preston; De Vere Herons’ Reach Hotel in Blackpool; Oswaldtwistle Mills Business and Conference Centre in Pennine Lancashire; and Lancaster House Hotel in Lancaster.
