Help Hull and East Yorkshire shine – become a ‘Conference Champion’

Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (VHEY) is urging individuals from a wide range of sectors to play their part in attracting major conferences and other events.

Professionals, academics and association members who have influence are being asked to help bring conferences they attend elsewhere back to Hull and Yorkshire.

The Conference Champions will have a key role to play as a driving force in attracting national and international events, raising Hull and East Yorkshire’s profile as a premier destination.

Chris Blacksell, chair of VHEY, said: “Supporting the visitor economy isn’t just about leisure visitors – bringing conferences to the area is also a vital part of the work we do to increase visitor numbers, which will in turn help support local businesses.

“We have fantastic conference facilities in the area, from very large venues used to hosting thousands of attendees, to smaller, quirky venues that can offer a unique conference experience for everyone.

“What we really need is people who are in positions to help us influence conference organisers to choose us a place to come.

“If you’re a professional, an academic, a member of an association, or in any role and you think you might be able to encourage someone to do that, we’d really appreciate it if you would give a little back to the area and join us as a Conference Champion.

“We’re doing a huge amount of work already but you might be able to give us a little help to push some conferences over the line, and help the area benefit from the increased income that they bring.”

The call to recruit Conference Champions coincides with English Tourism Week – national tourist board VisitEngland’s annual campaign to raise awareness of the importance of the sector – which is running from March 14-23.

Conference delegates are commonly high yield visitors, providing a significant economic boost to the host area.

Tourism partnership VHEY, which is funded by Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, supports 1,700 businesses and over 21,000 jobs across the region.

It is nationally accredited by VisitEngland as a Local Visitor Economic Partnership (LVEP), with the LVEP Advisory Board including representatives from prominent businesses and networks in the regional visitor economy.

The new Conference Champions programme aims to build on the region’s success in hosting major events, which recently included the Cultural Tides conference at Hull Truck Theatre with keynote speaker Galyna Grygorenko, Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications.

The city will also host the UK Pride Organisers’ Network Conference 2025 in October.

Andy Train, chair of Pride in Hull, was instrumental in securing the event.

He said: “Hosting the UK Pride Organisers’ Network Conference 2025 in Hull is a fantastic achievement, and a testament to the city’s commitment to supporting and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.

“The collaboration with VHEY has clearly been instrumental in making this bid successful, showcasing the region’s dedication to creating welcoming spaces and events for everyone.

“This conference will be an excellent opportunity to bring Pride organisers together, share experiences and celebrate the progress made in promoting diversity and inclusion.

“It also reinforces Hull’s position as a leading destination for LGBTQIA+ events and tourism. Congratulations to everyone involved in making this happen – it’s a proud moment for Hull and the wider community.”

Individuals from numerous organisations have already committed to being Conference Champions to help attract similarly large-scale events, with the support of the VHEY conference team.

VHEY will host regular gatherings of the network of Conference Champions, to share updates and news of upcoming events.

The Conference Champions programme forms part of VHEY’s new action plan to help build a thriving, prosperous visitor economy.

The action plan’s four strategic priorities are – grow value; quality destinations; support productivity; and embrace a new landscape.

• To find out more about the Conference Champions programme visit www.visithull.org/conferences/our-team/conference-champions/ and to register your interest email conference.bureau@vhey.co.uk