Conference Leeds, the organisation responsible for promoting meetings and events in Leeds launched exciting new plans for expansion at a celebratory network event hosted by Leeds Met’s UK Centre for Events Management on December the 7th at the Round Foundry Media Centre, Leeds.

Conference Leeds have joined forces with Leeds Met and partners from across the entire West Yorkshire region to celebrate the creation of a new events network and a “super convention bureau”, representing almost 250 venues and giving buyers access to a “one stop shop” for event planning covering venues across the West Yorkshire region – including Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Calderdale.

Over 100 guests from across the region attended the event and were treated to an evening of entertainment and refreshments. Launching the new look Conference Leeds with a champagne reception, Nicky Lockwood, Head of Conference Leeds, said:

“This is an exciting time for Leeds and West Yorkshire – this expansion is great news for conference buyers and we are delighted to be working with so many partners and over 200 venues. The launch was very successful, it was wonderful to see so much support for the developing Convention Bureau and everyone is very enthusiastic.
Leeds has built a great reputation as a conference city and now we can not only offer buyers a huge variety of venues from stylish city centre hotels to rural venues in Bronte country but also an amazing choice of corporate and incentive activities as well.”

Attending the event were guest speakers; Paul Gudgin (Visiting Professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, and former director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and Tony Rogers (Visiting Fellow at Leeds Metropolitan University and Chief Executive of the British Association of Conference Destinations, BACD).

Tony Rogers said:
“ I was delighted to be part of this event, business tourism has a key part to play in the regeneration of Leeds and West Yorkshire and it was good to see so many venues and partners supporting Conference Leeds at the event”.

The Conference Leeds initiative is supported by Yorkshire Forward. Andy Tordoff, Head of Rural Renaissance and Tourism for Yorkshire Forward said:

“Tourism is an important economic driver for the region. Business tourism in particular contributes over £450 million a year to the region’s economy, and Yorkshire Forward aims to support initiatives that can help to increase the region’s share of this lucrative market.”

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

About the Event

The reception forms part of the Event Market Development project which has been part-financed by funds from the European Union and has enabled Leeds Met’s UK Centre for Events Management to support festival and event organisations within the region.

About Conference Leeds

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

The team is based at White Rose House, part of the new Enterprise Leeds initiative between Leeds City Council and Leeds Chamber of Commerce.

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.

About the UK Centre for Events Management

The UK Centre for Events Management at Leeds Metropolitan University is one of the leading providers of events management education in the world providing education, training, research and consultancy. The Centre, the first of its kind in the UK, was established in 2000. Now the centre brings together a large team of event specialists, leading authors, researchers and consultants drawn from industry and academia and in 2007/8 has over 700 students on its wide range of events management courses, top-up degrees, masters courses and PhD programmes.

After establishing the first degree programme in events management in 1996, the Centre developed an HND and an MSc in Events Management. To compliment the HND programme, 3 one year top up degrees were added to the portfolio: Conference and Exhibition Management, Managing Cultural and Major Events, Sports Events Management. In 2006/7, the UK Centre for Events Management added a fourth top-up and a UK first - Event Fundraising and Sponsorship. As a result of the diversity of courses and specialist courses available, the Centre is recruiting an increasing number of part time students and returners from industry onto the top up and MSc programmes.

The Centre has made two external appointments in 2007 to strengthen the team and the work of the Centre in the events industry. Top festivals expert and former director of Edinburgh Fringe, Paul Gudgin, joined Leeds Metropolitan University as a Visiting Professor of Festivals and Events, while leading conference industry expert and author Tony Rogers, Chief Executive of the British Association of Conference Destinations and Executive Director of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers has joined the UK Centre for Events Management as a Visiting Fellow. Both appointments continue to strengthen the team and the work of the Centre in the sector.

About 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.

Further details can be obtained from:
Nicky Lockwood
Conference Leeds
T: 0113 220 6356
E: nicola.lockwood@conference-leeds.com

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