Small conferences boost hotel trade
Hotels are benefiting from a steady rise in demand for conferences, says a report by the British Tourist Authority (BTA).
Conference business in Britain, estimated to be worth £2.2b, expanded by 2% last year, with many hotels reporting more smaller-scale meetings than in previous years.
More than half the conferences in 1998 were for between eight and 20 delegates, and only 8% involved more than 100 delegates.
Two-thirds of conferences were held in city hotels and 14% in rural hotels. Educational establishments and residential centres hosted the remaining 24%.
During the year, about a quarter of all conferences included an overnight stay, with an average cost, including room, of £79 per delegate.
The report estimates that the greatest proportion of conferences took place in northern England, followed by London and southern England.
The 1999 British Conference Market Survey costs £75 and is available from the BTA on 0181-563 3253.