Conference Sector strong as exciting Autumn programme kicks off in Sheffield
The 20th International Celiac Disease Symposium (ICDS) arrives in Sheffield this week (4-6 Sept) at Sheffield City Hall, kicking off the city’s busy Autumn season for the conference sector.
Sheffield’s conference sector has been valued at being worth £114 million to the local economy, demonstrating the value of events like these to the city.
The international conference, which was last held in Paris, will bring 600 delegates to the city, with more than 86% of those attending from outside of the UK. Visitors will be coming from across Europe and as far as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Kuwait, Brazil and Singapore.
Sheffield was successful in securing the bid for the prestigious conference, due to the city’s global reputation in this field and as the home of the NHS England National Centre for Refractory Coeliac Disease.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee at Sheffield City Council, said:
“Conferences play a vital role in the city’s economy. Not only do they bring business visitors to Sheffield, they can also bring profile, prestige and potential inward investment.
“Sheffield’s hospitality businesses are the first to see the most immediate impact of this, as conference delegates stay in our hotels, eat out in our restaurants and grab coffees from our cafes.
“I am equally delighted that the ICDS have chosen to host this year’s event in the city. This is an incredibly prestigious conference that will bring leading experts from across the globe to our great city. It’s a testament to what we have to offer as leaders in health, research and innovation.”
Professor David Sanders, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Professor of Gastroenterology at The University of Sheffield, led the bid to secure the event for the city. He has a global reputation for his research and practice in this field and says he is ‘exciting to welcome his peers to Sheffield’.
He commented: “I knew Sheffield not only had the venues to accommodate a conference of this nature, with Sheffield City Hall and Cutlers’ Hall, as well as the logistical support for hotels, but that the city had the reputation to attract delegates from this field. I am really excited to welcome my peers to Sheffield and for them to see exactly what the city has to offer.”
It’s already been a busy period for 2024 conferences in Sheffield, having hosted DocFest, British Association of Paediatric Surgeons, the UCAS/Discovery Sheffield Expo 24 and the Children’s Media Conference, this summer.
Highlights from the Autumn programme include the International Symposium of Academic Makerspaces, European Network of Forensic Science Institute, Association of Internet Research and the Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship – all showcasing different areas of Sheffield’s expertise.
The start of the Autumn season coincides with the publication of the annual Sheffield Conference Sector Report (UKCAMS), which has revealed there was a significant increase in the amount of money visitors of conference and business events brought to the city in 2023.
Commissioned by Marketing Sheffield each year, the annual report carried out by the UK Conference and Meeting Survey (UK CAMS) provides an overview of the value of business events, and the performance of conference venues in the city.
The report shows that in 2023, there were 12.8k conferences and meetings in Sheffield, attended by over 823,000 business event visitors, with delegate levels up from 2022, by 39%.
The delegates of those events accounted for an estimated spend of £114m at venues and in the local area, and also supported an estimated 870 FTE jobs.
This bring the value of the sector close to pre-pandemic levels once again, and shows Sheffield is bucking the national trend, with above average recovery experienced by UK destinations.
Marketing Sheffield’s successful Conference Ambassador Programme is a key initiative in driving conferences, which includes meetings, larger conferences and attending exhibitions. The programme helps academics, medical specialists, and industry experts in attracting major conferences and association events to be hosted in the city.
One of the longest running initiatives of its kind in the UK, the Ambassador Programme has helped bring in many of the city’s biggest conference and meetings events such as the 20th International Celiac Disease Symposium ICDS taking place in the city this week.
Think you could help bring a big conference or association event to Sheffield? Marketing Sheffield’s Conference Team would love to hear from you. For more information: welcometosheffield.co.uk/conference