NEC sees record growth in conference and live events business
THE National Exhibition Centre (NEC) has reported record growth in 2014/15 for its conference and live events business.
Conference revenue increased by 43% year on year while revenue from larger experiential live events increased by 47%.
Adrian Evans, Director of Conference and Live at the NEC, said: “We are absolutely staggered by the level of growth we achieved in 2014/15. Our biggest challenge has been to raise the profile of the NEC as a conference venue but with 186,000 feet of covered space and 160 acres of hard standing ground we have the flexibility to host any kind of event no matter what size.
“We have worked hard to ensure that our products and prices are in line with the demands of our clients and we are thrilled with the results.”
Following the strong growth, the NEC has been challenged to meet an augmented growth target for 2015/16. However, it has already exceeded budgets for Q1 in both the exhibition and conference live business areas.
Evans claims that the opening of the £150m Resorts World Birmingham – the UK’s first integrated leisure and entertainment complex – at the NEC site will play a key role in the continued success of the NEC’s Conference and Live business.
He said: “Resorts World it set to make the NEC a 24/7 destination which we are confident will make the NEC even more attractive to potential clients. This, coupled with the recent acquisition of the NEC Group by LDC makes it an exciting time for our venue and we are looking forward to the next chapter.”
