Press Cuttings Transcripts
BRUM’S CAPITAL IDEAS
Birmingham Evening Mail, 03 March 2004
London mayor picks top ICC brains.
LONDON mayor Ken Livingstone today sent a team to Birmingham to discover the
world beating ICC’s secrets of success.
He wants Brummie know-how on staging conferences, exhibitions and conventions
because London, unable to agree on its own strategy, has had to watch
Birmingham’s conference industry bloom.
Mr Livingstone wants to replicate the 3,000 jobs generated directly – and many
more indirectly – as well as the lucrative economic spin-offs flowing from the
arrival of thousands of visitors annually.
He has set up a Mayoral Commission, headed by business leader Gerry Acher, to
look into whether the capital needs a purpose-built, world class convention
centre.
This afternoon Mr Acher was meeting representatives of the ICC and leaders of
Visit Britain and World Travel Market at the British Travel Fair being held at
the NEC, and was quick to head off fears that London was seeking to poach the
ICC’s business after years of envy.
“We are not talking about providing competition for Birmingham, which has some
fine facilities marketed very effectively. We are looking at whether there’s a
case for doing something in London that could attract new business and benefit
the whole country.”
NEC Group boss Barry Cleverdon said: “Competition is no bad thing which will
sharpen our wits and keep us on our toes. It will mean we will have to work
that bit harder.” John Lamb, of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, said: “London
does have enormous space problems. Birmingham ought to talk about how the two
could be complementary.”