Events business looks for Capital gain

ALL roads lead south for a growing events business owned by The University of Salford.

Salford Professional Development, which deliver events and training, says its is targeting the London corporate market after reporting 20% growth in revenues and profits in the year to the end of July.

Turnover at SPD climbed 25% from £2.2m to £2.76m, while profits jumped 22% from £477,415 to £583,500. The firm, which has seen its staff numbers surge from 14 to 35 since summer 2014, is aiming to grow revenues to £3.5m in this financial year.

SPD, founded in 2012, focuses on sectors including health and social care, media, business and law, the built environment, education and public services.

Academics at the university provide the training, and profits generated by SPD are ploughed back into the institution. It is boosting its expansion strategy with a series of courses, conferences and exhibitions in central London from this month, covering topics such as the future of nursing, cyber and education technology, road safety and waste management.

Chief executive Marc Davis said: “It’s apparent that there is demand in the capital, where we will deliver the same excellence and integrity to which our customers have become accustomed when attending our courses or conferences in the North West.

“We look forward to sharing our extensive knowledge base with a wide-ranging audience. We remain focused on the future and have recently improved our infrastructure to support the growth of the business in the coming years. A key focus this year will be the continued diversification of our product offering, including delivering a wider portfolio of events and conferences.”