3
STEAMing ahead
Leeds
Venues
investing:
Hilton Leeds City – August
2016
Full refurbishment of the
Brigante Suite,
accommodating up to 300
delegates, theatre style.
Oulton Hall – Summer 2016
An overall investment of
£1m-plus, providing updates
to the hotel Wi-Fi as well as full
refurbishment of bedrooms
and main meeting space.
ata from the recent STEAM* survey,
which measures the economic impact
of the tourism industry in the UK,
showed Leeds welcomed 26m tourism
visits in 2015, 5.3% up since 2013.
In the period between 2013 and 2015, the city
hosted world-class events such as the Rugby
League World Cup in 2013, the Grand Départ for
the Tour de France in 2014, the Rugby World Cup
2015, the MOBOs, British Art Show 8 and the BBC
Sports Personality of the Year.
Being home to a wealth of museums and
galleries, such as Harewood House, the Henry
Moore Institute and The Royal Armouries National
Museum of Arms and Armour, Leeds has a strong
heritage. The city also boasts a vibrant cultural
scene, with its shopping destination ranked 5th in
the UK.
Since the first direct arena was opened in 2013,
it has become one of the largest conference
venues in the city and brings in an extra million
visitors annually.
Leeds also plays host to Trinity Leeds, which
opened in 2013 and is home to over 120 shops,
café bars and restaurants.
Business tourism continues to grow and is now
contributing £501m to the local economy,
attracting around 4m delegates.
The tourism industry in Leeds supports more
than 18,000 full time equivalent jobs and City
Council leader Judith Blake says: “We know Leeds
is a welcoming city, but these figures show the
wider appeal to visitors coming for a leisure break
or staying here on business. We have built up a
fantastic reputation for hosting world-class events
that people come from far and wide to enjoy. This
has a significant impact on the Leeds economy,
helping to create and sustain jobs. We hope to
really build on this with the bid for the European
Capital of Culture in 2023.”
Jennifer Young, head of ConferenceLeeds, adds:
“This year’s results are a true testament to the
collaboration of city stakeholders that takes place
throughout the city. We work hard on creating
bespoke conferences to leave an impression on
organisers and delegates; with the aim being to
convert business tourists into leisure tourists and
drive repeat visits to the city. Having already held
several large-scale conferences in the city this
year, and with more in the pipeline, we’re excited
to see Leeds go from strength to strength.”
Conference wins in the pipeline include:
• Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International
Society 2017 Annual Conference
• Universities Safety and Health Association 2017
Annual Conference
• The Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists: National Trainees Conference
2017
*STEAM is a tourism economic impact modelling
process which approaches the measurement of
tourism from the bottom up, through its use of
local supply side data and tourism performance
and visitor survey data collection. CN
Hilton DoubleTree – Sept-16
£500k refurbishment of
Skylounge bar and meeting
space as well as refurbishment
of 13th floor meeting rooms.
Clayton Hotel – ongoing
A full refurbishment of all 334
rooms as well as all eight
meeting rooms.
The Crowne Plaza – Nov-16
Multi-million pound
refurbishment, including all
bedrooms as well as the bar
and restaurant. Crowne Plaza
Club Lounge introduced.
Dakota Hotel – Spring /
Summer 2017
New 90-bed city centre hotel
with conference space.
Well Met Conferencing at
Leeds Beckett University will
be opening its newest venue,
Cloth Hall Court, in summer
2017. The venue is being
designed with the building’s
textile heritage in mind and
was constructed by Sheppard
Robson Architects. The
building will serve as a centre
for corporate events along with
being the new Yorkshire
premises of The Institute of
Directors (IoD).
www.conference-news.co.uk
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