Meet Birmingham, the official business tourism programme for the
city, is marking the 30th birthday of its Convention Bureau (BCB)
by launching its new 2012 Conference Guide and taking its strongest
ever selection of partners to this year's International Confex, the
UK's leading conference for event organisers.
The event, taking place from 6-8 March at its new home ExCeL
London, will see Conference Aston, Edgbaston Stadium, Hotel La
Tour, The Belfry, the ICC and venuebirmingham join Meet Birmingham
to showcase the city, Solihull and the Black Country as a top
conference and events destination.
The Meet Birmingham Conference Guide 2012, which will be
unveiled during the three-day exhibition, provides a comprehensive
listing of the facilities and services on offer in the UK's top
events location outside London.[1]
Established in 1982, BCB has offered unrivalled assistance to
event organisers throughout its 30 years, providing an
award-winning Event Support Package. Notable highlights in the past
decade include the 100th Rotary International Convention in 2009,
which brought around 20,000 people to Birmingham, while in 2003 BCB
booked 10,000 rooms for the International Exhibition of Textile
Machinery, the largest exhibition of its kind in the world.
Ian Taylor, Commercial Director at Marketing Birmingham, the
city's strategic marketing partnership which operates Meet
Birmingham and BCB, said:
"2012 marks another significant year for our business tourism
sector, with the launch of our new Meet Birmingham Conference Guide
and BCB celebrating 30 years of offering one of the most
comprehensive event support packages in the UK. The year will
culminate in our eighth party political conference since 2008 when
the Conservative Party visits in October.
"Confex is one of the best trade shows in the industry calendar
and we believe that this year sees our most varied selection of
partners. From prestigious sporting settings and impressive
academic facilities, to a truly world class venue and one of the
city's newest hotel developments, Meet Birmingham's stand partners
are a reflection of the enviable offering that the city boasts, as
it strives to remain the destination of choice in the events
world."
Meet Birmingham's stand partners at Confex include the ICC,
which has hosted events for all sizes of audience in its 11
flexible halls and 10 premium meeting rooms for over 20 years.
Adding an academic flavour to the line-up are Conference Aston,
offering two purpose built conference, hotel and event venues in
Birmingham city centre for up to 235 delegates, and
venuebirmingham, which celebrates the opening of the brand new
Bramall Music Building in 2012, at the heart of the University of
Birmingham's campus.
Proving that the region is in a league of its own when it comes
to sporting venues, Meet Birmingham will also be joined by
Edgbaston Stadium, whose £32 million Pavilion redevelopment
has transformed it into one of the leading conference, banqueting
and exhibition settings in the Midlands, and The Belfry,
well-versed in staging world-class events in its 550 acres of
English countryside, having hosted golf's Ryder Cup on an
unprecedented four occasions.
Birmingham's newest venue Hotel La Tour promises to change the
face of conferences and meetings in the city with a dedicated
business floor and business lounge, nine flexible meeting spaces
for up to 120 guests and 174 bedrooms and suites.
[1] British Meetings & Events Industry Survey 2011/12