Belfast is aiming to generate more than £90 million in economic impact through national and international conferences over the next five years, according to its new five year plan.
The Belfast City Council-owned company behind ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall launched its Five-Year Business Plan at an event attended by civic, business and tourism leaders. The plan aims to double the number of large-scale business events hosted by 2030 while also expanding the venues’ live entertainment offer.
ICC Belfast CEO Rob McConnell, who took up post in February, said the venue is a vital economic asset for the city and the region.
"There is a world of incredible business, industry and scientific events going on at ICC Belfast that many people in Northern Ireland will never be aware of,” he said. “These events bring hundreds and thousands of people to the city at a time, making them a vital source of income for our local economy.”
McConnell explained that the impact of conferences stretches far beyond venue hire.
“The direct revenue from booking our venue is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “A 1000 person conference at ICC Belfast brings over £1-£1.25million into the city, supporting hotels, restaurants and bars, taxis, airports and tourist attractions in Belfast and further afield.”
The plan outlines a strategy to deliver £90.5 million of economic impact by 2030 from conferences and conventions alone.
McConnell acknowledged that Belfast competes with international cities including Glasgow, Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam.
“ICC Belfast is consistently winning national and International industry awards as the best convention centre, the best venue and the most innovative and high-tech venue,” he said. “Our new five year business plan is about taking a more strategic and commercial approach in order to fully unlock this economic potential for this city.”
Economy minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “In the past year, conferences and conventions delivered an estimated £37 million for our economy. The ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall, and Ulster Hall have made a significant contribution to this. These venues are uniquely positioned to attract international visitors. They make a huge contribution to our tourism sector, especially business tourism, which in turn supports our local businesses.”
She added: “Earlier this year we published a new 10-Year Tourism Vision & Action Plan. It sets an ambitious goal, to exceed £2 billion in expenditure from overnight visitors by 2035. I’m confident that today’s plan will help move this dial.”
The new business plan also focuses on growing the live entertainment side of the venues.
“Our goal is to grow the economic impact of our entertainment events to approximately £90m in the next five years,” said McConnell. “We’re starting to create and curate our own home-grown events, supporting local businesses and event suppliers. More importantly, we want everyone in every part of the community here to see their place in our venues – we can and we should make them available for the whole community.”
He added that ICC Belfast is committed to inclusivity and sustainability, with initiatives supporting grassroots musicians, neurodiverse audiences and sustainable sourcing through hospitality partners.
Ellvena Graham OBE, chair of Tourism NI, said: “The ICC Belfast provides us with world-class facilities, which gives Northern Ireland the platform it needs to attract major significant economic benefit. I welcome its new five-year business plan – it is ambitious, rooted in partnership, and vital to positioning Northern Ireland as a competitive and attractive destination on the global stage.”
Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Paul Doherty, added: “Belfast City Council is proud to have invested into ICC Belfast, developing it into a world-class conference centre which now ranks among the top 1% venues of its kind in the world. This is a really exciting plan for the next five years, reflecting our own ambitions to grow our city further and attract more major events and conferences here.”
