Booming Northern events industry drives demand for expo

By Pennine Events

21 Sep 2015

The UK events industry is now worth £39bn per year and without doubt a large proportion of that is based in the north of England and Scotland.

By Mandy Parkinson, commercial manager, Great Northern Events Expo.

A study by Visit Manchester showed that conferences and business events generated £822m for the Greater Manchester area alone during 2011, and whilst traditionally the attention has been on the large urban centres, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Leeds, other regions are starting to feel the economic benefit of hosting events too.

One such example was the Grand Depart stage of the Tour de France in 2014. The Yorkshire region hosted the event for two days and saw over 2.8m people line the streets to watch the cycling spectacle. The event successfully generated business, community and cultural engagement resulting in a direct economic impact of £102m to the county, something it had never seen from a single event.

The legacy of the event continues today with many local authorities, tourism bodies and organisations seeing the potential of the public’s thirst for mass participation cycling events and creating success events such as the Tour de Yorkshire, Harrogate Big Bike Bash, Scarborough Festival of Cycling and the Yorkshire Cycling Festival.

The region’s festival scene is growing at a terrific pace, with events such as the Lytham Festival, south east Scotland’s Wickerman Festival and Portmerion’s Festival No 6 attracting big name artists and selling out annually. Kendal Calling, which takes place just outside Penrith in Cumbria, has recently received planning permission to increase its audience capacity from 20,000 to 35,000 by 2017, a clear sign that the sector is booming.

The idea of creating the Great Northern Events Expo was borne out of an increased focus on the region, which has no doubt been helped by international platforms such as the Tour de France Grand Depart, but also the goodwill that shines through across the north when it comes to working together as a ‘powerhouse’ rather than competing individually.

Our desk research showed that businesses and clients in the region were clearly frustrated by the fact that when they wanted to showcase their business and skills, or buy services they had to head to London. Andrew Poar of Chorley based Eat My Logo Ltd, who make edible branded merchandise was one such business and they responded well to the idea of an Expo being created in the north that allowed them to forge much stronger links between clients, suppliers and venues, and bolster the regional economy by doing business locally.

The region’s other ‘event’ shows in Liverpool and Leeds tend to focus on meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions and venues; we’re looking to create something different and are positioning the Great Northern Events Expo as a one-stop shop for all northern event buyers whether public or private sector.

It will showcase indoor, outdoor, mass participation, corporate and experiential events, as well as feature speakers spanning mass participation, sporting, festival, awards and other large-scale events.

Delegates at the Bolton Expo will be able to hear from some of the region’s most respected industry experts including Peter Dodd, Marketing and Sales Director of Welcome to Yorkshire, Jon Drape, Managing Director of live music and event production specialist Ground Control, Neil Simpson, Director of Fascinate Social Marketing and Richard Slater of the Red Rose Awards, named UK’s Best Business Awards at the PPA Connect Awards 2014. Paul Reed from the Association of Independent Festivals joins the line up for the Leeds Expo. The two-centred Great Northern Events Expo is taking place at Bolton’s Macron stadium on 4th November and at Elland Road, Leeds on 3rd February 2016. For more information about the speakers, to register for free or to book a stand visit www.greatnortherneventsexpo.co.uk

Enjoyed this? Read more from Pennine Events

Latest news

1

Major shareholder makes Inspired takeover bid inspired-500x500.png

Major shareholder makes Inspired takeover bid

23 Apr 2025

2

Nominate your favourite family-run business in Lancashire. Thompsons meeting (1).png.png

Nominate your favourite family-run business in Lancashire.

22 Apr 2025

3

Business academies to continue for an additional year Cllr Mark Smith (r) with Top Gun Tools & Fixings team presenting Blackpool Net Zero Academy certificate

Business academies to continue for an additional year

22 Apr 2025

4

Napthens advises A Lamb Associates (ALA) and subsidiary Morham & Brotchie Partnership on their acquisition by Hawkins & Associates Richard Robinson Feat IMG

Napthens advises A Lamb Associates (ALA) and subsidiary Morham & Brotchie Partnership on their acquisition by Hawkins & Associates

22 Apr 2025

5

Six promotions at Farleys Solicitors Promotions at Farleys Solicitors

Six promotions at Farleys Solicitors

22 Apr 2025

Pc Prestonmacan Gif980x120 March
Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200px 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
24 Apr 2025 - 24 Apr 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: April
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
25 Apr 2025 - 25 Apr 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: April

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

People Power: Exclusive Event Series
Stay ahead in 2025.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
29 Apr 2025 - 29 Apr 2025

People Power: Exclusive Event Series

People's History Museum, Manchester, M3 3ER

17:00 - 21:00

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes
Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes for website.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
01 May 2025 - 01 May 2025

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes

Stanley House Hotel, Mellor, Blackburn, BB2 7NP, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

08:00 - 10:30

A night at the races
1.png.png
LBV Hub Dinners / Balls
02 May 2025 - 02 May 2025

A night at the races

Morecambe FC, Morecambe, LA4 4TB

19:00 - 23:59

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more Lbv121 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin