DESTINATION UNKNOWN
Louisa Daley analyses the UK ’ s international appeal , as the global market begins to return to the emerald isles
Christine Roche s eventprofs , we are all familiar with conferences . We have probably hosted , or been to hundreds over the years , in the hope of our delegates ( or our teams ), coming away more knowledgeable and better connected .
However , expectations have undoubtably changed since the pandemic and simply attending and leaving a conference is no longer enough . Delegates want more , especially if they are travelling that little bit further . Therefore , event planners need to keep this in mind when choosing a conference destination .
To find out what some destinations are doing to attract international delegates and conferences , as well as understand why the UK and Ireland are the ideal place to host your next conference , I spoke to Adrian Evans , head of conference and exhibition sales ; Jenny Jensen , director of business tourism , Liverpool Convention Bureau ; Marshall Dallas , CEO of Edinburgh International Conference Centre ( EICC ); and Christine Roche , business events officer , Meet in Ireland .
A helping hand
“ Due to live events returning , there is now more competition to attract international conferences . Destinations must go above and beyond the noise to catch the attention of meeting planners ,” says Roche .
The good news is , destinations don ’ t have to do this alone , convention bureaus play a huge role in attracting more events to a
Marshall Dallas
EICC
Adrian Evans
Jenny Jensen www . conference-news . co . uk