Cardiff Council has joined together with the Cardiff & District Hoteliers Association, Cardiff venues which have committed funding to the partnership and For Cardiff to promote the city as a leading destination for business events and conferences.
Collectively the partnership has brought together £100,000 to deliver a new marketing plan, which includes utilising venues in Cardiff, as well as working alongside International Convention Centre Wales to maximise the business potential in this market.
The Welsh Capital has already established itself a world-class destination for sport and culture. The new partnership will now look to exploit the opportunities further to create Cardiff as a leading destination in the business events sector, working alongside the Welsh Government's newly established Business Events team.
Cardiff has a variety of venues for business events including Principality Stadium; Sofia Gardens; National Museum of Wales; Welsh College of Music and Drama; Cardiff City Stadium; Motorpoint Arena; Techniquest as well as the Wales Millennium Centre
The new partnership will be chaired by Adrian Field, Executive Director for the Business Improvement District – For Cardiff.
Adrian Field said
“We're confident that Cardiff has all the assets in place to become a real player in the business events market. We've got some great venues, we have a vibrant city centre, and we've got real enthusiasm from the sector to get behind this push.
“Added to that investment in the METRO, electrification of the Great Western Mainline, the International Convention Centre Wales and the proposed Indoor Arena means that the wider city-region has the infrastructure to put on the biggest and the best business events.”
Key industry facts:
- The UK events business (total) is worth £40 billion per annum
- The UK business events share is worth £24 billion per annum
- Wales currently holds less than 2% of this £24 billion share at 1.59%
- A business delegate is worth at least three (3) times the value of a leisure visitor
- 74% of business delegates return to the conference destination as a leisure visitor
- Business events are incubators – they work across industry, sectors, business, and academia
- Business events are sector showcases that use tourism infrastructures.
