A trio of teaching conferences at ACC Liverpool have generated £4.5m in economic benefit for the Liverpool city region.
A total of 4,000 delegates attended the three events – the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the International Association of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) – in the past month.
It was the first time that the NUT had held its conference the day after ATL in the same venue.
ATL, the union for education professionals, returned to ACC Liverpool for the third time, bringing 400 delegates. It held conferences at the venue in 2009 and 2011.
David Kimber, head of conferences at ATL, said: “This year’s conference was our third time at ACC Liverpool, once again it was a complete success and we had fantastic feedback from delegates.”
The NUT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, brought 1200 attendees the day after ATL, returning to the city for the second time after it first visited the waterfront venue in 2010.
Karen Handley, NUT principle officer (resource management) and the Union’s conference organiser, said: “Delegates were once again pleased with the venue and its location in relation to accommodation and attractions in the city – all elements which make for a terrific conference.”
A total of 2,400 international delegates from 100 countries attended IATEFL’s 47th annual international conference and exhibition, drawing teaching conference spring season to a close. The five-day conference included 500 sessions, a social programme and evening events. An exhibition and job market were open to the public.
Glenda Smart, executive officer of IATEFL, said: “This was our first event at ACC Liverpool and an opportunity for delegates from all over the world to experience an historic and culturally rich city with a renowned reputation in the teaching conference sector.”
Kerrin MacPhie, director of sales at ACC Liverpool, added: “Teaching conference season brings a fantastic buzz to the city, generating millions of pounds for the local economy as delegates from all over the world pack out hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions.
“The flexibility of our space and team allows us to turn the venue around for events within a short length of time, which is an exciting challenge and one that we are always happy to rise to.”
