Liverpool – why we love this incredible city for business events!

The UK is an ever-expanding hub for conferences and business meetings, with multiple thriving cities all over the country including the likes of London, Leeds, Edinburgh, and more recently making waves with its potential to host outstanding business events – Liverpool.

Rightfully earning its ‘European Capital of Culture’ status back in 2008, Liverpool has become a trendy and flourishing destination for those running conferences, exhibitions, or corporate events. Its well-connected railway system, central location, and international airport provides convenience and accessibility, making it a solid competitor for Manchester (its fellow Northern counterpart) – of whom it has had a long-lasting, unofficial rivalry with since their industrialisation.

The accessibility and location of the city isn’t the only thing going for it. Equally, it boasts an infectious pride expressed through both its urban regeneration and preservation of the famous Liverpool Waterfront – a UNESCO World Heritage Site tying together the authentic history of the city with cosmopolitan developments in an iconic setting on the River Mersey.

When it comes down to business, this is where Liverpool truly stands out as a UK event destination. Conferences, exhibitions, and business events held in the city have changed since the opening of ACC Liverpool – the first purpose-built interconnected arena, conference and exhibition centre in Europe.

Our Account Manager, Kate Asquith, has delivered a wide range of business events in Liverpool, and loves that with every new event, the city has something bigger and better to offer:

“When looking for a conference or exhibition location, Liverpool is always at the forefront of my mind. Having worked with the ECL and the ACC Liverpool a number of times over the past few years, it will always be my first point of call.

Building relationships with the team at ACC Liverpool has been an incredible driving force behind the events that I have produced being such a success.

"Managing to work with the same team on a multitude of occasions has helped me to build valuable relationships, and I now completely trust the products and service they promise (and succeed) to deliver."

"It’s not only the ECL and ACC Liverpool that makes Liverpool a great city to work in. Making connections with local suppliers is made easier through the support amongst Liverpool businesses, who help each other to retain business – something which I’ve never seen in another city.

Each time I visit Liverpool, which is very often, I always find new exciting venues, restaurants, bars, hotels, and dinner venues. It’s a city that just keeps growing! I could happily continue to hold business events in Liverpool and still have something new and exciting to offer to my clients.”

As well as delivering outstanding business events in Liverpool, as an events agency, we are always looking for ways to introduce new spaces and places to our clients to allow them a relaxed and authentic experience of the destination. We’ve hosted a number of small FAM trips to Liverpool, each of which have blown clients away and truly showcased the city’s potential for events. Past sample itineraries have included:

• Tours around stunning venues including Liverpool Cathedral, Anfield Stadium, and ACC Liverpool.
• Visits to well-known areas of Liverpool, including the UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront, The Cavern Club, and World Museum.
• Opportunities to experience the vibrant atmosphere of Liverpool’s city centre with during evening dinners and drinks at various exclusive locations around the city.

ACC Liverpool

This incredible venue offers a wide range of meeting spaces and can be easily adapted to suit your event’s needs. Its unique layout includes a convention centre which includes an auditorium, meeting rooms and multi-purpose hall; an 11,000 capacity arena and an 8,100 sqm exhibition centre – all of which can be manipulated to work around you. We spoke to the ACC Liverpool team to find out more about the work they do, and how events in Liverpool have changed since the venue opened:

ACC Liverpool is an award-winning conference venue located on the banks of Liverpool’s world heritage waterfront.

Since opening its doors in 2008, it has hosted more than 1,000 conferences, welcoming over 860,000 delegates.

Events have ranged from corporate conferences such as BBC Worldwide Showcase - which has been held at the venue for seven years - to national and international associations including the Labour Party Conference and UNI Global Union.

ACC Liverpool works closely with First Event to secure and deliver corporate conferences, a number of which are events looking to grow.

In the past, ACC Liverpool has seen both large national and international clients of First Event utilise the venue, along with its connecting convention centre and exhibition centre. These include an international fast food restaurant franchise, a national group supplier for convenience stories, and a national independent buying group.

Stephanie Macfarlane, senior corporate and agency sales manager, said: “Nurturing our relationships with corporate clients and agencies is very important to us – for example, First Event is always proactive and we consider the team an extended part of our own team.

Corporate events in particular appreciate that ACC Liverpool is a very flexible venue, which is effectively a blank canvas that can be transformed for each event. By developing relationships, we are able to highlight key aspects such as our venue facilities, capabilities and stunning location.

It is also important to provide the opportunity for events to grow.

For example one of First Event’s clients - which held its exhibition in a hotel before expanding into our multi-purpose venue.

In addition, we are fortunate to be located on a beautiful waterfront, within a city that never stands still and is connected to rail, road and air networks, making the whole event experience seamless.”

Food & drink company conference 2017 – a Liverpool case study

Our client is an international food and beverage company with almost 45,000 stores worldwide. In 2017, they wanted to hold a conference for their UK franchisees which included speaker sessions, workshops, a trade show and a gala dinner.

Having developed a strong working relationship with ACC Liverpool, we were certain that the venue was the perfect choice for our client due to its multitude of event spaces and the ability to rework the rooms to suit all needs. We also benefitted from the venue car park located next to Exhibition Centre Liverpool, which opened up the conference to those who could only attend during the daytime.

The venue’s central location also means that it is well-connected and within a suitable walking distance to the majority of the city’s hotels, including its adjoining four-star hotel Pullman Liverpool. In addition to conveniently located accommodation, delegates experienced Liverpool’s fantastic commodities and lively character – with the city centre’s entertainment, dining, nightlife, and culture lying at their disposal.

After delivering events in the past with a multitude of factors to consider, we were aware of how we could ensure the smooth-running of all conference, workshop and trade show sessions without losing delegate engagement or attention. This was achieved through a carefully considered event itinerary that made use of multiple event spaces adapted to the purpose of the sessions.

These included:

• Exhibition Centre Liverpool Atrium area used for delegate registration, networking and pre-dinner drinks.
• Hall B used for the trade show and lunches.
• Hall C used for the gala dinner and after-party.
• Various exhibition centre and convention centre locations used for breakout workshops.
• Auditorium used for keynote speaker and conference sessions.

With the help of a wonderful city and a fantastic venue, the event was a huge success and exceeded all client expectations. Delegates were engaged throughout the entire event, and the ability to ensure that the venue was adapted and designed to meet the needs of the client meant that the event was completely one-of-a-kind.

About First Event

First Event is a UK leading event management company based in Leeds. We specialise in delivering seamless, tailored corporate events around the globe that provide memorable life experiences, meet all objectives and stay within budget.

For more information about our event management services and our work on business events in Liverpool, visit our Contact page.