Tourism NI, in partnership with Visit Belfast, has secured a prestigious international conference that will see over 100 international buyers with 1.27 billion buying power meet in Belfast next spring.
For the first time, HelmsBriscoe, the global leading agency in meetings procurement and site selection, will hold its European, Middle Eastern and Africa (EMEA) Regional Meeting in Belfast from 8th to 10th March 2020.
More than 100 associates and 150 hotel partners from across 55 countries will take part in the three day workshop and familiarisation programme across various destination and attractions in Northern Ireland, which is supported by Tourism NI.
Aoife Fee, Tourism NI’s Business and Solutions Manager, commented: “We are delighted that Belfast has been chosen as the host city for the HelmsBriscoe EMEA Regional Meeting next year.”
“Bringing conferences, meetings and business events to Northern Ireland is so important for our local tourism economy and will help us reach our ambition to double the value of tourism to £2billion a year by 2030.
“Hosting this prestigious event which has huge potential meetings revenue will further put Belfast on the map as a leading destination for business conferences,” Aoife added.
Sarah Gribben, Head of Business Tourism for Visit Belfast, added “Belfast and Northern Ireland are firmly established as a top destination for international events, thanks to investment in infrastructure, sales and marketing, conference venues, access and tourism product and experiences.
“This event is another opportunity to showcase the city and region to key buyers and decision-makers from the events industry, giving them a taste of the event infrastructure, hospitality and experiences on offer in Belfast and Northern Ireland for their clients, and I am sure they will be impressed with what they see during their time here.”