MICE REPORT BY TOM NEWCOMBE
AIRPORTS MANCHESTER AIRPORT
IN TERMS OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC, MANCHESTER AIRPORT is thriving. In July, the international airport saw 2.5 million passengers
pass
through: a 6.1 per cent year-on-year increase in traffic. This brought its annual rolling total
to a record 22.6 million. These figures followed the announcement that Manchester airport will undergo a £1 billion transformation programme over the next ten years. The scheme will more than double the size of Terminal 2 and link it to an improved Terminal 3 – in total there will be around 60 enhancements at the airport. These improvements should help the city be more competitive when attracting business and events to the UK, although the airport already serves more than 70 airlines and 210 destinations, bringing £1.8 billion to the regional economy every year and employing 20,000 people.
LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT
LIKE MANCHESTER AIRPORT, LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT (LJLA) is also undergoing a resurgence, with a 6 per cent increase in passenger traffic for the first half of 2015, compared to the same period a year earlier. LJLA carried more than 431,000 passengers in July compared to 403,000 in 2014 – the sixth consecutive month of growth. New routes, a £2.4 million operating profit and a successful
debt reduction plan has put the airport in a strong position for the future over the next few years. In August, parent company, the Peel Group, guaranteed its financial future with a long-term agreement with lenders that will underpin a major investment programme at the airport over the next five years.
HOTELS MANCHESTER
MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE MAY BE LACKING IN THE NUMBER OF HOTELS compared to rival European destinations such as London, Berlin and Barcelona, but it can match them for range – from iconic to budget to high-end, the city centre has properties to match most business travel budgets. The landmark Hilton Manchester Deansgate, which opened in 2006, is a 47-storey mixed-use building. It dominates the skyline and is home to the Cloud 23 bar, the highest venue in the city, which can host private events accommodating up to 100 guests. The Midland, Lowry and Radisson Blu Edwardian make up the city’s high-end
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM Hotel Football Old Trafford LIVERPOOL
offering, all with ample meetings space, while four-star properties Hotel Football Old Trafford (see Reviews, p122) – aptly situated on Sir Matt Busby Way – and Macdonald Manchester Piccadilly run them close for quality.
At the budget end of the spectrum,
there is a Premier Inn, Ibis and Travelodge, all within a ten-minute walk of Piccadilly railway station.
IT’S HARD TO TALK ABOUT LIVERPOOL without mentioning the Beatles, and the Fab Four-themed Hard Day’s Night Hotel is a luxury property which can cater for up to 150 people in three event rooms inspired by the iconic group. The Live Lounge hosts some of the city’s best live performers every Friday and Saturday night. For similar iconic/boutique hotels, see the Sir Thomas Hotel, Hope Street Hotel and Titanic Hotel.
The city also boasts a Hilton, Malmai-
son and new-kid-on-the-block Aloft Liverpool (see Reviews, p123), which caters for the younger business traveller.
BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 113
Although the airport cannot compete with Manchester in terms of route network or passenger numbers, its importance to the city cannot be understated. In July it was named Business of the Year at the City of Liverpool Business Awards in recognition of the contribution it makes to the region.
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