NEC says trade shows are bouncing back

EXHIBITIONS organised by trade associations have proven a major money-spinner for the NEC, helping new business grow by 20% during the current financial year.

The revenue will be welcome as The NEC Group looks to claw its way back to profit after a difficult 2009 saw it report a loss of £12.3m across the whole of its business.

Richard Pegler, venue sales director, The NEC said: “We’re seeing a real growth in the trade association market – they’re now accounting for bigger percentages of overall new business than we’ve ever seen before.

“Of the launch or relocated shows The NEC hosted during this financial year 20% were from trade associations.”

The UK AD and Biogas and NACFB Commercial Finance Expo events alone saw a 25% increase in capacity, while new contract wins included the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers’ (RABDF) Dairy Event and Livestock Show, which has relocated to The NEC after 34 years at its previous home.

RABDF chief executive, Nick Everington, explained: “Relocating the Dairy Event and Livestock Show to The NEC not only proved to be an exciting challenge but a massive success – it attracted a record 480 trade exhibitors with over 20% taking additional space compared with the previous year.”

A further boost to group revenues has come from new contracts secured for the International Convention Centre. It has signed agreements with five national and international associations which between them, are expected to generate more than £33m for the West Midlands economy.

Nick Waight, managing director, The ICC, said: “These five conference wins are a really positive sign of both a growing confidence in the association market, and our continued reputation for being able to successfully host a diverse range of prestigious events.”

The deals see the 18th annual conference for the British HIV Association (BHIVA) move to Birmingham for the first time in 2012, with 850 delegates expected for the three-day event.

Another first for the venue is the British Blood Transfusion Society’s (BBTS) annual conference, contracted for October 2013. This will be a two-day meeting for 800 delegates.

In addition, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has signed a new three-year deal for events in May 2011, 2014 and 2016 for 1,300 delegates, while the Birmingham Paediatric Cardiac Conference, organised by surgeons from the Cardiac Care Unit of Birmingham Children’s Hospital will cater for 300 delegates in June this year.

The UK Oracle User Group, which has used the ICC for the past 17 years as the venue for its annual conference, has also renewed its contract with centre.