Tag: Wales

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VisitBritain flagship event MeetGB to be held at ICC Wales in 2020

VisitBritain’s flagship annual business event MeetGB is set to be held at the Celtic Manor Resort and the recently opened International Convention Centre (ICC) in Wales in April 2020.

Registration for the event is also now open for international buyers and UK business event suppliers.

MeetGB, being held from Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 April 2020, is set to host up to 90 international buyers from Europe and North America who will meet and do business with 80 industry suppliers from venues, hotels, destinations and incentive experiences across the UK.

Tourism minister Helen Whately said: “We have a thriving events industry and I’m delighted that next year’s MeetGB conference will be hosted by ICC Wales. This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the best of the UK and help us develop new global relationships, boost trade and investment across the country.”

VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “MeetGB has been created with global buyers in mind to highlight the breadth and quality of the UK’s business events industry. We are delighted to be bringing our flagship event to the new ICC Wales, a shining example of the high-calibre, world-class conventions, events and meetings venues the UK has to offer.

“MeetGB also gives UK suppliers and destinations the opportunity to promote their products on an international scale, forging valuable business relationships that will drive more international MICE events right across the country, boosting local economies.”

ICC Wales and Celtic Manor Resort chief executive Officer Ian Edwards said: “We are honoured to be hosting VisitBritain’s flagship event for the business events industry. With the doors opening to ICC Wales, our £83 million venue, just last month, we have already seen thousands of visitors enjoy our industry-leading facilities and nature-friendly footprint.

“Wellbeing and sustainability are key drivers for both ICC Wales and the Celtic Manor Resort, Wales – from our “Mind, Body, Soul” food philosophy to our recent report on how nature can be used to provide an amazing event experience. We are truly thrilled to be able to present our venues, our natural setting and our warm Welsh welcome to this hugely important international audience in 2020.”

Thousands of one-to-one business meetings are set to take place during MeetGB with delegates also attending networking events and forging business relationships. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about the future of the events industry, exploring sustainability and wellness, driving innovation and expertise.

Taking inspiration from the venue’s woodland surroundings, MeetGB 2020 incorporates wellness and nature, with a programme to encourage attendees’ wellbeing alongside networking and social events. Ahead of the business programme at MeetGB, international buyers will attend educational visits to 11 different UK destinations as they experience first-hand the country’s best conference, events and incentive products.

International buyers and UK suppliers interested in finding out more and registering to attend should visit: www.visitbritain.com/meetgb.

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ICC Wales launches recruitment drive for ambassador programme

With the imminent opening of ICC Wales (International Convention Centre) the Ambassador Wales programme is aiming to expand to attract national and international association conferences to Wales.

Most recently, the Ambassador Wales programme held a recruitment drive at Swansea University to inform academics about the programme and how they can get involved.

Andrew Rhodes, registrar and chief operating officer at Swansea University said: “We were very pleased to welcome the team from ICC Wales to Swansea University and it was great to learn more about the venue we have all seen take shape as we drive past along the motorway.

“This conference centre is a very important new facility for Wales and we were excited to hear about how we can best work together to benefit from this fantastic opportunity, and the part the university and its faculty members can play in attracting and hosting new events.”

Much like other ambassador programmes in the UK, the Ambassador Wales programme aims to bring together a leading network of professionals, often academics, who believe in championing wales as a conference, event and business event destination.

Recruitment drive speaker and Manchester ambassador, professor Jackie Oldham, director of strategic initiatives, Oxford Road Corridor, shared her experiences of being an ambassador, while at the event.

“I used to think the role of ambassador was only for famous people like Brian Cox but I realised I was travelling to lots of conferences and making lots of connections, and that I could make a difference by promoting Manchester to these audiences. Not just the city as a destination but the expertise Manchester has developed within my own field of healthcare.

“Being a destination ambassador is a win-win from my point of view because it’s fantastic to bring colleagues you have met all over the world to Manchester and show them all that we have to offer, and it’s also of huge benefit on a more local level to work and network with my fellow ambassadors and achieve more by working together.

“The best example for me was bringing the inaugural World Healthcare Congress Europe to Manchester this year. That was something I never believed we would be able to achieve.”

When it opens this year, ICC Wales will accommodate more than 5,000 delegates and include a 4,000 sqm pillar-free main hall, a 1,500-seated auditorium, 15 flexible meeting rooms, a double-height glass atrium with views of the surrounding Coldra Woods and a 2,500sqm outdoor plaza.

The ICC Wales team will be visiting more universities in the coming months to further promote the benefits of joining the Ambassador Wales programme.