Conference clocks up £360m of business for Birmingham
AN international conference has contributed more than £360m of business to Birmingham’s economy in the quarter of a century it has been staging its event in the city, new figures have revealed.
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association congress is one of the largest veterinary conferences outside the United States.
The BSAVA was the first client to use the International Convention Centre when the venue opened in April 1991 and it has returned to the city every year since.
To coincide with the association’s latest convention at the ICC, figures produced by inward investment body Marketing Birmingham reveal the event has generated a total of £364m for the regional economy during this period.
The first event attracted just 1,800 delegates but this has gradually grown to the point where the conference is now one of the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the UK, bringing more than 8,000 delegates, exhibitors and speakers, from across the veterinary profession to Birmingham for the four-day programme.
The contribution to the local economy is based on delegate expenditure in hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment, and transport around the city.
Catherine Newhall-Caiger, Business Development Director for the ICC said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the BSAVA back to the ICC and to Birmingham for its 25th congress. The fact they’ve returned year after year is testament not only to the great partnership that we have with them, but to the experience they have in our venue and city too.
“There are 6,200 hotel bedrooms and over 200 restaurants, bars and nightclubs all within easy walking distance of the ICC, so not only is our venue an attractive proposition for conference organisers it’s an ideal choice for delegates too as everything is on the doorstep and it all contributes to giving them the best possible experience.”
Amanda Stranack, Head of Congress for BSAVA, said the venue’s central location, flexible space and level of service were key factors in the decision to return to the ICC year after year.
She said: “The ICC provides high quality conference space and an exceptional level of service and they’ve been able to accommodate our growing number of delegates each year. Coupled with its central location in Birmingham and the fantastic transport links to air, road and rail it’s always been an easy and obvious choice for us to return – in fact we’ve already booked for the next three years taking us to 2018.”
The congress has now grown to the point where it needs to take on additional space at the nearby Barclaycard Arena – formerly the National Indoor Arena – in order to accommodate an exhibition featuring over 250 exhibitors.
