With the imminent opening of ICC Wales (International Convention Centre) the Ambassador Wales programme is aiming to expand to attract national and international association conferences to Wales.
Most recently, the Ambassador Wales programme held a recruitment drive at Swansea University to inform academics about the programme and how they can get involved.
Andrew Rhodes, registrar and chief operating officer at Swansea University said: “We were very pleased to welcome the team from ICC Wales to Swansea University and it was great to learn more about the venue we have all seen take shape as we drive past along the motorway.
“This conference centre is a very important new facility for Wales and we were excited to hear about how we can best work together to benefit from this fantastic opportunity, and the part the university and its faculty members can play in attracting and hosting new events.”
Much like other ambassador programmes in the UK, the Ambassador Wales programme aims to bring together a leading network of professionals, often academics, who believe in championing wales as a conference, event and business event destination.
Recruitment drive speaker and Manchester ambassador, professor Jackie Oldham, director of strategic initiatives, Oxford Road Corridor, shared her experiences of being an ambassador, while at the event.
“I used to think the role of ambassador was only for famous people like Brian Cox but I realised I was travelling to lots of conferences and making lots of connections, and that I could make a difference by promoting Manchester to these audiences. Not just the city as a destination but the expertise Manchester has developed within my own field of healthcare.
“Being a destination ambassador is a win-win from my point of view because it’s fantastic to bring colleagues you have met all over the world to Manchester and show them all that we have to offer, and it’s also of huge benefit on a more local level to work and network with my fellow ambassadors and achieve more by working together.
“The best example for me was bringing the inaugural World Healthcare Congress Europe to Manchester this year. That was something I never believed we would be able to achieve.”
When it opens this year, ICC Wales will accommodate more than 5,000 delegates and include a 4,000 sqm pillar-free main hall, a 1,500-seated auditorium, 15 flexible meeting rooms, a double-height glass atrium with views of the surrounding Coldra Woods and a 2,500sqm outdoor plaza.
The ICC Wales team will be visiting more universities in the coming months to further promote the benefits of joining the Ambassador Wales programme.
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