To be unveiled in spring 2016, Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre, owned and managed by Belfast City Council, will expand by 4,000 square meters.
Jointly funded by Belfast City Council with £11m, Northern Ireland Tourist Board with £4m and the European Regional Development Fund with £14.5m, the ongoing expansion project is under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, and administered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
Visit Belfast, responsible for promoting the city as a world-class business tourism destination and attracting conferences and events, leads the Business Ambassador Programme on behalf of Invest NI and NITB. Conferences and events in Belfast in 2014 brought in £38m in economic impact.
In partnership with Visit Belfast, the facility kicked off 2015 with an Ambassador Evening at the city’s riverside venue to recognize the invaluable role of conference ambassadors in building the international profile, and thus, economic wellbeing of the city.
Indeed in 2013-2014, Belfast Ambassadors helped Visit Belfast to win conferences with over 28,000 delegates staying for 86,000 bed nights and generating almost £38m for the local economy. Furthermore, over 70 percent of all major conferences were secured with the support of an Ambassador.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Nichola Mallon was delighted to welcome leading figures considering bringing their event to the city.
“There’s never been a better time to visit our exciting city as we embark on the next momentous chapter in becoming a world-class business tourism destination with the extension of Belfast Waterfront as an international conference centre,” commented Lord Mayor Mallon. “Together with the invaluable work of our city’s Ambassadors, we will prove a formidable team in promoting Belfast as a leading destination for business tourism.”
The new £29.5m state-of-the-art extension will seamlessly integrate with the existing facility and see its conferencing facilities double in size to almost 7,000 square meters. With cutting-edge technology and intuitively designed meeting space, the new centre will enhance the customer experience.
“The extension of the Belfast Waterfront will allow Belfast to be a front runner in attracting major medical conferences (over 1,000 delegates),” added Mark Taylor, consultant general and hepatobiliary surgeon, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. “I am particularly delighted that the Association of Surgeons of GB and Ireland conference will be the first to benefit from this major expansion at the Waterfront in 2016.”
Demand for the Belfast Waterfront lies not only in its ability to address both technical and functional capacities, but also its international reputation for delivering outstanding service.
For more information on the Ambassador programme, email SarahGribben@visit-belfast.com.
For more information on Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre, email owensmary@waterfront.co.uk.
