The businesses and companies of Merseyside and the surrounding area have been given a real boost as plans for their improved conference and events centre become clearer. The £40m ACC Liverpool development has made a new appointment to add to its team of experts who will be running the new exhibition and events facility when it opens in 2015. Ian Senior, a previous conference and exhibition manager for the University of the West of England, has joined the team which is responsible for drumming up interest and generating business for the venue, which has grand ambitions for the future of exhibitions in Liverpool. “I look forward to expanding on the groundwork already established by the ACC Liverpool team in breaking into this market and hope my enthusiasm, experience, contacts and passion for the sector will help to generate some excellent events,” he says. The increase in event will be vital and an exciting progression for those who already take their banner stands and displays to exhibitions in the area.
The sales team that Ian Senior will join will be tasked with promoting what will become a one-of-a-kind venue, and the jewel in the North West’s conference crown. When completed, ACC Liverpool will be the only purpose-built arena, convention and exhibition complex in all of Europe. It will draw attention and hold events from across the globe and be a huge platform for many to showcase their services and products.
The existing space at ACC Liverpool, which is home to the BT Convention Centre and the Echo Arena, is expanding from 7,125 square metres of exhibition space to almost twice that size; 15,225 square metres of space, as well as a hotel for those taking budget exhibition stands to a conference or event. The expanded centre will hold trade fairs, consumer exhibitions, international conference and other large-scale events which will see people flock from all over the world to do business on Merseyside. Concerts will be held, with standing capacity of 10,000, as well as galas, banquets and special events on a large scale. It is great news for businesses in the North West of England, and indeed the rest of the UK, as their displays will be seen by a much broader audience as a result of the increased capacity of the exhibition spaces.
The development is set to start construction at the end of this year, and with 2015 mooted as the intended completion date, businesses in the area have plenty of time to prepare their pop up banner stands and hone their marketing qualities at smaller exhibitions before they take their business onto a huge international stage. The opportunities the new venue will offer are endless for businesses across the country, and the appointment of Ian Senior to oversee the sales process is an important step in the Liverpool ACC declaring their ambition and intent for the future.