Birmingham has been chosen to host the Labour Party Spring Conference in 2008, in a
further boost to raising the city’s profile for hosting major events. This is the third political
conference that Birmingham has won this year, in joint bids by Marketing Birmingham and
the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Group.
Held from 29th February to 2nd March at the ICC, the city will welcome around 4,000
delegates to the conference in an event that could be worth more than £4m to the local
economy. With the Conservatives due to hold their annual conference in Birmingham in
September 2008 this will mean that the City will uniquely host two major political party
conferences in one year.
Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, welcomed this latest announcement:
“Attracting major conferences to the city is always positive news, especially when they bring
with them a large media contingent, many of whom will be visiting Birmingham for the first
time. It is further evidence of our ability to attract high profile events and with the
Conservative Party Conference in September we have an exciting opportunity to showcase
our city to a high number of influential visitors from the world of politics, business and the
media.”
Neil Rami, Chief Executive, Marketing Birmingham, said: “In a process that can normally take
months, this bid has been turned around in just six weeks. It has been a real team effort
involving West Midlands Police, Birmingham City Council, local hoteliers and the excellent
team at the ICC. 2008 is shaping up to be a big year for Birmingham and this event will
undoubtedly attract significant media attention for the city.”
Marketing Birmingham, working with The NEC Group who will host the event, has been
responsible for negotiating and securing the event with the Labour Party. Paul Thandi, Chief
Executive of the NEC Group, said: “This is another great win, not only for The NEC Group and
The ICC but for Team Birmingham, through our partnership with Marketing Birmingham. Now
the hard work really begins as we draw together the resources of the whole city to give
delegates the best possible experience of Birmingham so that they are in no doubt that they
want to return.”
Harriet Harman MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader, said: “We are delighted to be returning to
Birmingham for our Spring Conference because of the warmth of the people and the welcome
they give us. Birmingham is a dynamic, diverse, multicultural city which has seen great
regeneration since Labour came to power and is therefore a fitting venue for us to hold our
conference. With excellent facilities, accommodation and first rate services we can look
forward to a successful conference.”
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Tracey Saunders, Head of PR & Corporate Affairs,
Marketing Birmingham on 0121 202 5002 (office), 07984 410462
Debbie Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications, The NEC Group on 0121 767 3214
Or email us.
Notes to editors
• Marketing Birmingham is the destination marketing agency for the Birmingham City
region. It is a public–private partnership supported financially by Birmingham City
Council and some 400 member companies. It raises additional commercial revenue
through the provision of a hotel accommodation and conference booking service.
• Marketing Birmingham scooped Best UK Destination, the Business Award in
association with Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Best Exhibition and Conference Service
for the city, plus the overall Platinum Award in honour of their hat-trick of awards at
the UK’s biggest conference show International Confex 2006.
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