Tourism and hospitality professionals from across the region will come together next month for the fourth annual Greater Manchester Tourism Conference where they will hear from key speakers including: Adrian Woolard, Head of Future Experience Technologies at the BBC; Silvia Flores, International Relations Co-Ordinator at Barcelona Tourism; Dr Roger Carter, Managing Director at TEAM Consulting; Darren Henley, Chief Executive Officer at Arts Council England; and Gavin Landry, Director, The Americas at VisitBritain.
Aimed at all businesses and individuals working within the visitor economy, the Greater Manchester Tourism Conference will be introduced by Sheona Southern with a focus on how brand Manchester is performing globally, and compered by Nick Brooks-Sykes, who will also provide the latest tourism intel. Together they will set the agenda for the day, looking at where growth will come from and what measure we all need to take to shape Greater Manchester’s future visitor economy.
The day will also include: a panel session featuring Shain Shapiro from Sound Diplomacy and Sacha Lord, Night-Time Economy Adviser for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, discussing opportunities within music tourism; a wider look at cultural tourism, how future tech might impact the visitor economy and the impact of tourism taxes on cities; workshop sessions where delegates can learn more about the new Greater Manchester Visitor Pass, how to grow their business and how to work with social media Influencers; and VisitBritain will be sharing all the latest news on their new industry-leading online booking platform TXGB.
Organised by Marketing Manchester, the event will take place on Thursday 17 October at Crowne Plaza & Staybridge Suites Manchester – Oxford Road and will feature a busy and stimulating programme including thought-provoking talks, interviews and presentations from high-profile speakers, business insights and a look at future travel trends.
Speaking about the conference, Sheona Southern commented: “It’s clear that Greater Manchester is now on the cusp of an exciting new era – in terms of both leisure and business tourism – and as we look to the future with a new ten-year strategy to develop, it is essential that we have as many members, stakeholders and leaders present to hear the latest plans and to help shape our ambitions for the visitor economy.
“The Greater Manchester Tourism Conference is always one of the highlights of the year for Marketing Manchester members and this year’s event promises to be equally compelling and a not-to-be-missed event for anyone working within the visitor economy across Greater Manchester and the North of England.”
According to the latest available data tourism is currently worth £8.4 billion to Greater Manchester’s economy and supports 95,800 jobs. It is currently one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in Greater Manchester.
Around 150 delegates are expected to attend the Greater Manchester Tourism Conference 2019 including high-level decision makers, general managers and CEOs from across the North of England.
Full details can be found at manchestertourismconference.co.uk