Blackpool Gears up for Busy Business Month
Tourism bosses in Blackpool are gearing up for a busy month as they welcome large business events to the resort.
May is one of the most active months in Blackpool with USDAW, the National Federation of Young Farmers and the Royal Air Force Association all holding conferences in the town. In addition the Coach Tourism Awards are being hosted this year too.
It is also the month when the resort hosts the Blackpool Dance Festival welcoming 3,000 dancers over nine days along with more than 4,000 spectators each day.
It is expected the combined business events will bring more than 7,000 delegates into the resort over a 10-day period, while the Blackpool Dance Festival will attract in excess of 40,000 people.
VisitBlackpool Tourism Manager Mandy Tythe-McCallum said it is good news to have such key events taking place in the same month.
Mandy said: “It is really pleasing to welcome four very different associations into Blackpool over such a short time period along with the Dance Festival
“The fact that the events taking place are so different and attract such a varied audience is proof that Blackpool really does appeal to all.”
USDAW, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, will host their annual conference from Sunday 4 to Thursday 8 when it is expected more than 1,500 delegates will take part. They have also confirmed the event will stay in Blackpool until at least 2020.
Just a day later 4,000 young farmers will arrive in resort for their annual convention from Friday 9 to Monday 12 May.
This is then followed by the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) which will bring 800 delegates for its annual conference from May 16 – 19.
And VisitBlackpool is delighted the Coach Tourism Awards are being held in the resort for the first time. This major event is being held at The Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Thursday 15 when more than 800 coach operators from across the UK will gather for their annual awards evening.
Mandy added: “All of these events are great news for Blackpool because they represent business confidence in the resort, a welcome economic boost to businesses in the resort and the opportunity for us to showcase our fabulous town to people who may not have visited previously for business or leisure purposes.
“It is also testament to the hard work of everyone in resort that we continue to attract long standing conferences such as RAFA, USDAW and the Young Farmers as well as new events like the Coach Tourism Awards.”
ENDS
25/04/2014
Notes to editors:
For further information, please contact: Sarah Rhodes, Communications Manager T: 01253 478208
VisitBlackpool is the tourism arm of Blackpool Council and is tasked with promoting the UK's most popular holiday destination to leisure and business visitors, both domestically and internationally.