Visit Manchester will focus its efforts at International Confex on event organisers in the South East that are concerned with the lack of venue and accommodation availability during the London Olympics.
The city will promote itself as an alternative to an overcrowded London that can still offer a sense of Olympic fever – as the host of both 2012 football fixtures and warm-up events like the US basketball ‘Dream Team’ match against Team GB at the MEN Arena.
Manchester is a little over two hours from the capital by rail, with three trains an hour at peak operated by Virgin Trains.
Its contingent is led by Manchester Central – the city’s flagship conference venue – and also includes the Hilton Manchester Deansgate, De Vere Venues Whites, The Palace Hotel, the Radisson Edwardian Manchester Hotel, Salford City Stadium and the Manchester Conference Centre and Hotel.
Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, said: “2012 is going to be an incredible year for Britain. That said, the convergence of millions of international Olympic spectators on London will, without doubt, impact on the capital’s ability to host regular business tourism events."
“Whilst Manchester is host to Olympic football fixtures and a number of competing nation training camps, we will still have the capacity to host top flight business tourism events of all sizes and plan to showcase that fact at Confex."
“Last year, we took over 350 event enquiries at International Confex and we hope to top that this year.”
Visitors to the Manchester stand can also pre-register for the city’s individual destination showcase - Manchester Live! - which will take place at The Roof Gardens, Kensington in May.
International Confex takes place at ExCeL from 6 – 8 March 2012. For more information about Manchester’s presence, visit: www.visitmanchester.com/confex
