01/08/2011

Conference Boost for York & Scarborough Conferences

York & Scarborough Conferences, is looking forward to a boost in conference bookings this summer, as conference teams, hotels and venues get ready to welcome hundreds of delegates to York and Scarborough over the next six months.

Top events and conferences have been secured from a range of clients and organisations including: the Solution Mining Research Institute, The International Society for Photogammery & Remote Sensing (ISPRS), various Rotary Districts and The Association for the Professional Development of Early Years Education conference, which will see 100 delegates arriving at York Marriott Hotel in August. During this same month, over 100 delegates will be traveling to York for The International Society for Photogammery & Remote Sensing (ISPRS) conference which is being hosted at the world famous National Railway Museum and at the Kings Manor, one of historic York's most attractive and unusual sites.

The re opening of Scarborough's Spa is offering new opportunities for conference booking too, including a residential Rotary conference running from 21- 23 September 2013 for 400 delegates and a range of quality conferences and events are in the pipeline. In November, The Hilton in York will be welcoming 80 delegates attending the British Association of Forensic Odontology (BAFO) conference. The event aims to encourage education and good practice in forensic odontology, which involves working with police, coroners and solicitors to help in the identification of unknown remains through dental records and assisting at the scenes of disasters. As part of the event, the group will experience an evening dinner at the historic York Castle Museum.

Laura Freer, Business Tourism Marketing Manager for York & Scarborough Conferences, said: ‘Our work to promote York and Scarborough Conferences is paying dividends and we are delighted to have secured such high quality conference bookings. We are still working in a very challenging market, however, by working closely with venues across the region we are committed to ensuring that York and Scarborough are firmly on the conference circuit.'
For further information about organising an event in York or Scarborough call 01904 554653 or visit www.yorkandscarborough.com

York and Scarborough Conferences exhibition plans

York & Scarborough Conferences, the conference team run by Visit York, are looking forward to attending a number of key industry events and exhibitions in 2011 and 2012.

On the 1-2 September 2011, in partnership with York Conferences (at the University of York), both destinations will be represented at CONFEC GREEN in London, an appointment based event with a focus on agencies and corporations. The month of November promises a busy time the York and Scarborough Conferences team attends two more appointment based events: the C&IT ASSOCIATION FORUM, and the VENUES & DESTINATIONS SUMMIT. The Association Forum has a focus on large associations and professional event organisers, attendance is in association with the Scarborough Spa Complex. In contrast, the Venues and Destinations Summit has a focus on managers and directors typically responsible for sourcing high end venues and destinations for all kinds of events, meetings and conferences, and attendance here is in association with the Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa.

In March 2012, York and Scarborough Conferences will also be attending CONFEX 2012, this year to be held for the first time at the ExCEL Centre in London. The exhibition is open to all those involved in the conference, meeting and corporate events market.
For more information on any of these events please go to www.yorkandscarborough.com

Bedern Hall offers an innovative ‘Locals' View' events initiative

Bedern Hall, a beamed medieval Guildhall located within a short walk from York Minster, is putting forward a new and innovative ‘value' conference and meetings offering across the months of August and September that includes a complimentary tour of the City of York and a reduced daily delegate tariff of just £16 per person during August.

The ‘Locals' View' tour will be provided by Roger Lee who runs Time and Place Catering and manages Bedern Hall for the Guilds of York. A lifetime Freeman of the City, Roger is including the tour for new conference and meetings bookings from 1st August 2011. Roger pledges to show delegates some of the lesser-known places of interest in York including key business and civil contacts, knowledge about local networking for future business opportunities and tips and advice on ‘how to get the best delegate experience in York'.

"York has so many assets and opportunities for people in business to use and we hope that this initiative will help meetings and events participants to have an authentic and speedy introduction to the City. As a lifelong member of the local community I believe it is possible to make introductions for business people that will assist their event to run more productively and if, by attending events at the Hall, we can encourage their return to develop business in York it can only be good for the City long-term." comments Roger Lee.

For further information on how you can book your event at Bedern Hall please contact York and Scarborough Conferences on 01904 554448.

York Barbican now worth £11m to the local economy

York Barbican has reopened following a £2m investment and it is expected to boost the local economy by up to £11m. Laura Freer, business tourism marketing manager for York & Scarborough Conferences, said, ‘As well as bringing in extra revenue to York, the venue will host an estimated 350 events and 50 conferences a year. We are delighted to be working closely with the Barbican to highlight York as one of the UK's leading conference destinations.'

York Barbican - formerly the Barbican Centre - is now operated by SMG Europe Holdings and has the facilities to cater for up to 1,500 delegates. The auditorium lends itself to large conferences, associations and product launches as well as dinners for up to 400. There are two large foyer areas which are ideal for drinks receptions, exhibitions and networking, and there are also six syndicate rooms for breakout spaces, team building, training and workshops.

Lisa Turton, conference and events manager for York Barbican, said: "York Barbican offers everything for conference and event organisers. Since we opened in May this year it is already proving a popular choice with bookings and enquiries are coming in from a wide range of sectors including finance, government, associations and charities. The investment has paid strong attention to enhancing the conference and events facilities to ensure all our equipment is state of the art and we are looking forward to showcasing these facilities to all our new clients."

New Marketing Drive for Scarborough's Culture Quarter

Three historic venues in the ‘Culture Quarter' of Scarborough have joined forces to offer delegates a unique meetings and events experience. The combination of Woodend, Beiderbecke's Hotel, and Scarborough Art Gallery - newly rebranded as "Crescent Conference Solutions" offers the conference organiser the chance to use the facilities across any combination of these three delightful venues, all sited within 2 minutes walk from each other across the stunning period Crescent gardens.

Woodend is a stately home in miniature with contemporary additions. Once the home of the famous Sitwell family, Woodend is now a modern business venue; complete with its own art gallery and beautiful gardens to complete the package. Beiderbecke's, a 3* AA boutique hotel, offers a range of accommodation and conference space luxury suites, executive double rooms and a comfortable lounge bar with a garden terrace, as well as a sumptuous AA Rosette restaurant "Marmelades" with live jazz trio evenings. To complete the offering, Scarborough Art gallery, housed in a stunning italianate villa, provides the ideal location for networking events or drinks receptions in a relaxed environment where there is always something to talk about.

The combination of Woodend, Beiderbecke's Hotel, and Scarborough Art Gallery - offer the perfect solution for away-days, team building, training courses, presentations, annual conferences, breakfast meetings, corporate launches or cocktail receptions. For further information on how to book your next event into these venues please contact York and Scarborough Conferences on 01904 554448.

Scarborough's Crown Spa White Rose hopes

The Crown Spa Hotel in Scarborough, one of the town's flagship venues for business conferences and events in the region, is proud to announce that they are finalists in two categories of the prestigious White Rose Awards - having been nominated for both the Sustainable Tourism award and the Large Hotel of the Year.

Welcome to Yorkshire's White Rose Awards are Yorkshire's biggest tourism awards. The awards highlight those shining stars in Yorkshire's tourism industry who strive for excellence and offer visitors an extra special experience. This year's ceremony is to be held on the 10th October at Doncaster Racecourse. In 2009 the Crown Spa Hotel won the White Rose ‘Sustainable Tourism Award' and was therefore put forward for the Enjoy England ‘Sustainable Tourism Award, which they won. In 2010 they were again nominated as White Rose finalists for ‘Large Hotel of the Year'. For more information on booking your next event at the Crown Spa Hotel, please contact York and Scarborough Conferences on 01904 554448.

News Just In

Association of British Credit Union AGM confirmed in York....
The 2012 Association of British Credit Unions AGM and Conference will be held in York for the first time between 9th and 11th March, at the Royal York Hotel. Tourism Chiefs are celebrating this as a real coup for the city's business tourism sector. This conference is a major annual event for the sector in the UK and will come at a key time, with the introduction of the current Legislative Reform Order allowing 'corporate' memberships of CUs and interest payments on savings accounts amongst other things, along with the proposed DWP Modernisation and Expansion Fund, led by Ian Duncan Smith and with a budget of £73m to invest in developing the services offered by key CUs across the UK. There is likely to be significant political interest in this event.

Contact Details: Mike Horncastle D.E.U.K. MInstF(Cert.), Manager/CEO, North Yorkshire Credit Union
T: 01904 676633, T: 01904 521200 (Direct Line), M: 07918 882028

York and Scarborough Conferences 

For further information about organising an event in York or Scarborough call
01904 554653 or visit www.yorkandscarborough.com

Notes To Editor:
• York & Scarborough Conferences is the official business tourism body for York & Scarborough.
• York and Scarborough Conferences is a partnership between Visit York, the City of York Council, Scarborough Borough Council and tourism businesses in York and Scarborough and is supported by Welcome to Yorkshire.

Key facts include:
•   York is ranked 7th (up from 10th) in the top ten business tourism cities in England.
•   Scarborough generates £9 million of business tourism spend annually and won the title ‘Europe's   Most Enterprising Place' at the European Enterprise Awards 2009.
•   In York business tourism generates a total of £203 million turnover annually.
•   Business tourism in York and Scarborough generates £212 million worth of tourism spend into the York/Scarborough economy annually.

For further information please contact:
Victoria Nicholson - Welcome to Yorkshire
Email: victoria@bandhcommunications.co.uk
Direct Line: 0113 243 4713
Mobile: 07968 732630

Kay Hyde - York & Scarborough Conferences
Email: kh@visityork.org
Direct Line: 01904 554451
Mobile:07961 828092