News
Manchester Central celebrates award win
Published at 10:48 on 28th of May 2010
Manchester Central celebrates award win
Following a record-breaking year, Manchester Central Convention Complex has won the prestigious 2010 Excellence in Business Tourism Award, presented by Tim Newns, Deputy Chief Executive of MIDAS, at the Manchester Tourism Awards, held at the Hilton Hotel on May 27th.
Manchester Central’s Chief Executive, Lesley Tomlinson, commented, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award in recognition of our contribution to business tourism in the city. The team is very proud to have delivered exceptional results this year against a backdrop of a rapidly changing market in the middle of a global recession. In particular, our strategy to broaden our product mix and develop our convention offer has really paid off mitigating the impact of a falling exhibitions market.”
Lesley added; “We have invested £30m redeveloping our facilities to increase the overall available space, improve flexibility and create a truly world class venue. We have also worked very hard to provide added value for our clients. The results mean we can attract conferences, seminars, exhibitions and symposia which bring larger numbers of business tourists to the city.”
Congratulating Manchester Central on its success, Steve Newbold, Managing Director of EMAP connect, one of Europe’s leading event organisers said;
“In times of recession it is more important than ever that you present your event in a confident and professional way and that starts with the venue. We have signed up to Manchester Central because the location is perfect and we have been impressed with the facilities and service on offer there. Manchester Central compares favourably with the top London venues in terms of presentation, high-quality exhibition space and service which is essential for our customers. There has also been considerable investment in the venue with the modern redevelopment of the entrance, meeting areas and conference centre. In our view it's a stylish and unique venue which is perfect for market leading, medium-sized shows that attract quality audiences. We have been very pleased with the results at Manchester Central - last year our Professional Beauty trade event enjoyed a 13% year on year increase in attendance - and that's why we have placed a long-term commitment to the venue.”
Manchester Central Convention Complex is now well established as an international venue of choice and plays a key part in the region’s business tourism strategy. 2009/10 saw both business visitor and event numbers rising generating an overall economic impact for the city in excess of £56m. This year the venue will welcome the Labour party back to Manchester, where the new party leader will be announced. Other significant wins for the venue include the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) who have committed to 5 years, the new Soccerex European Forum on a 4 year deal, and the Vascular Society Annual Conference has committed to three years from 2012 through to 2014.
Nina Harman, Head of Conferences, Events and Exhibitions at the CIPD, added;
“We are delighted for the team at Manchester Central, they work very hard to support their customers and add real value to events. Despite the difficult economic backdrop, the move of the CIPD’s Annual Conference & Exhibition to Manchester last November was a recession-busting success. Conference delegate numbers were up by 7% on the previous year and exhibition visitor numbers rose by 35%. Feedback at the event told us that conference goers, exhibition visitors and exhibitors alike were very happy with the move to the new venue. We are very happy with Manchester Central’s state of the art facilities, which enabled us to integrate all the elements of the event under one roof. The venue offers excellent value for money, and we look forward to working with the team there to make our Annual Conference and Exhibition an ongoing success in the years to come.”