Eastbourne will be giving conference organisers an Oktoberfest style welcome this weekend, showcasing the best of Sussex food and drink with plenty of Beer Festival style Oompah.
Funded by Eastbourne’s Conference Consortium, the twice yearly Conference Buyers Weekend invites organisers from major conferencing associations to visit the town and try facilities for the first time. Coinciding this year with Eastbourne’s Beer Festival and Feastbourne events, organisers will get to see Eastbourne’s facilities at their very best.
Eastbourne Conference Consortium Chairman, Neil Kirby said “Top cuisine plays an important part in a successful conference, so showcasing excellent food and drink in our main conference facilities, is a great way of discovering Eastbourne in a fun atmosphere. These weekends are a key component in driving future bookings, helping the town to achieve over £5.5 million of conference business every year.”
The weekends are organised in small groups for a more personal experience, and ten major organisers have snapped up the limited number of places in a bid to find out more about Eastbourne as a future venue for their conference.
Staying at Eastbourne’s luxury five star Grand Hotel, the weekend includes group dinners, a behind the scenes tour of the 1,700 seat Devonshire Park Centre and tours of leading conference hotels such as the Cherry Tree, Hydro, Langham and Cavendish hotels.
On Saturday delegates will also catch a glimpse of the new £8 million Cultural Centre works which will provide further conference space for the Devonshire Park Centre complex.
With partner programmes and leisure activities a key selling point for conference delegates, the guests will also enjoy a scenic tour of the surrounding South Downs complete with wine tasting, shopping and a trip to Eastbourne Beer Festival for real ale, music and dancing.
Delegates for the familiarisation weekends are approached by Eastbourne Conference Office through direct mail, telesales and exhibition attendance. The team also provide a specialist venue finding service, accommodation booking, itinerary planning, information and on site support.
