Inner Wheel Announces Return to Blackpool

One of the UK’s most-enduring all-female organisations is to bring its conference back to Blackpool.
 
The Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in GB & Ireland will hold its annual association event over three days in April 2021 at the resort’s new £28m conference and exhibition centre, currently under construction alongside the famous Winter Gardens.
 
The conference, which attracts around 2,000 delegates, was last staged in the resort in 2008.
 
Founded in Manchester almost a century ago, Inner Wheel is now an international organisation that promotes friendship, service and understanding.
 
Organisers say they decided to take another look at Blackpool following hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the seafront, resort attractions, and transport infrastructure, including a revitalised tramway and daily direct rail services to London and other major cities.
 
The latest phase of Blackpool’s regeneration programme will see the opening of the new conference and exhibition centre next year as well as several “next generation” hotels at three, four and five-star standard.
 
The conference centre will be able to host around 2,000 delegates in its own right, but when integrated into the existing Winter Gardens facilities will take the venue capacity to more than 7,000.
 
One of Britain’s biggest unions, the GMB, has already announced it is returning to Blackpool, with its national conference due to be staged in the new conference centre in June next year.
The shopworkers’ union, Usdaw, has also confirmed it will return to Blackpool every year until at least 2024.
 
The Inner Wheel Association Conference will take place in Blackpool in 2021 on April 12, 13 and 14, during the presidential term of office of Betty Roberts.

Mrs Roberts said: “I am really pleased to be bringing our conference back to Blackpool and am looking forward to seeing the tremendous changes taking place to make Blackpool a state of the art conference destination.”
 
Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council added: “This is fantastic news for Blackpool.
 
“The return of the Inner Wheel after so many years away makes a huge statement about the resort’s enhanced credibility in the conference market.

“Our new, state-of-the-art conference facilities, together with fabulous new hotels to complement our existing accommodation stock, and huge investment in transport infrastructure all means that Blackpool is once again a serious contender.”
 
Michael Williams, Managing Director of the Winter Gardens, said: “Association conferences such as these have been part of the rich fabric of Blackpool’s business tourism offer for decades.
 
“We are thrilled that the Inner Wheel have taken a fresh look at all that we have to offer and decided to come back. We can’t wait to roll out a warm Blackpool welcome to the delegates.”
 
For further information, please go to www.visitblackpool.com/conferences or contact Mandy Tythe-McCallum, Business Tourism Manager at VisitBlackpool on 01253 478216 or mandy@visitblackpool.com.