The Biz Autumn 2014

Autumn 2014

Tourism news & views for businesses across the City Region

Fab Christmas National marketing campaign launched

Transmitting Andy Warhol

Tate hosts major exhibition

Record Visitor Numbers

Economic boost for the city

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Taste of Victory City Region businesses triumph in National Awards

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The Biz © McCoy Wynne 2014

Welcome

It has been just over a year since the new Visitor Economy Board was established. We wanted it to have a strong private sector base, with a wide diversity and depth of experience – this dynamic has worked well, enabling us to work collectively and reach across all parts of our varied sector.

Recent figures have shown that growth right across our visitor economy continues.

Our City Region now attracts 53 million day visitors annually and the number of staying visitors has risen to 4.7 million. Almost 49,000 jobs are now supported through the Visitor Economy which generates income in excess of £3.64 billion. Looking ahead to 2015 we hope these figures will rise further through more hotel openings, the new Exhibition Centre at ACC Liverpool and Cunard’s 175th anniversary celebrations.

Front cover picture: Candice Fonseca, Delifonseca.

An interesting report on the future of hotels in Liverpool predicts further growth in this market over the next ten years to keep up with demand. The report said that “Liverpool has had by far the greatest and most sustained growth in hotel supply of any of its comparator cities.”

Since the last study in 2011, 17 new hotels and serviced apartments have opened adding 1,529 rooms/ apartments, with another new hotel opening by the end of 2014. Between 2011 and 2014, this was primarily budget hotels and apartments, but the

report says that “The latest wave of new hotels is upscale with 2014 seeing the opening of the first new 4 star hotel in 5 years and two new boutique hotels.”

‘Succe furthe

In a first for Great Britain, Liverpool City Region has received WorldHost City Region status (see page 13). This is in recognition of the 4000 employees across the visitor economy, retail and transport services who went through their destination welcome and customer service training.

This programme has been used to train over one million people worldwide, including tens of thousands of volunteers and staff at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Finally, it was sad to say goodbye to Pam Wilsher who retired in August from her role as Head of Visitor Economy Development. Pam has worked in the tourism industry for 36 years and been involved in almost every single development affecting the tourism industry during this time, including leading the way in the recruitment and training of the Blue Badge Guides. Trying to find her replacement was a difficult task but we are looking forward to welcoming Peter Sandman into the role, Peter comes from Merseytravel where he headed up their Customer and Business Development Team and prior to that was deputy to the Head of Tourism at Sefton Council.

Sara Wilde McKeown Chair, Liverpool City Region Visitor Economy Board

Chris Brown, Director of Marketing Liverpool

“It’s much easier to reflect and handle challenges when you are in a strong position, which the visitor economy undoubtedly is”

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ess must drive er growth’

As we come to the end of the summer, there is no better time to reflect on where the visitor economy stands.

The last few months have been very strong for tourism across the City Region. Once again, we’ve had major events to bring increased numbers of visitors in; whether it’s The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, the Biennial or the giants which brought the city centre to a standstill for three magnificent days.

However, we cannot fall into the trap of assuming that this growth will continue unabated.

The City Region needs to continue looking forward and being honest enough to assess what we could and should be doing better, to stand out in a very competitive market.

It’s much easier to reflect and handle challenges when you are in a strong position, which the visitor economy undoubtedly is. However at this time thanks should go to all partners within the visitor

economy for their hard work throughout 2014, ensuring that the many visitors we have received have gone away raving about the City Region.

With events such as the Cunard 175th celebrations next summer, major exhibitions from the likes of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock and many exciting projects on the horizon, we are in a good place to build on this success.

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And of course there was the International Festival for Business, a huge undertaking which saw thousands of

business tourists flock to the city over the course of its 50 days.

The government judged IFB 2014 to be such a success that it has committed support for a second instalment here in 2016, details of which will be announced in due course.

But there is only so much time for patting ourselves on the back. It’s no secret that our visitor economy has experienced extraordinary growth over the last few years, which is the result of a lot of hard work right across the sector.

liverpoolvision.co.uk

twitter: @VLBiz

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Discover Liverpool…..

Discover your perfect short break The latest VisitLiverpool national advertising campaign has been live this autumn and has targeted the domestic short break and day visit markets.

With campaign partners the Liverpool Attractions Group and VisitEngland, activity has included advertising in national print titles (The Guardian and Observer), radio advertising (Classic FM), several digital

Liverpool Wins Top Award

channels including Guardian online plus VisitLiverpool e-comms and social media.

The overall objective of the campaign has been to help drive overnight stays and increase footfall and spend at visitor attractions and venues.

The City of Liverpool has been voted Best UK Destination for Groups by the readers of Group Travel Organiser magazine.

Nominations were made for VisitLiverpool.biz

towns, cities and resorts across the UK. Liverpool came out top with readers stating Liverpool had “worked hard to attract and support group visitors”.

Further activity will take place in the new year.

New Seasonal Guide Launched The brand new Liverpool Seasonal Guide will be hitting the streets this November.

It covers the period up to April 2015 and is packed with ideas on things to do, places to see, where to eat and stay. This season’s lead sponsor is Titanic Hotel.

James Wood of Marketing Liverpool collecting the award

A campaign page was developed on VisitLiverpool to encourage sign ups to the database and help to profile all campaign partners.

30,000 guides will be printed backed by a distribution plan covering local and national outlets plus key overseas exhibitions and events.

A downloadable version will be available on VisitLiverpool.

The current Seasonal Guide has been downloaded over 20,000 times from VisitLiverpool.com

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Promotional Opportunities Latest statistics show, from April to September 2014, the new VisitLiverpool.com website received 1,484,522 visitors to the site – a 44% increase from the same period the previous year!

Take advantage of the range of digital opportunities with VisitLiverpool in order to promote your business across all sectors of the Visitor Economy including Business Tourism and Travel Trade.

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visitliverpool.biz/ promotionalopportunities

Best Brochure It’s going A new trophy has pride of place at the Liverpool Convention Bureau, after the team scooped ‘Best Brochure’ at the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) in October.

to be a Fab Christmas Liverpool’s Christmas campaign is running for the fourth time this year. The aim of the campaign is to deliver a joint retail marketing campaign that promotes shopping in the city as Christmas approaches, encourages overnight stays in Liverpool, highlights events taking place in the city centre and promotes travel by rail.

The campaign has been developed by key retail and transport partners and this year will be managed

by Marketing Liverpool.

Emma Bellis and Stacey Koks of Liverpool Convention Bureau collecting the award

The national campaign will include traditional advertising and digital advertising with its own bespoke microsite being developed to help keep shoppers fully up-to-date with the destination’s festive activity.

It’s not the only award LCB are up for – in the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards, they are shortlisted for the prize of ‘Best Convention Bureau’ and hope to improve on last year’s bronze finish.

To vote, please visit www.meetpie.com/modules/ eventmodule/mit/mitvote.aspx

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MIMA is the prestigious award designed to acknowledge the best work done by destinations across the country in marketing their business tourism offer.

The Venue Directory, which LCB produces annually, was voted the most effective brochure for 2014 and the team are confident of retaining the title next year, with work on the 2015 edition well under way.

Voting closes 10 December 2014

The campaign will run from late October to December and is designed to attract Christmas shoppers and city breakers while they experience the city’s strong cultural offer at the same time.

Partners involved include: Liverpool ONE, City Central BID, Albert Dock, Merseyrail and Geraud.

The collateral will also include details of all the festive attractions and events taking place across the city. twitter: @VLBiz

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The Biz

Countdown to Exhibition Centre Liverpool The arrival of the Exhibition Centre Liverpool will increase the existing exhibition capacity at ACC Liverpool to more than 15,000 sqm of integrated and flexible event space. In its first year of operation, it is expected to host around 50 events and attract more than 250,000 visitors.

The £66m centre will include a £26m integrated four-star 216 room Pullman hotel. Both will be interconnected to ACC Liverpool, which currently comprises the BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena, via a pedestrian link bridge. The new complex will be the only purpose-built integrated arena,

convention and exhibition centre in Europe when it opens next year.

Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, said: “With Exhibition Centre Liverpool we will be capable of hosting large-scale consumer and trade exhibitions.

The additional facilities will also enable us to welcome more national and international conferences with substantial accompanying exhibitions, such as RenewableUK. “We are pleased with the progress made on site – the development is on track and on budget.”

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Further growth for Liverpool Hotel Market

Going Green Liverpool City Region has seen a boost in green space following massive investment in the creation and improvement of parks.

VisitLiverpool.biz

Liverpool waterfront and the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A total £9.5million of Heritage Lottery Funding has seen the refurbishment of two other City Region parks – Kings Gardens in Southport and Victoria Park in St Helens. Both projects have seen original features restored as well as landscaping and improvements to footpaths and paving.

A new report, prepared by hotel development consultancy Hotel Solutions, predicts further growth in this market over the next ten years to keep up with demand.

Commissioned by Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and Liverpool Vision, the ‘Liverpool Hotel Futures 2014’ report says that “Liverpool’s continuing vision to establish itself as a world class international maritime city is likely to deliver substantial

levels of growth through to 2025...The visitor economy will remain one of the key priority sectors underpinning Liverpool’s growth....attracting more conferences and exhibitions and international visitors, driving growth in domestic leisure visitors 7 days a week, developing a major events programme and expanding the cruise market.”

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A former Wirral landfill site has been transformed after a £2.3m re-development by the Land Trust. 28 hectare Port Sunlight River Park now features wildflower meadows, grasslands and offers stunning views of the

exhibitioncentreliverpool.com

For further information Download on VisitLiverpool.biz

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Everyman Wins RIBA Stirling Prize

the award. Artistic director Gemma Bodinetz said. “The Everyman was built with humanity at its heart.

Since we reopened, the warmth of feeling from the public to their much-loved Everyman - given a daring and brilliant rebirth - has been almost overwhelming”.

RIBA president Stephen Hodder called the Everyman an “exceptional new building”.

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Liverpool’s newly rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the RIBA Stirling prize for best new building of the year. The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour the Royal Institute of British Architects’ highest accolade.

The shortlisted buildings included London’s Shard, the Library of Birmingham, Manchester School of Art, the London Aquatics Centre and the LSE Student Centre. The theatre said it was “thrilled” to win

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everymanplayhouse.com

Stage Set for Reopening of The Phil

In November 2014, Liverpool Philharmonic will complete phase 1 of their £13.8 million refurbishment of the beautiful Grade II* listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, home to the worldclass Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

This investment will enhance the experience for artists and audiences and secure a sustainable future for the organisation.

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Phase 2 is due for completion in summer 2015, to coincide with the 175th anniversary of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

The second phase includes the building of an exciting

new, smaller-scale venue that will be used for performances and Liverpool Philharmonic’s award-winning learning programme, in addition to new backstage production facilities, warm-up rooms and office accommodation.

liverpoolphil.com

New Arrival...

Aloft Hotel fresh and fun destination.

The 110-year-old building has retained much of the original Neo-Baroque architecture, with the interior transformed to offer cutting-edge design.

Having lain derelict for the past 20 years, Aloft has breathed new life into one of Liverpool’s most beloved Grade II listed buildings, creating a modern,

Aloft Liverpool features 116 loft-like guest rooms and Aloft Hotel’s signature W XYZ bar.

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Aloft Hotels arrived in Liverpool last month, transforming the iconic Royal Insurance Building into the stylish and contemporary Aloft Liverpool.

aloftliverpool.com twitter: @VLBiz

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Be Inde st pend ent Reta iler

Delifonseca scoops ‘Best Independent Retailer’ Delifonseca was named the ‘Best Independent Retailer’ at the 2014 Observer Food Monthly Awards in October 2014 .

Proprietor Candice Fonseca said: “Since we opened, the team and I have continued to have the same aim and that’s to provide everyday groceries to specialist artisan produce from all of the North West, UK and

Paul Askew breaks new ground with his latest venture…

Europe – and to match that with the same level of knowledge that the staff here are very proud to have.”

The Observer Food Monthly Awards celebrate and reward the very best in British food and produce. In addition to showcasing nine reader-voted categories, there were also seven categories that were decided by a varied panel of Michelin-starred judges.

Winners, celebrated chefs, food critics, writers and press from all over the country attended this year’s ceremony.

Candice added: “Liverpool has both a fantastic retail and food & drink offer and to have won this award, has helped to put both us and the city on the map.”

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The multi-award winning restaurant and deli, located in both Stanley Street and Brunswick Dock, received the prestigious accolade during an awards ceremony co-hosted

by Sue Perkins and Jay Rayner at the Freemasons’ Hall in

Covent Garden, London.

Following weeks of public voting, Delifonseca was presented with the award due to its ‘acclaimed locally-sourced produce and holistic approach’.

delifonseca.co.uk

Claremont Farm just got bigger

The Art School Restaurant is a true labour of love for acclaimed chef Paul Askew. His new restaurant, which opened early September 2014, is a 50 cover fine dining restaurant and bar located in Liverpool’s dining and culture quarter.

Following years of success at The London Carriage Works and Hope Street Hotel, Paul is now focusing on bringing the highest possible dining standards to the city through his newly opened restaurant.

Drawing on his passion and commitment to the use of local produce, The Art School will host seasonal and innovative menus.

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theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk

Andrew Pimbley of Claremont Farm comments, “The Claremont experience has taken a giant leap forward, right at the heart of the farm where customers

can taste it for themselves.

This has been in the planning for 10 years now. We want to become an alternative shopping and eating destination, a melting pot for local produce and seasonal foods. Our culture and our community used to centre around the eating of food and the market place, this is what we want this to feel like.”

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VisitLiverpool.biz

The Pimbleys are farmers, who have grown and sold their own fruit and vegetables since 1906. Now they are championing local produce with the opening of their new build, farm shop, butchers and cafe.

claremontfarm.co.uk

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o N Restaurant

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Top of the Hops

in the UK

Fraiche ‘Number One Restaurant in the UK’ Fraiche restaurant in Oxton, owned and run

by Huyton-born chef Marc Wilkinson has been named the number one restaurant in the UK by the Sunday Times.

The restaurant employs just two waiters and a pot-wash.

Marc added: “Hard work and single minded perseverance has made this possible and a dream becoming a reality.”

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The guide said: “Marc Wilkinson has done for Merseyside’s cuisine what the Beatles did for its music, with talent, flair and originality, he has taken his restaurant Fraiche to the top of the charts.”

Last year Fraiche was positioned at number six in the list – a huge achievement in itself considering it was one of the only one-chef restaurants on the list.

restaurantfraiche.com

Sustainable Food Cities Lucy Antal, Sustainable Food Cities Coordinator for Liverpool, tells The Biz all about the Sustainable Food City quest and how you can get involved.

What is a Sustainable Food City?

to share their best practice experiences of community growing, recommendations for great local food, help us campaign, and tell us about any events or activities to do with sustainable food.

What is Liverpool Food People?

We’re working together on ways to make Liverpool a more sustainable food city: including improved access to fresh food for all; supporting communities; improving procurement and the use of local producers and growers; more use of better welfare products; improving skills such as cookery and

Follow us on twitter @lplfoodppl or facebook facebook.com/ LiverpoolFoodPeople to find out more. Our website is being developed by Nonconform and will be at liverpoolfoodpeople.com when it launches. We want people

We’d LOVE to see Liverpool get 5 stars from the Sustainable Fish City campaign. If you are a food-serving business in Liverpool, please sign the pledge and help Liverpool to become a Sustainable Fish City at sustainweb.org/ sustainablefishcity.

Brimstage Brewing Company www.brimstagebrewery.com

George Wright Brewing Company

www.georgewrightbrewing.co.uk

Liverpool Craft Beer Co.

www.liverpoolcraftbeer.com

Liverpool One Brewery

www.liverpoolonebrewery.co.uk

Liverpool Organic Brewery

www.liverpoolorganicbrewery.com

Mad Hatter Brewing Company www.madhatterbrewing.co.uk

Melwood Beer Company www.melwoodbeer.co.uk

Peerless Brewing Company www.peerlessbrewing.co.uk

Southport Brewery

www.southportbrewery.co.uk

Stamps Brewery

www.stampsbrewery.co.uk

Wapping Brewery

www.balticfleetpub.com

lucyliverpoolfoodalliance @gmail.com

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How can people get involved?

What can we expect for 2015 from The Liverpool Food People?

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Liverpool is one of 6 cities (the others are Belfast, Bournemouth & Poole, Cardiff, Newcastle and Stockport) being supported by the Sustainable Food Cities Network to deliver improvements in their city’s food sustainability.

Liverpool Food People, (previously known as the Liverpool Food Alliance) has a steering group including senior health officers, food growers, buyers, community organisations, waste campaigners and cooks.

gardening; and championing the local economy.

Real Ale is making a comeback, with a number of local breweries in the City Region

For details on upcoming beer festivals and events visit liverpoolcamra.org

twitter: @VLBiz

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The Biz

Tate: Transmitting Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (1928-1987) remains one of the most important and influential artists of the Post War period and the central figure associated with pop art. his democratic conviction that ‘art should be for everyone.’

Highlights include the Marilyn Diptych, Dance Diagram and Do-it-Yourself paintings, and other loans from international collections and the ARTIST ROOMS collection.

The exhibition will run from 7 November 2014 – 8 February 2015.

The Velvet Underground and Nico 1967 Album cover design

by Andy Warhol © 2014 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London

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The first solo exhibition of Warhol’s work in the north of England, it brings together over

100 works, across a range of media with major paintings to explore Warhol’s experiments with mass-produced imagery, which he ‘transmitted’ back into the public realm using processes of serial repetition and mass dispersal, establishing new approaches to distribute his work.

Warhol’s transmission of ideas and imagery brought to life

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Transmitting Andy Warhol is the first exhibition to explore Warhol’s role in establishing new platforms to disseminate art, and his experimentation with new approaches to art reception that redefined artistic practice and distribution.

tateliverpool.org.uk/

GRAMMY Museum exhibit arrives at The Beatles Story The Beatles Story Pier Head is playing host to The British Invasion: How 1960s beat groups conquered America.

VisitLiverpool.biz

interviews with GRAMMY award winning artists.

Martin King of the Beatles Story said, “This really is a fantastic exhibition and we are proud to be able to host something so prestigious here in the famous city of Liverpool.”

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The exhibition, made up of more than 80 articles, includes unseen images of The Rolling Stones and handwritten lyrics of The Beach Boys ‘God Only Knows’ alongside items belonging to music legends such as The Hollies, The Supremes and Ray Charles. Part of the exhibit is also dedicated to

beatlesstory.com

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Chinese New Year After the success of the Year of the Horse, Liverpool Chinatown is preparing to celebrate the Year of the Sheep starting on Sunday 22 February 2015. arranged a series of arts and cultural events as the city centre will come alive with the annual vibrant celebrations.

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To mark the Year of the Sheep, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Chinese Business Association, Liverpool Chinese Community groups and other organisations have

visitliverpool.com/whats-on

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Theatre on Foot presents

‘The Legend of Liverpool’ Theatre on Foot are the latest City Region tour company to be awarded VisitEngland Quality Assured Tour status.

Theatre on Foot’s latest walking show ‘The Legend of Liverpool’ is a unique time travelling tour through 800 years of Liverpool’s dark “horrible history”.

As your group are led through Liverpool’s original streets and docklands, get up close and personal with a Secretive Smuggler, Wicked Witch Finder General, Grim Grave Digger, Vicious Viking and many more.

This interactive show is based on the real history and legends of Liverpool (without the boring bits), so every story you hear really is a part of the city’s unpleasant past!

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theatreonfoot.co.uk

Three Queens, One Magnificent City Plans to stage the world’s most spectacular gathering of Cunard’s Three Queens ever seen are well under way in Liverpool.

Queen Mary 2, the 150,000 ton flagship of the fleet, will be joined on 25 May 2015 by her sisters Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth to stage a stunning salute to the City that is Cunard’s spiritual home as part of the line’s 175th anniversary.

Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage Site waterfront, which includes the Cunard Building, will provide a unique backdrop for the “Three Queens, One Magnificent City” spectacular which organisers expect up to 1 million spectators to attend.

Commodore Rynd said: “With the unique backdrop of Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront, and the capacity on both sides of the Mersey to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, I believe this will be a most spectacular gathering of the Three Queens. I am excited by the prospect of bringing the Fleet to its spiritual home.”

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The complex marine operations plan is being prepared by a team including

Commodore of the Cunard fleet Christopher Rynd; Captain Steve Gallimore, the Port of Liverpool Harbour Master; and Mr Chris Booker, Chairman of Liverpool Pilots Limited and the Events River Pilot.

cunard.co.uk/Liverpool twitter: @VLBiz

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The Biz

Giant Visitor Numbers for Summer Months LIVERPOOL has reaped the benefits of what is being hailed as the biggest event in its history.

An independent report into the impact of the Giants-led Memories of August 1914 has revealed it is one of Liverpool’s most successful events to date.

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Economic impact of £46 million into the local economy

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41% visiting as groups

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Around 300,000 of the visitors were from outside the city region

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The average spend per person for someone from Liverpool was £19

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The average spend per person for someone outside the city region was £107

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Around 160,000 visitors had never been to Liverpool before

Record high hotel occupancy July 2013

July 2014

August 2013

August 2014

Liverpool City Region Hotel Occupancy

75.6%

83.6%

76.6%

79.9%

Liverpool City Region Weekend Occupancy

87.2%

91.2%

89.4%

90.8%

Liverpool City Region Midweek Occupancy

75.7%

84.0%

71.4%

77.8%

Liverpool City Region Room Yield

£40.90

£56.60

£42.70

£46.30

Liverpool City Region Rooms Sold

233,165

285,102

236,249

272,484

Hotel Performance

SOURCE: STR GLOBAL, LTD. REPUBLICATION OR OTHER RE-USE OF THIS DATA WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF STR GLOBAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Major events over the summer months, including IFB 2014, the Open Golf and the return of the Giants, led to record highs in hotel occupancy across Liverpool City Region. The latest independent research carried out by North West Research shows that more rooms were sold across Liverpool City Region (285,000) than in any other month for the last 10 years, including Capital of Culture year in 2008.

Anna Biagetti, Head of North West Research, comments “Overall hotel occupancy levels are the highest experienced in the months of July and August over the past decade, with midweek levels showing particularly strong growth trends throughout the City Region’s busy summer months.”

VisitLiverpool.biz

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Meet a member

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Liverpool Welcome Workshops

Tea Parlour Sharon Plante opened the Tea Parlour in 2014, tucked away on the first floor of a Victorian landmark on Mathew Street the vintageinspired venue is already being referred to as one of the most nostalgic places to take tea in the North West.

What made you decide to open the Tea Parlour?

We love afternoon tea and had struggled to find one that was just right to host my daughter’s birthday.

We ended up having it at home and it was a lot of work.

But the response was great and it sparked the idea for starting Tea Parlour.

What is the best thing about your job?

We have a lot of guests who do afternoon tea all over the country and kindly compare us with the best, which is so kind. But the feedback and reviews on TripAdvisor have been amazing. Somehow all this support put us to number one in Liverpool and I had to pinch myself. This got the attention of MSN and we made it to the top 20 of the best places for afternoon tea in the UK. What are your plans for the future?

We’re expanding our hours and introducing afternoon tea packages for Christmas, graduation and of course wedding receptions for next year. teaparlour.co.uk

The LEP has appointed Paul Hickey of Tourism Growth Ltd to provide business mentoring, coaching, workshops and best practice visits to a limited number of expanding small tourism businesses throughout Liverpool City Region.

What workshops do you offer?

The Liverpool Welcome is an informative and motivating industry focussed workshop. Delivering answers to the most commonly asked questions by visitors to Liverpool and the City Region – What’s on, what can we see and do and where can we eat, shop and drink?

The Complaint Handling workshop (Loyal or Lost) will give participants a

WorldHost City Region

...talk to Paul

greater understanding of why customers complain, how we can pre-empt complaints and positively and effectively deal with them.

Who are they for and what do they cost?

For all visitor facing staff. Prices start at £40.00 +VAT per person.

Why attend?

The Liverpool Welcome will enhance your knowledge which our visitors not only value but expect. Loyal or Lost participants will develop the necessary skills, techniques and manner to enable them to deal with difficult situations in their workplace. workshops@liverpoollep.org

city region in the UK to receive this status, at an awards ceremony held at Liverpool Town Hall on September 16.

Robert Hough, Chair of Liverpool City Region Local Economic Partnership, said: “As a result of this training, visitors will experience even better customer service from our retailers, hospitality and tourism businesses.

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If you are planning to grow your business and take on additional staff in the next 12 months and feel you could benefit from this support please contact Paul at paul@tourismgrowth.co.uk Tel: 0870 040 2600 or 01923 465522

A new term of Industry focussed workshops will be running throughout 2014-15.

The courses, delivered by Katy Moussaada of Motivation Through Training, are the perfect way for frontline staff to learn how to provide an outstanding Liverpool Welcome to visitors to the region. Katy tells us more,

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Thinking of expanding a business?

What have been your highlights so far?

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All of it... Baking, sourcing china and vintage furnishings, dressing tables for guests celebrating special occasions, experimenting with menu ideas, tasting gourmet teas, chocolates, cocktails and tons of cakes and moreish

desserts. More than that, our little team is full of foodies. We have a good laugh together and our customers are truly lovely.

The Liverpool City Region has formally received its WorldHost Award – the first

This in turn encourages more visitors to spread the word and make a return visit, boosting profitability of our sector.” twitter: @VLBiz

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The Biz

Spotlight on...

Enda Rylands, Ramada Plaza Southport Enda Rylands, General Manager of Ramada Plaza Southport and member of the Visitor Economy Board, talks to The Biz about what he thinks the future holds for Liverpool City Region Visitor Economy and the newly established Southport BID. What brought you to Liverpool City Region?

I moved to Southport in 2010 following 15 years living and working in Yorkshire and Edinburgh. My wife is originally from the Wirral so it was an opportunity to move closer to her family.

There was also the lure of taking charge of a flagship hotel in a great resort with so much scope and potential.

As soon as I first visited I knew that there were great opportunities for growth.

What motivated you to join the Visitor Economy Board and how do you see their role in Liverpool City Region?

I always enjoy various stakeholder meetings and was very vocal in my opinion that Southport needed better representation, I also believed that business in Southport underestimated some of the

VisitLiverpool.biz

work that was being done within the City Region on behalf of the town.

When I got approached about becoming more involved I felt that this was an opportunity to keep Southport in focus and also allowed me to feedback to stakeholder groups in the borough exactly what was happening in the wider City Region.

Why do you think collaboration is important?

Prior to joining the board I was always interested in what was going on in the wider City Region as this could impact and influence my business. Far too often the left arm does not know what the right is doing and in fact they are pulling in opposite directions meaning that they are competing against each other.

If the message is the same and the target audience similar

we have a greater chance of achieving our market share if everyone works together.

You’re a member of the newly established Southport BID, what are your aims for Southport in the next 5 years?

Southport BID has been in development for 2 years and will formally commence on the 1st November.

The overriding aim is to assist business growth within the BID area. It is an exciting time for Southport with the key priorities being to improve retail footfall, improve the shopping experience, invest in events and activities, improve marketing of the town centre, encourage more investment in the town and increase stakeholder collaboration for the benefit of all.

There is an incredibly strong will in Southport to

see improvements and the more involved the business community gets the better chance we have of success.

Exciting times ahead.

How do you see the City Region developing in the coming years?

There is so much happening within the City Region at the moment and so much more in discussion that this is a time when Liverpool can really establish itself as a global city.

Liverpool waterfront development, Liverpool 2, Cruise Liverpool and the new Exhibition Centre will all give Liverpool a greater appeal internationally. Hopefully future developments on Wirral and in Southport will all add to the appeal and enhance Liverpool City Region both internationally and nationally.

The Biz

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Ask the LEP:

Liverpool Convention Bureau Emma Bellis, Head of Liverpool Convention Bureau, tells The Biz all about the team’s work.

What does the convention bureau do?

The convention bureau works to attract conferences, meetings and events to Liverpool City Region, and help with all organisation.

This takes many forms; bidding for major events, organising familiarisation trips, proactive sales work, exhibitions and site inspections.

We source venues, book accommodation, arrange transfers and private dining. It’s all part of the daily routine here.

We attend trade shows to forge connections with conference and event organisers and sell the City Region – however these things can be expensive, and can be demanding on staff hours. Therefore we are highly selective of which shows we attend, and only go to those where we are extremely confident of a positive return on investment.

New Tourism & Conference Members

A couple of the shows we have recently attended are IMEX Frankfurt and Meetings Show UK. The former is one of the major events for European conference organisers, so it’s key that Liverpool is represented there. We had 23 meetings over 3 days, which generated a number of enquiries and have given the city the opportunity to bid for 2 large international conferences for 2016 and 2018.

At Meetings Show we had 33 meetings during the event and made 87 new contacts, with various ongoing enquiries as a result.

The International Festival for Business (IFB 2014) was also a major focus for us over the summer, with hundreds of events at venues right across the city region.

By the time you read this, we will have just returned from IMEX America – one of the biggest shows in the world.

The market has huge potential

for us.

Conferences are not just sold on the facilities but also on the character of the destination, and Americans love Liverpool – whether it’s The Beatles, the maritime links or increasingly the ‘soccer’, there are lots of selling points for us at the show and we have lined up some very promising meetings.

Plans for the future?

In November we are attending EIBTM, an event for the meetings and event industry in Barcelona. Though it is global, we are going with a particular European focus and will follow a similar format to that employed in Frankfurt.

We also have two familiarisation trips in conjunction with VisitEngland – one from Denmark and the other from Benelux countries.

These trips are an extremely powerful tool in attracting conferences to Liverpool, and it is rare that a destination will have the opportunity to host three in such a short space of time.

Finally, we are always looking to improve Liverpool’s international ranking, and there is a very simple way you can help; if your organisation is involved with any meetings involving over 50 people, which include some attendees from outside the UK, please drop me a line at ebellis@ marketingliverpool.co.uk Liverpool Convention Bureau is part of Marketing Liverpool based at Liverpool Vision and commissioned by the LEP to deliver tourism marketing and convention bureau services on behalf of Liverpool City Region.

liverpoolconventionbureau.com

Liverpool Boat Charter www.liverpoolboatcharter.com

The Art School www.theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk

Crown and Cushion Events www.teaparlour.co.uk

Liverpool Comedy Cellar www.liverpoolcomedycellar.com

The Brink www.thebrinkliverpool.com

Epic Liverpool www.epicliverpool.co.uk Epstein Theatre www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk Everton Football Club www.evertonfc.com

Aloft Liverpool www.aloftliverpool.com

Progress to Excellence www.ptoetraining.co.uk

Horseradish at Speke Hall www.horseradish-hospitality.com

Bellini Cocktail Bar and Restaurant www.bellinicocktailbar.com

Seecret Tours Liverpool www.seecrettours.co.uk

Live 4 Tours www.live4tours.co.uk

Share the City www.sharethecity.org

4x4 Vehicle Hire www.4x4vehiclehire.co.uk/4x4-hire/ liverpool/

There is sometimes a misconception that we only work with conference venues and hotels – but our services are here to be used by any organisation who we can help, from massive corporate clients to small independent businesses in the city region.

If any of the above activities sound like something we could help with, please contact Sarah Maxwell on 0151 600 2994 or smaxwell@marketingliverpool. co.uk.

Bretta & Co. www.liverpooldeli.co.uk

Liverpool Empire Theatre www.atgtickets.com/venues/ liverpool-empire

2 Blackburne Terrace www.2blackburneterrace.com

How do I get involved?

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While at the shows, it is nonstop; almost every minute of the day, from getting up to going to bed, is taken up with appointments and meetings with relevant contacts.

What have you been up to recently?

The Liverpool Inn www.liverpool-inn.co.uk The Venue at The Royal Liver Building www.royalliverbuildingvenue.co.uk Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse www.titanichotelliverpool.com Village Urban Resorts Liverpool www.village-hotels.co.uk /hotels/liverpool/

twitter: @VLBiz

Forthcoming Tourism Business Events November 2014 – March 2015 November 2014

January 2015

December 2014

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Tuesday 18 November Southport Tourism Business Network Meeting Venue: Southport Theatre & Convention Centre Contact: steve.christian@sefton.gov.uk

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Wednesday 28 January Wirral Tourism Business Network Stakeholder meeting Venue: TBC Contact: amandawilliams@wirral.gov.uk Wednesday 28 January Knowsley Visitor Economy Network Venue: Village Hotel, Whiston Contact: lesley.martin-wright@ knowsleychamber.org.uk

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Wednesday 19 November Liverpool Welcome Workshop Venue: LEP Offices, 12 Princes Parade Contact: workshops@liverpoollep.org

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Tuesday 2 December LEP Tourism and Conference Members Christmas Social Venue: Oh Me Oh My Contact: events@liverpoollep.org

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Thursday 4 December Visitor Economy Board Meeting Venue: TBC Contact: suzi.smith@liverpoollep.org

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Wednesday 19 November Liverpool Hoteliers Association Meeting & Workshop Venue: TBC Contact: echittenden@malmaison.com

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Tuesday 25 November Southport Restaurateurs Meeting Venue: The Hache House Contact: steve.christian@sefton.gov.uk

Wednesday 11 February Wirral Food and Drink/ Golf Partnerships Joint Meeting Venue: Heswall Golf Club Contact: amandawilliams@wirral.gov.uk

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Thursday 18 December Liverpool Hoteliers Association Social Venue: TBC Contact: echittenden@malmaison.com

Wednesday 4 February Wirral Accommodation/ Attractions Partnerships Joint Meeting Venue: Holiday Inn Express Hoylake Contact: amandawilliams@wirral.gov.uk

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Wednesday 17 December Wirral Attractions Partnership Meeting Venue: Carr Farm Garden Centre Contact: amandawilliams@wirral.gov.uk

February 2015

March 2015

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Wednesday 4 March Knowsley Visitor Economy Network Venue: Knowsley Chamber of Commerce Contact: lesley.martin-wright@ knowsleychamber.org.uk

We want to hear from you!

The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, 12 Princes Parade, Liverpool, L3 1BG Telephone: +44 (0)151 227 2727 Fax: 44 (0)151 227 2325 www.LiverpoolLEP.org Email your latest news, views and pictures to Suzi Smith, Visitor Economy and Membership Executive suzi.smith@liverpoollep.org

Contact the Chair of the Visitor Economy Board

If you have a suggestion for driving forward our City Region’s Visitor Economy please contact Sara Wilde McKeown on sara.wilde@liverpoollep.org

The Biz is produced by Liverpool City Region LEP and is distributed to members and other businesses free of charge. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in The Biz, Liverpool City Region LEP cannot accept any responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies it may contain.

Printed on totally chlorine free paper acquired only from suppliers operating sustainable forest reserves and using vegetable based inks.

Useful Contacts...

Visit Liverpool staff at Marketing Liverpool 10th Floor, The Capital, 39 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9PP Alena Tan Conference Events Executive atan@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2996 Amy Dann Digital Marketing Executive adann@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2995 Annette McGarry Marketing Project Consultant amcgarry@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2997 Chris Adderley Commercial Tourism Development Manager cadderley@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2986 Emma Bellis Head of Convention Bureau ebellis@marketingliverpool.co.uk 07790 049211 James Wood Campaign Manager jwood@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2992 Joe Keggin Press Officer – Visitor Economy jkeggin@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2997 Kate Currie Convention Bureau Manager kcurrie@marketingliverpool.com 0151 600 2991 Sarah Maxwell Conference Events Executive smaxwell@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2994 Stacey Koks Conference Events Executive skoks@marketingliverpool.co.uk 0151 600 2993

Visit Liverpool staff at Liverpool LEP 12 Princes Parade, Liverpool L3 1BG Anna Biagetti Research Manager anna.biagetti@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3521 Carolyn Knott Membership Manager carolyn.knott@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3927 Chris Honess Data Analyst chris.honess@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3961 Martin McCauley ERDF Programme Manager martin.mccauley@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3917 Natasha Mealor Visitor Economy &Membership Executive natasha.mealor@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3525 Nina Robb Media & Communications Executive nina.robb@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3893 Peter Sandman Head of Visitor Economy Development peter.sandman@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3916 Sue Hamilton External Relations Administrator sue.hamilton@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3904 Suzi Smith Visitor Economy &Membership Executive suzi.smith@liverpoollep.org 0151 237 3940