BIC Wins Business Worth £10.8m for Bournemouth

The Bournemouth International Centre’s (BIC) conference and exhibition sales team is on a roll having recently confirmed an event for later this month, two events for 2010, one more in 2014, and another one for 2016. Business that is worth an estimated whopping £10.8m in economic benefit to Bournemouth.

Clive Tyers, Head of Conferences, Exhibitions and Events at the BIC explains: “Shorter lead times for booking events is an increasing trend as clients give greater consideration to where to place their event. With uncertainty in the marketplace clients are holding back until nearer the time but the business is still out there and still being placed; our diary is looking very positive for the coming years.”

Synergy Housing Group is returning to the BIC at the end of this month, after holding a training day in October last year for the first time. Another first time client for the BIC last year in October, the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, is back in 2010 expecting 1,000 delegates over three days. The event is worth an estimated £850,000 for the local area. The Infection Prevention Society have confirmed that on top of returning in 2010, they will be holding their event at the BIC in 2011 as well. With over 550 delegates across three days it means approximately £460,000 worth of delegate spend for Bournemouth. NHS Alliance has also chosen to return in 2010 for a four day event with an expected 800 plus delegates, injecting roughly £900,000 into Bournemouth’s economy.

Peter Gunn, Managing Director of the BIC and Pavilion said: “We are seeing both long-standing clients and more recent clients return to us because of the substantial discounts we can offer to associations; our value for money and commitment to excellent customer service will help us ride out the economic uncertainty.”

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.

One of the BIC’s largest association clients, UNISON, has confirmed that it will be hosting its National Delegate and Service Group Annual Conference in 2014 and 2016. With an expected 2000 plus delegates over five days, both events are worth a massive £8.5m in delegate spend to the destination.

Clive Tyers adds: “In our business, lead times for booking large conferences are traditionally three or four years before the event and this hasn’t stopped completely; at the moment the sales team are working on enquiries for 2009 up to 2016! The more recession proof association business continues to book multiple events years ahead.”

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).