Shorter Lead Times Result in Rush of Event Bookings for the BIC

Despite the economic slow down, the start of 2009 has seen some big bookings confirmed by the Bournemouth International Centre’s (BIC) Conference and Exhibition sales team.

Six association events for 2010, of which three are new clients, were confirmed in the last two months. The events are estimated to be worth £7.5m to the local economy, through delegate expenditure in the local area.

Lisa Ashurst, Conference and Exhibition Sales Manager at the BIC explains: “Clients are definitely giving greater consideration to where to place their events, so lead times are definitely getting shorter. Clients are also increasingly looking at booking more than one event and returning in consecutive years, in order to secure better financial deals.”

The British Council for Shopping Centres is bringing its Manager’s Spring Conference and Exhibition to the BIC for the first time in 2010. Over 600 delegates are expected to attend the three day event, which is worth an estimated £500,000 to the local economy. Similarly the British Society of Echocardiography has confirmed their event for the end of 2010, which will also inject roughly £500,000 into Bournemouth’s economy. The Association of British Neurologists’ Spring Conference will be hosted at the BIC in 2010 as well. The 500 delegates expected over three days is worth an estimated £420,000 to Bournemouth.

Lisa Ashurst adds: “Half of the bookings confirmed in January were brand new clients for us and our diary currently has 60 plus holding options, so we’re feeling positive about the years ahead. With reduced budgets, event organisers may be forced to look at alternative venues and we could capitalise on this due to the incentives we offer to the association market.”

The BIC’s main conference and exhibition clients are large national and international associations, including the Police Federation, Local Government Association and UNISON. Lisa Ashurst explains why this type of business is more recession proof: “Unlike corporate business, associations are less affected by the economic climate. It is great for us in these times that we have established relationships with the main associations and that they choose to return to Bournemouth and the BIC, bringing a big financial benefit to the area.”

Bournemouth’s Conference Promotion budget assists the BIC in attracting associations and not-for-profit organisations to the resort. It takes the form of substantial discounts against the commercial daily hall hire charges of the conference venue, in return for volumes of delegates bringing their spending power to the town's hotels, attractions, bars, restaurants and retail businesses.

Regular to the BIC, the Communication Workers Union are bringing back their event in 2010. One of the larger events to be hosted at the BIC, the Conference will attract an estimated 2,000 delegates across the 6 day event, worth approximately £3m for the local economy. 2010 will be a busy year with another regular of the BIC returning - the Royal College of Nursing confirmed their Annual Conference and Exhibition, with attracts over 1,500 across five days. The event will bring an estimated £2m to the local economy through business tourism spend. Back again in 2010, the Infection Prevention Society are expecting 550 plus delegates to their three day event, which means approximately £460,000 worth of delegate spend for Bournemouth.

Recent statistics value Bournemouth’s business tourism at £127.6m, of which the BIC and Pavilion contribute £73m annually through the conferences and exhibitions staged at the venues. The remaining £54.6m is a result of conferences, events and meetings at other venues in Bournemouth, often facilitated by the Bournemouth International Conference Bureau (BICB).