 Birmingham Post Article – 27 June 2007
Birmingham is preparing to stage the 2009 Rotary International
Convention after city marketing managers responded to an urgent
plea to hold the prestigious event at the National Exhibition
Centre, writes Paul Dale.
Organisers originally decided to go to Seoul in South Korea, but
pulled out following concerns about the quality of hotels and
political problems.
Marketing Birmingham, which had already made an unsuccessful
attempt to stage the 2013 convention, was contacted a week ago
and asked to submit a bid for the 2009 event which will be the
100th Rotary International Convention. Within seven days, the
Rotary board had approved the NEC submission.
As many as 25,000 delegates from across the world are expected
to attend the convention in June 2009, generating a £20 million
spending boost for the local economy.
Rotarians last held their International gathering at the NEC in
1984, when organisers described the event as one of their most
successful. On that occasion, however, some delegates had to be
bussed in from as far away as Leicester because Birmingham was
unable to offer enough hotels.
Neil Rami, Marketing Birmingham chief executive, said the growth
in quality tourist accommodation since 1984 was proving a major
boost to Birmingham's reputation as a city at the centre of the
European conference trade.
He added: "The announcement by the Rotary board is very good
news for Birmingham and the West Midlands and is more evidence
of our ability to organise major international events.
"It will be the biggest conference we have ever had and will
take up the whole of the NEC.
"This has been a great team effort between ourselves, the Rotary
Club of Birmingham and the NEC, with support from Birmingham
City Council. This demonstrates the fantastic results that can
be achieved when organisations in the city work in partnership."
Mr Rami said the Rotary board had approved the "tentative
selection" of Birmingham, but he was confident that contracts
would be signed quickly.
Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC Group, said: "The fact
that the event is returning to the NEC demonstrates that our
investment in the venue is ensuring that we are a natural choice
for world class events."
Birmingham Rotary Club president Robert Lee said: "It is a
tremendous honour to be asked to host such a high profile event.
This will enable us to present to the world what a great city
Birmingham really is."
The decision is an astonishing turn around for Birmingham,
coming after the failure of the 2013 Rotary bid.
The Rotary board turned down the NEC, preferring instead to go
to Lisbon in Portugal.
Mr Rami said: "They were very impressed by Birmingham, but they
had never been to Portugal before.
"Then last week they came back to us and said Seoul had
fallen through and would we be prepared to put in a bid quickly
for 2009."
Marketing Birmingham had offered a £3 million subsidy and
guaranteed the availability of 6,000 hotel beds in an attempt to
secure the 2013 event.
The event will last for four days, although Rotary will take a
ten-day tenancy of the NEC.
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