Ambassadors Programme brings big business to South Yorkshire region
The Conference Ambassador Programme engages with academics and business-people in South Yorkshire and helps them use their contacts book to bring events to the region. Many are members of professional societies, and it is these bodies and their associated events and conferencing itineraries that the Ambassador Programme targets.
Ambassadors benefit because bringing a conference to their area raises the profile of their business or speciality and helps enhance their professional reputation amongst their colleagues.
Richard Jones, Chief Executive of Yorkshire South, said:
"We're very encouraged by both the enthusiasm with which the Conference Ambassadors Programme has been greeted, and the revenue that it is already bringing to the region. But there are many more Ambassadors out there that we want to engage with and enlist onto the programme. Many academics and business-people across the Yorkshire South region attend numerous conferences and events each year; now's the time to make sure that the next event happens on your doorstep.
"Our team is highly professional and can take the burden of organising the event off the shoulder's of the Ambassador, leaving them to network and enhance their professional profile."
Since the launch of the Programme in November 2007, Yorkshire South has recruited 92 ambassadors. They come from a whole range of disciplines: from the Head of Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University to a Lecturer in Astronomy at the University of Sheffield.
£1.5million worth of bookings are currently being processed. This figure represents the full economic impact to the region: from bed-nights in hotels to travel to restaurant bookings.
And £215,000 worth of business has already been won through the following Ambassador-brokered events:
From Taurus to Antennae
4-8 August
£110,000
A five-day conference attracting 80 international professional astronomers. The aim was to bring together people who work on nearby and distant star clusters to see what could be learnt from each other.
Lighting the Flame: The 17th National Sports Development Seminar
3-4 September
£58,000
A two-day conference attracting over 100 Sports Development Professional with the aim of ensuring delegates have all the latest information on future education and vocational training opportunities, alongside the latest developments in the core subjects relating to sports development from across the sector.
Educating Nurses: Teaching and Learning a complex practise of care
2-3 October
£14,000
A two-day conference which is hoping to attract 400 delegates. The main speaker at this event is Dr Patricia Benner, an internationally noted researcher and lecturer on health, stress and coping, skill acquisition and ethics. This will be Dr Benner's only European lecture this year.
SkillsActive company conference and team building
10-11 November
£33,000
A two-day staff conference for 90 employees using the meeting and team building facilities at Magna, Rotherham. SkillsActive is the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning. Directed by employers, SkillsActive leads the skills and productivity drive across sport and recreation, health and fitness, outdoors, playwork and caravan industries.
Ambassadors are able to draw upon the expertise and support of Yorkshire South, and can choose their own level of involvement. In some cases Ambassadors simply pass on the details of the conference co-ordinator for the organisation that they are a member of; in others they work alongside Yorkshire South throughout the process.
Ambassadors also have the opportunity to attend regular VIP networking events which are held at venues across the region. These vary in format: from venue visits and backstage tours, to presentations, social events and VIP days.
A series of events for new and existing Ambassadors are planned for the rest of the year including a launch for the Doncaster Programme on Wednesday 8th October at the St Leger Horse Park, home of the Northern Racing College.
*This figure is based on VisitBritain's economic impact multipliers. It includes secured business and active leads.
