Liverpool is set for a £15million economic boost over the coming days with the Labour Party Annual Conference due to take place in the city for the first time.
Taking place between September 25–29 the high profile political conference will welcome 11,000 delegates, 2,000 journalists and host 500 fringe events in the city over the five days.
Venues, hotels, restaurants and bars across the whole of Liverpool are expected to benefit from the event, which sees Liverpool Convention Bureau implementing their renowned Delegate Welcome Scheme alongside host venue ACC Liverpool, home to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena.
The Bureau has organised briefings for hotel staff and taxi drivers in the lead-up to the conference and has worked closely with public and private sector organisations to ensure the thousands of delegates have the best possible experience.
Specially trained, city volunteers will also be on hand to guide and direct delegates when they arrive.
In the planning stages for 20 months, the political conference represents the largest ever event to be held at ACC Liverpool and brings the venue’s total contribution to the city’s economy to £500million since it opened in 2008.
The Labour Party Annual Conference will utilise the entire venue at ACC Liverpool with the plenary sessions hosted in the Echo Arena while the adjoining BT Convention Centre will be used for breakouts, fringe meetings and exhibitions.
Over 1,200 staff will be in place to ensure the smooth running of the event as the venue operates at full capacity during the five day conference.
Award-winning caterers Heathcotes are expected to pour up to 60,000 cups of tea and coffee and will be serving up locally sourced English Breakfasts and delivering everything from drinks receptions to freshly prepared sandwiches, canapés, and hot and cold buffets incorporating locally grown produce.
Bob Prattey, Chief Executive of ACC Liverpool, comments: “It is hard to put a price on the huge value of this event in terms of the exposure that it gives not just our venue, but Liverpool as a whole. It sends out a clear message that ACC Liverpool is in the premier league of conference venues, and demonstrates why we are looking to build on that success by developing a new state of the art Exhibition Centre on the site by 2014”.
Carol O’Reilly, Liverpool Convention Bureau Manager, adds: “This high profile event will be a fantastic showcase for Liverpool and all that it can offer to delegates and conference organisers. Everyone involved with the conference is looking forward to extending the famous ‘Liverpool welcome’ to the attendees over the next week”.
