28 Nov £44m injection that is helping put Lincolnshire on the map
A new economic impact survey has shown that a massive £44m is being injected into the national economy thanks to the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society’s events centre, which attracts over 215,000 visitors a year.
That’s equivalent to £120,000 and over 600 visitors for every single day of the year.
The annual County Show attracted 65,000 visitors in 2010.
Antiques fairs are held six times a year, each attracting 3000 antiques traders from across Europe
Other events range from a reception for 600 guests at an Asian wedding through to smaller events, like board meetings and staff training days.
And, according to the research, which was backed by West Lindsey District Council, the Centre is making a massive contribution to both the local and national economy.
It’s good news for the county against the backdrop of economic recession and public sector cuts, and, says the chief executive Mark Farmer, a big justification for the £1m injection of investment made by the County Council and £250,000 by West Lindsey District Council in 2007, with around half of the income generated staying in the East Midlands economy each year at a value of £22m.
The study was carried out to help guide future growth plans for the Lincolnshire Events Centre, and it demonstrates how successful the Lincolnshire Events Centre has been in attracting big events and boosting tourism.
“The annual County Show is a big earner for the economy and a major tourism attraction, alongside the city’s Cathedral and Castle,” said Mark Farmer, “But it’s not just about the Show nowadays, as we have expanded to become a major year-round regional conferencing and outdoor events centre.”
The £7m EPIC Centre at the Showground was opened two years ago, providing a conference and events facility, capable of hosting conferences, balls and seminars, and is designed also as an educational resource and state-of-the-art events centre for up to 1,900 people. Environmental sustainability is at the core of these recent developments, and is a defining theme of a proposed master-plan now being drawn up for the Showground.
The Show and other events at the Showground boost local hotels and B&Bs too, creating demand for 18,400 overnight stays locally. Around 20% relates to the Show, the balance being drawn by major events such as Arthur Swallows antiques fairs, which draw 3000 traders from across the UK and overseas and attract 72,000 visitors every year. Other big draws are Grapevine, the major national religious festival, the Lincolnshire Steam and Vintage Rally, the Warner Motorhome event and this year, the British Motorcycle Federation season finale.
For the future, the Centre’s forward booking list also includes a number of high profile outdoor music concerts from big name promoters.
As well as the direct economic impact of the Lincolnshire Show, the researchers found that there was a positive financial impact on the schools, churches, charities and voluntary organisations in the area, through their involvement in the annual event.
The Lincolnshire Events Centre is the commercial operating arm of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
ENDS
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Media enquiries:
Laura Luty at Lincolnshire Events Centre inc Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
lluty@lincs-events.co.uk – 01522 585501
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.