The official conference and events bureau for Cambridge and the surrounding area has announced a series of major conference wins which will bring approximately 2,700 delegates to Cambridge over the next three years.
Meet Cambridge, founded and funded by the Cambridge Colleges 25 years ago, has revealed that nine new international and national association events will come to the city over the next few years and result in an influx of experts visiting to convene and collaborate.
The conferences will not only have a positive impact in terms of exchanging knowledge, but also a substantial impact on the local economy, the value of which is estimated to be £2.3 million.
The meetings – which span medical, scientific and law – are run by professional trade and membership bodies which rotate the destinations for their events, often following a competitive bidding process to identify suitable cities.
Judith Sloane, Head of Meet Cambridge said:
It is great news that Cambridge has been selected as a location for these prestigious congresses and for Meet Cambridge to have played a part in the process.
It is estimated that these new events will bring an additional 2,700 delegates to the area, staying for between two and five days and delivering an estimated £2.3 million worth of economic impact to the city from spend on accommodation, meals, tours, shopping and activities.
Equally important is the impact that these events will have; discussions and learnings from these events will be shared globally – and who knows what important impacts these events will have in the future – but it’s wonderful to be able to say that we played our part!
For some of these events we had strong competition from other destinations both in the UK and overseas; these results underline that Cambridge presents associations with a host of distinctive advantages, which can greatly influence their choice of location. This includes the opportunity to tap into local expertise at our universities and the knowledge clusters at our science and technology parks, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the new Biomedical Campus.
Combined with our portfolio of more than 50 outstanding venues – incorporating academic, unique spaces and hotels in the city – as well as the breadth of activities and attractions on offer to visitors certainly adds to the appeal of the city for associations. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming visitors from around the world over the next two years.
For 2024 and 2025 confirmed meetings include: British Neuro-oncology Society Meeting July 2024 (250 delegates for three days); LEAN HE Global Conference October 2024 (150 delegates for three days); Synuclein 2025 April 2025 (300-350 delegates for four days); World Congress on Family Law & Children’s Rights – July 2025 (350-400 delegates for four days); and seven other conferences totalling 1,550 delegates that remain under embargo.
Meet Cambridge has an established Ambassador Programme which helps those who would like to champion the city to their association as a destination for events. This includes free support to collate a competitive bid, material resources and practical help, as well as in-depth local knowledge to ensure delegates can enjoy the ‘Cambridge Experience’.
Economic impact calculated using VisitBritain Business Events Research, Delegate Spend and Trip Extensions Report 2017.