How do other cities follow suit and use their key strengths to attract events?
Independent evaluations carried out into the economic and social impact of staging the Eurovision Song Contest show how valuable the event was for Liverpool and the wider city region.
Liverpool embraced the global event with its own two-week culture festival, EuroFestival, and nearly half a million people attended Eurovision events in the city.
Aside from the local benefits, Liverpool was able to demonstrate its potential as a destination on the global stage, which will bring in visitors and business for years to come.
Of course, Eurovision coming to the UK is a once in a generation occurrence, but how do cities capitalise on their local strengths to attract other major events and make their event offering – from conference and events facilities through to hospitality and culture – appealing for all sizes of events from around the UK and overseas?
Here at ReEvention, we are very enthusiastic about promoting York as a fantastic destination for events. Not only is the city under two hours on the train from London Kings cross station, a UK connection for the Eurostar, it is also very close to, or well connected with, other major cities, including Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull and only another couple of hours on the train to Edinburgh. We believe York needs to promote itself much better as an event destination, not just as a tourist destination.
We shared an article in M&IT recently, which outlined how Edinburgh’s convention bureau has relaunched its Ambassador Programme, bringing together academics and event professionals with the ambition of attracting events to the city.
Similar initiatives have seen very good results for the sector. We believe this is a blueprint that could be used for efforts to attract event business here in York, and in other cities.
ReEvention director, Faye, says “We work mainly out of London and York, and while London is a well known, global centre for events York is a hidden gem that is too often overlooked. For conferences of 300-500, York has lots of facilities that can be multi-functional, alongside a city that is world-renowned for its heritage and culture. For larger conferences we have two universities and York Barbican has a seated auditorium for up to 1400. The city centre itself is relatively compact, with top hotels and entertainment all within an area that is easily walkable, allowing delegates to enjoy the best of what the city offers.
"As a city, we may not be bringing something on the scale of Eurovision to York, but there is an appetite for companies to bring their events to cities like York, and there is certainly demand amongst local residents for more cultural events, evidenced by audience numbers in 2023, with the York Proms picnic concert in the York Museum Gardens selling out well in advance and next summer's two night Shed Seven open air concert quickly selling out at the same venue.
"With York's designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, and the current bid for UNESCO World Heritage status, the city is serious about raising its profile on a national and global stage. As a company, we are proud to be part of that bright future."
For enquiries about how York could be the perfect setting for your conference or event, and how we can help make that a reality, get in touch today via our contact page.