Date: Thu 18th March, 2010
Venue: Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds, LS10 1LT
More than 200 leaders of Yorkshire’s thriving business tourism sector graced Insider’s third Business Tourism Awards at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.
Compèred by author, broadcaster and entertainer Gyles Brandeth, the event rewarded some real standout achievers in 2009. The Grand Prix Award, sponsored by Welcome to Yorkshire, was won by Hull City Council's Freedom & Clipper Weekend for the event’s truly international profile and its spectacular effect on the region’s economy. Therese Rigg from the council said: "Clipper was simply the most amazing weekend for Hull which had 150,000 visitors over the weekend."
Speaking at the ceremony, Jim Pendrill, editor of the Yorkshire Business Insider, said: “Just like every other industry, business tourism has had to adapt quickly to the downturn, but the good news is that venues ranging from Yorkshire’s very best boutique hotels through to its major conference venues have continued to invest. In fact, Yorkshire’s business tourism industry has been a big winner in the downturn, as both the public and private sectors have kept a closer eye on spending and found real value for money up North.”
Personality of the Year Dominic Stokes from Sheffield City Hall, who won his award for attracting the Liberal Democrats Spring conference to Sheffield in 2011, added that much work remained to be done to publicise Yorkshire's offer to the business tourist. "Sheffield and Yorkshire have a lot of hidden secrets and we want to shout about them more," he said.
Click here for The Winners & Shortlisted
