The Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB) recently celebrated the success of Belfast ‘Conference Ambassador Programme’ at a civic reception held in the Harbour Office, Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

Over one hundred ambassadors from various fields including medicine, academia and business were thanked by Councillor Jim Rodgers, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, on behalf of the city for bringing both international and national conferences to Belfast. 

The ambassador programme set up by BVCB identifies and encourages local people, active in professional societies, to act as ambassadors, promoting Belfast as a key conference destination.  

To date the programme has been a tremendous success drawing in worldwide conferences such as Federation of Small Businesses Conference 2007, and the British Veterinary Association Conference 2007.  It is estimated that in 2007 Belfast welcomed 66 conferences generating up to £10 million in revenue for the city.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Jim Rodgers, believes the programme is essential to the continued development of tourism in Belfast and Northern Ireland. 

“Conferences and meetings are an important economic element in tourism and ambassadors play a vital role in bringing them to Belfast,” he said.  “Previous research has suggested that the average conference delegate spends around three times more than the typical leisure tourist, making it a lucrative market,” he added.   

“BVCB’s programme acts as a catalyst for attracting conferences with one successful event drawing another.  Delegates have visited Belfast from diverse regions such as South Africa, Albania, Mali, Israel and Palestine and many, having visited Belfast on business, have expressed how they enjoyed the city and that they would like to return to see the sights,” he concluded.    

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of the Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau said;

“I am delighted that we have secured major conferences through this programme.  The scheme equips people to market Belfast as a top class conference destination and we have a dedicated support network at BVCB to liaise with ambassadors at every stage”

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“There is huge competition in the conference market within the UK and it is incredibly important that we value the role that our local ambassadors play in bringing national and international conferences to the city,” he added.

Belfast was voted the best UK Conference Destination for two years consecutively (2004-06) by Business Britain and BVCB is currently involved in assisting a number of high profile conferences coming into the city over the next few years including the Sister Cities International conference which Belfast won against stiff competition from Calgary, Casablanca, Morocco and Mexico.  Others include British Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2010 and Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS) 2011.

Anyone interested in finding out more information on the ‘Conference Ambassador Programme’ can log onto www.belfastconventionbureau.com or contact 028 90239026.