Conference Leeds – the super convention bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire is celebrating after over 30 of its venues have achieved the coveted Meetings Industry Association (MIA) AIM Higher Accreditation – the highest number of accredited venues for any region outside of London.

The MIA’s AIM scheme is endorsed by Visit Britain; the national tourism body which is encouraging all meetings venues in England to become AIM accredited to provide assurance to conference and event organisers that venues can demonstrate consistently high meetings standards and have meet stringent assessment criteria.

Venues in the Leeds and West Yorkshire area have worked with Conference Leeds to achieve the status and give the area a competitive edge in the meetings industry.
Nicola Lockwood, Head of Conference Leeds explains:
“I was very keen to support as many our our venues as possible to achieve the AIM status. In these challenging times it’s more important than ever that venues use this quality benchmark to make their venues a cut above the rest.

The fact that Leeds and West Yorkshire now have more venues accredited than any other region outside of London sends a fantastic message to conference organisers and really highlights the dedication to business tourism of the venues that we work with.”

The venues who have achieved the award to date are:

• Conference Leeds
• Leeds United
• Hinsley Hall
• Well Met Conferencing (Leeds Metropolitan University)
• Headingley Experience
• Hilton Leeds City
• Rudding Park Hotel & Golf
• Leeds Marriott
• Craiglands
• Holiday Inn Leeds Garforth
• Britannia Leeds Bradford Airport
• ALC
• Alea
• Great Victoria
• Bagden Hall Hotel, Scissett
• Briar Court Hotel, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield
• The Chambers, Leeds
• Express by Holiday Inn (Leeds Armouries)
• Gomersal Park Hotel
• Leeds Trinity and All Saints
• The Met Hotel, Leeds
• National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield
• Pavillions of Harrogate
• Wetherby Racecourse
• The Carriageworks, Leeds
• Leeds Museum
• Leeds Town Hall
• Midland Hotel, Bradford
• Park Plaza Hotel, Leeds
• The Queens, Leeds
• Radisson SAS Hotel, Leeds
• Royal Armouries International plc, Leeds
• Sno!zone, Wakefield
• Speedmaster, Bradford
• Universally Leeds (The University of Leeds)
• Weetwood Hall Conference Centre and Hotel

Conference Leeds is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency.

ENDS 4.3.09

EDITORS NOTES:
Nicola Lockwood is available for interview on 0113 220 6356,
email: nicola.lockwood@conference-leeds.com

About Conference Leeds
Conference Leeds is the organisation responsible for promoting meetings and events across Leeds and West Yorkshire. The recently restructured Conference Leeds is now a “super convention bureau” representing almost 250 venues across the area, responsible for marketing the West Yorkshire districts of Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Conference Leeds is a Leeds City Council organisation with funding from Yorkshire Forward, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale Councils.

Conference Leeds can offer a free venue finding service for anyone wanting to host an event in Leeds and West Yorkshire and markets the area through a series of initiatives.
Business tourism is worth over £450million a year in direct expenditure to the Yorkshire economy

About MIA & AIM Higher
The AIM Higher scheme was initiated by the MIA although venues do not have to be a member of MIA to participate in the scheme. Venues undertake an entry level assessment and are then encouraged to AIM Higher in a bid to become AIM Silver or Gold accredited. In order to AIM Higher venues have to complete a self-assessment form, which is made up of ten sections with five questions in each; they also have to produce a portfolio of evidence in support of their application.

An external assessment is then carried out at the venue by an independent examiner who will determine whether AIM Silver or AIM Gold should be awarded. It is a stringent process ensuring the scheme offers an assurance to buyers that venues will deliver their promise of exceptional standards. Now endorsed by Visit Britain the scheme is set to become a universally recognised indicator of quality for meetings space and services.

About Yorkshire Forward
Conference Leeds is supported by Yorkshire Forward. Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for Yorkshire and the Humber, it exists to represent and help generate sustainable business for the region’s tourism industry, an industry worth £4.1billion to the region annually and employing over 165,000 people, making it one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the region. Yorkshire’s goal, as identified in Bold Vision, Bright Future – The Tourism Marketing Strategy for Yorkshire and Humber 2006 – 2010, is to achieve and increase in the value of tourism earnings to the region by 5% per annum to £5.9bn by 2010.

Press release issued by
Sue Crawley
Fire Circle Ltd
T: 01642 714999
E: sue@fire-circle.co.uk