ACC Liverpool, a UK-based exhibition venue, appointed a U.S. market representative as part of its strategy to bring additional international and North American-based congresses to Liverpool, England.
The venue — home to BT Convention Centre Echo Arena and the upcoming Exhibition Centre Liverpool — will work closely with Peter J. Berry, certified association executive (CAE) of Berry² & Associates LLC.
“Peter shares our vision and recognizes that Liverpool has flourished over the past decade and will continue to do so, particularly with the addition of Exhibition Centre Liverpool, which will enable us to attract larger international congresses,” said Kerrin MacPhie, director of sales, ACC Liverpool.
Working alongside ACC Liverpool’s international team, Berry’s role will include targeting North American and global associations, with U.S.-based members, which have the potential to hold their meetings in Liverpool.
“His objective will be to identify associations that are looking to grow their European membership in addition to helping organizations explore new territory with confidence as he can advise on what Liverpool can offer and how we can support their events. He will be an extension to our international sales team and will use his wealth of experience to be our man on the ground in the American market, targeting outbound events,” added MacPhie.
Berry was founder and president of Association Resources (AR) for more than 30 years, an international association management firm based in Hartford, Conn. He grew the company to more than 60 employees, managed 20 associations and created a satellite office in Washington, D.C. Berry now provides consultancy services in the meetings and association management sectors.
“ACC Liverpool is one of the success stories in the UK meetings industry and has an interesting international growth plan. I met the team at IMEX America in 2012 and was immediately struck by everyone’s enthusiasm to expand beyond UK and European-based events and in turn generate more economic impact into Liverpool,” stated Berry.
“I feel I can support these exciting strategic plans through my experience in the American market. We have spent time coordinating specific targets and formalizing our relationship and contract. “I am looking forward to getting started and helping ACC Liverpool to realize its growth potential,” he added.
Berry was also executive director for the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). He is currently a global taskforce member of the Professional Conference Management Association (PCMA).
Forthcoming international congresses at ACC Liverpool include Arbonne UK Advantage Conference, EuroLabFocus 2014 and the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO).
