Conference Leeds recently hosted a two-day familiarisation visit for buyers from the UK events industry. The visit, part of a business tourism campaign to raise the profile of Leeds, Bradford and the wider Yorkshire region as world class conference destination, saw delegates visit venues including the City Inn, Queens, Met and Radisson BLU Hotels, Aspire, The Rose Bowl and the New Ellington Hotel.

This was followed with an afternoon at the Bramham International Horse Trials in partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire. Hosted in the stunning Bramham Park, this is one of the most successful and prestigious horse trials in the country and has taken place since 1974.

Later the group were hosted at the world class Headingley Carnegie Stadium where following a full tour of the facilities they rounded off their visit enjoying a Twenty20 cricket match.

Nicky Lockwood, Business Tourism Manager for Conference Leeds, says:
“This is a great opportunity for Conference Leeds to showcase what great venues and facilities Leeds and the region has to offer the conference and events industry. The two-day familiarisation visit was a great success and we hope that we provided the buyers with a lasting experience that will inspire them to consider Leeds for their next event.”

The group was joined by Laurie Scott, Business Development Manager from VisitBritain in New York who said:
“Hosting groups such as these allows the region’s venues to platform their offering to the conference industry. Yorkshire and the Leeds region have many world-class and unique venues and I certainly found the visit informative and enjoyable and it will certainly help me to sell Leeds and Yorkshire.

Conference Leeds is responsible for promoting meetings and events across Leeds and West Yorkshire and is a “super convention bureau” representing over 250 venues throughout West Yorkshire.

For further information about organising an event in Leeds and West Yorkshire call
0113 220 6351 or visit www.conference-leeds.com

• Conference Leeds is the official convention bureau for Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Calderdale. The “super convention bureau” represents over 260 venues and 40 suppliers.
• Conference Leeds is supported by all the local authorities in West Yorkshire; Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale as well as Welcome to Yorkshire and the private sector. Yorkshire Forward, The Regional Development Agency, funds Welcome to Yorkshire, which is charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber visitor economy.
• Conference Leeds is the driving force of Yorkshire’s business tourism industry.
Key facts include: – business tourism generates £777m to the economy of West Yorkshire each year. – 5.79 million delegates attend business tourism events in West Yorkshire each year. – Leeds is ranked the 5th most popular destination for the corporate market in the British Meetings and Events Industry Survey 2009.

For further information please contact:

Victoria Nicholson – Welcome to Yorkshire
Email: victoria@bandhcommunications.co.uk
Direct Line: 0113 243 4713
Mobile: 07968 732630

Gini Wilde – Welcome to Yorkshire
Email: gini@bandhcommunications.co.uk
Direct Line: 0113 2434713
Mobile: 07967 019099

Nicky Lockwood – Conference Leeds
Email: Nicola.lockwood@conference-leeds.com
Direct Line: 0113 220 6356/1
Mobile: 07957205486