On Sunday, Labour’s Annual Party Conference (‘the Conference’) begins and will be hosted by Liverpool for the first time.
The Conference is open to the public and allows those present to meet elected representatives and to take part in debates that will help decide Labour’s policy agenda. It is to last for five days and will be the largest ever conference held in the City.
The hosting of the Conference in Liverpool follows on from the successful Liberal Democrat Annual Party Conference held in the City last year. It is anticipated that over five days the Conference will attract more than 11,000 attendees including; politicians, delegates, trade unions, charities and journalists, amongst others. It also attracts thousands of visitors each year.
The Conference is fantastic news for the City’s businesses as it is expected that in excess of £15 million will be generated for the local economy through increased demand for hotels, restaurants, shops and bars. The extensive media coverage of the Conference is also an excellent opportunity for the City to enhance its national profile.
The main conference events are to take place at the Echo Arena and the BT Convention Centre (known together as ‘ACC Liverpool’). These events will include the Business Forum Conference and the Conference Dinner. Several television programmes will also be broadcast live from here, including BBC’s Newsnight and the Andrew Marr show.
There will also be an exhibition at ACC Liverpool with up to 200 stands representing organisations from the private, public and third sectors. In addition, there will be around a further 500 fringe events taking place at various locations around the City. These will be hosted by a variety of organisations and will consist of meetings, debates, training events and seminars.
It is a great achievement for Liverpool to have been chosen to host the Conference and demonstrates the transformation the City has undergone in recent years. It also highlights the importance of ACC Liverpool to the City, which has been an immense success since opening in 2008. It is an opportunity for Liverpool to make a positive impression on all those involved so their time spent in the City is enjoyable, and they want to return in the future.
If you are planning to attend the Conference, a pass must be obtained and can be applied for online at; http://www.labour.org.uk/pass_applications_annual_conference
Join The Conversation!