Liverpool city officials have praised The ACC Liverpool Group after new figures revealed its venues had generated £1bn (US$1.55bn) for the regional economy since 2008.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, made the announcement at the launch of the group’s latest venue, Exhibition Centre Liverpool, last night (17 September).
“The ACC Liverpool Group’s incredible success is proof of how our city can succeed when we show ambition and invest in our future,” Anderson said.
“The new exhibition centre will be a brand new asset to support our visitor economy, creating jobs, attracting visitors, boosting leisure attractions and, crucially, putting Liverpool exactly where it belongs – in the centre of the world map.”
EW was among the guests gathered in the centre’s 8,100sqm exhibition hall, to watch a spectacular opening sequence – produced in-house - which included gymnastic and acrobatic displays, aerial dancers, and a flash mob dancing to tunes selected by television personality and DJ Craig Charles.
The venue also used the night to showcase the depth of skills of its catering staff, with a variety of dining stations, ranging from a champagne and seafood buffet to an exclusive chef’s table experience, enticing guests.
The waterfront venue complements the adjacent Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre, while a four-star 216-room Pullman hotel will open next year.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of The ACC Liverpool Group, told EW that staff had already booked more than 30 trade and consumer shows for the year ahead.
The new exhibition space would also free up bookings for Echo Arena, which had been used to stage exhibitions in the past, Prattey explained.
He said several shows, such as The Allergy and Free From Show, had used the arena or BT Convention Centre’s hall two to test the Liverpool market.
“It has given them the confidence to book the larger exhibition centre,” Prattey said.
The venue was expected to bring an additional 150,000 visitors to the city next year, he added.
Among the first to book the exhibition centre is Tom Lovering, director of PSP Publishing and organiser of consumer event Girls' Day Out Show.
The three-day lifestyle event, which attracts about 20,000 visitors to its Glasgow edition, will debut in Liverpool on 30 October to 1 November.
“We booked three years ago in anticipation of the centre opening,” Lovering said. “We’ve been really excited about bringing the show here.”
“The venue is brand spanking new and it looks fantastic, you don’t need to dress it up. Some halls you need curtains and a lot of decoration to hide what is an older arena,” he said.
Lovering said Liverpool’s demographic was an ideal fit for the show, which he hoped would attract 10,000 to 15,000 visitors in its first year before rapidly expanding.
