Minutes:
The Chairperson welcomed Mr. Geoff Fenlon, Interim Managing Director, and Mrs. Susie McCullough, Director of Sales and Marketing of the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd., to the meeting.
The Interim Managing Director provided the Committee with an overview of the plans for the additional conference and exhibition facilities as a result of the £29.5million expansion to the Belfast Waterfront and how it would significantly aid the city in tapping into the growing business tourism market. He advised the Members that their aim was to generate a £100million return for Belfast over a five year period and highlighted that the extended facility would assist in creating over 1500 new hospitality, retail and tourism jobs in a bid to attract more than double the current number of conference delegates by 2020.
He outlined to the Committee a number of key elements of the emerging Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd. Business Plan for 2016/17 and advised the Members that it included annual sales targets, strategic ambitions, projected financial targets as well as commitments to broader social and regeneration outcomes.
He informed the Members that the primary targets for the Company would be, by the end of 2020, to:
1. attain 50,000 conference delegate days, to include 35,000 ‘out of state’ visitors;
2. host an average of 6 Large/National Association and 6 European/International Conferences per annum; and
3. reduce the annual operating deficit by £1.6m from the baseline.
The Chief Executive reminded the Members that the extension of the Belfast Waterfront had cost £29.5 million to build, £13.3million of which the Council had secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). She advised the Committee that fines would be payable by the Council if any of the agreed targets were not met by 2020.
The Director of Sales and Marketing highlighted to the Committee that key influencing factors for conference organisers, as shown by Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE), were access (road, rail links etc), location, price/value for money, quality of service and free wi-fi and that these had all been taken into consideration with regards to the recent extension of the Belfast Waterfront.
In response to a Member’s question, the Interim Managing Director confirmed that there would be 24hours/day and 7 days/week availability with regards to the conference facilities which would allow international video conferencing to take place.
The Director of Sales and Marketing advised the Committee that the Belfast Waterfront Ltd. was not only seeking to attract more than double the number of conferences to the city but that it was also seeking to increase the amount of entertainment which it hosted. She pointed out to the Members that three test events had been organised to take place in the Belfast Waterfront throughout April 2016, in order to test the I.T. systems, staff, evacuation procedures and catering, for example.
The Interim Managing Director highlighted to the Members the unique selling points which Belfast had, not only as a City, but also regarding the location of a conference facility right on the water front with the added benefit of great transport links. He described to the Committee how the sales team was seeking to sell Belfast as a destination rather than just a conference venue, and that they had developed a sourcing strategy to ensure that local suppliers were used by the newly appointed caterers.
The Chief Executive, in response to a Member’s question, concurred that improving the overall area surrounding the Belfast Waterfront was essential to ensure it was a success.