14 March 2007

University draws conference business to city

Half of all the lucrative conference business brought to Dundee is secured through the University of Dundee it was revealed this week as the first major conference since the relaunch of Dundee’s Westpark Conference Centre gets underway (Thursday 15 March).

Of the 87 events brought to the area via the Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau Ambassadors programme since its launch in 2001, 44 were secured by staff at the university. And of the 15 events booked so far for 2007, 9 have been attracted through the University of Dundee.

Dundee & Angus draw £27 million worth of business tourism each year and rising. Nationally association meetings - particularly in academic subjects such as medicine, science and technology - account for an increasing proportion of the market, and have now overtaken corporate meetings in the UK in terms of number, value and budget. This sector is predicted to grow at a faster rate than any other tourism sector to the year 2010. Dundee, with its university economy is well positioned to attract this business.

"Business tourism in the form of conferences, meetings and events offers excellent economic opportunity for the city but it also demands excellent conferencing facilities that meet the demands of 21st century conference organisers and delegates to enable us to compete internationally," said Karen Tocher, Business Tourism Manager for Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau.

Conference travellers spend three times more on average than leisure travellers according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Academic conference delegates spend between £360 and £460 per day including registration fees, accommodation, food, taxis and general shopping making a significant impact on the local economy.

Thursday’s School of Psychology conference brings to Dundee 150 delegates from across the UK. It will be followed by a string of others. The School of Nursing brings 500 delegates for the Royal College of Nursing 2007 International Research Conference for four days in May; the School of Computing’s Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education conference brings 200 delegates for a week in June; the first International SpaceWire conference brings 120 delegates and others on the diary include mathematics, life sciences, the Wellcome Trust, water law, orthopaedics, concrete, craft and archives.

For media enquiries contact:

Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk