JOHN FORKIN (JF): I suppose we should start by looking at the health of the conferencing industry in Derby and how it can be developed further.

Could Derby be doing more to attract a greater share of the conferencing market?

We have an organisation called Conference Derbyshire, which aims to promote the area as a venue for conferences. Among us today is Rachel Strange, who, as well as being general manager of Jurys Inn in Derby, is also on the board of Conference Derbyshire.

Rachel, I wonder if you could set out for us some of its objectives, issues and successes.

RACHEL STRANGE (RS): Well, I've only been on the board a few months, so I can only draw on my experiences so far.

A number of new hotels and venues have recently been created in Derby, many of which have conferencing facilities.

Conference Derbyshire tries to attract the big conferences to Derby and Derbyshire. We promote the positives Derby has.

Location, of course, is one of its best assets. It has great transport links and is only an hour-and-a-half away from London by train.

The standard of hotels has also improved.

JF: But aren't Derby and Derbyshire two completely different products?

RS: We promote the area as a whole. But, I think Derby has to be the central focus.

MIKE EBBITT (ME): When I first arrived in this area, I was fairly new to Derby and Derbyshire. I really liked the place. My next thought was 'What do the hoteliers think about it?'

They were very concerned about the performance of Conference Derbyshire in its old form, particularly its lack of funding. A key thing is that the quality of personnel managing the organisation has improved and that has generated some confidence.

But when we go to exhibitions, we look at the nearest competition such as Nottingham and they have a large stand. Derby has a small stand. Is this something that needs to be addressed by the East Midlands Development Agency or the local authorities?

Does Conference Derbyshire need more funding to raise the area's presence?

MARTIN JINKS (MJ): I chair a national group and every year they have two annual conferences, one in London and the other in another part of the country. When it comes to criteria to decide on a venue Derby does tick all the boxes.

We look at geographical position, venues close to the station. It also has to be an interesting venue. We don't want a concrete basement in a hotel. It needs to be the kind of place where, if delegates want to extend their stay, they can.

Derby does this.

JF: What size of group are we talking about, Martin?

MJ: Between 40 to 80 people.

KEITH LORING (KL): When I was at Derby County a few years ago, we had dealings with Conference Derbyshire and it was faltering at the time.

I remember a brochure that was produced and, on the front cover, it had a picture of a hill and an empty rocking chair, an image which said nothing about Derby. There was a dispute over the picture which took nine months to sort out and I don't think the brochure ever saw the light of day.

We pulled out of Conference Derbyshire as we felt it was in disarray. But the organisation has been reformed and it now seems very vibrant going forward.

I think we need to make a decision. Are we promoting Derby and Derbyshire, or are we doing it separately? Also, there is a feeling that we're doing it on a whim with no budget. We should be attracting the larger conferences because we are accessible to everyone.

JF: That's right – 80% of the population can reach Derby in two hours.

ME: I think the industry recognises Derby's potential. You have chains like Hilton and Jurys all investing in Derby, which is very positive.

Perhaps there needs to be more of a marketing effort by the city council to dispel the negative image some people may have of the city.

I know that Marketing Derby are doing a good job with this, but more could be done.

KL: Derby has changed dramatically over the last 10 years but we're not telling anyone.

RS: I must admit the chair on the hill idea was crazy. We're now moving forward. We're looking at new ideas for design and marketing but it is a work in progress. It's not going to happen overnight.

ME: That worries me. When you consider how long it took to sort out that brochure, how long is it going to take?

KL: In fairness, that was in the past and something that the new personnel at Conference Derbyshire have inherited.

JF: I still want to explore this Derby versus Derbyshire thing. Derbyshire is a large county and Conference Derbyshire is based in Buxton, a long way from here. Should we be promoting Derby or Derbyshire?

KL: Perhaps there's room for another organisation called Conference Derby. The objective should be to pull people into Derby and then get them into Derbyshire.

RS: I don't agree. Derbyshire has got to be promoted because it is very well known to outsiders.

KL: But I don't think you would get a key conference coming to Derbyshire. They would be more likely to come to a vibrant city like Derby.

CRISPIN SCOTT (CS): I have a lot of friends in London and I ask them what they think of Derby and Derbyshire. They know Derbyshire, the Peak District, the countryside. There has got to be a split in the way city and county are promoted.

MOHAMMED SHARIEF (MS): For conferences, the countryside is something of an add-on – delegates may not have time to explore it.

MJ: I see Derbyshire as the icing on the cake. We need to sell conferencing in Derby. It needs to be Derby-focused.

STEVE HALL (SH): I don't think it's clear which market we're after. Is it national or regional? What's our proposition? Yes, I know we're central, but so are places like Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham.

What are we trying to sell and who are we trying to sell it to?

RS: I would say it's the medium-sized conferences we are chasing. Those of between 500 and 1,000 people. I think the city can comfortably look after national and regional conferences. Places like Pride Park Stadium and the Roundhouse can cope with the larger conferences.

SH: Isn't it a case of deciding between two different markets?

Do we pitch nationally or recognise that the bread and butter deals are to be done closer to home. It's whether Conference Derbyshire is able to do both.

JF: Mohammed, you're involved with the Development Trust Association and have managed to persuade them to have their annual conference in Derby. This will see around 600 delegates come to Derby. Why did you want to persuade them to come to the city?

MS: I've lived in the city all of my life and I wanted to show them exactly what Derby was about.

JF: I think it's worth pointing out that this is a national association and last year they held their event at the QE2 conference centre.

The creative package we put together with Mohammed put forward the Market Place and the venues there including the Assembly Rooms, Quad and the Guildhall.

Once they saw it they were able to visualise delegates moving from venue to venue and using the cafe bars in the Cathedral Quarter.

I think it helped them to see that the distance between venues was shorter than anything in the NEC.

MS: What I think was important was that we sold it as an offer by the city of Derby. It was even backed up by a personal letter from the then leader of the council, Chris Williamson.

JF: I think we need more people like Mohammed. We need to find people who sit on the boards of these organisations and give them the tools to sell Derby as the place to hold their annual conferences.

MS: It is also the fact that we can offer that something extra. If during the visit they want a visit to Rolls-Royce or Crown Derby, it can be arranged.

KL: Don't get me wrong, I love Derbyshire, but we need to get people to Derby first. It doesn't help that Conference Derbyshire is based in Buxton.

I think organisations like Marketing Derby should be getting the funding to promote conferencing in Derby because they seem to have their finger on the pulse. Sorry to give you more work, John.

JF: Thanks, Keith. Should the strategy be to not try to outdo the likes of Birmingham, but go through the backdoor?

Is it about linking up with the right people and getting Derby on their radar?

To my mind, there will always be this Derby versus Derbyshire debate. For example, I remember being at St Pancras and saw a poster which promoted the Peak District as being two-and-a-half hours from London – but Derby is just one-and-a-half.

But if you were going to be critical, has Derby really got a proper conferencing location. Is that an issue?

MJ: I think the dream scenario would be to build a big conference building on the Becketwell site. Whoever makes that happen, we'll build a statue of them in Victoria Street.

SH: The city council has put together a new leisure review which includes a £7m velodrome. Shouldn't we be looking at developments that are multi-purpose and have the potential to be used for conferencing?

JF: Definitely. I think there would be provision as part of that for exhibition, conference and events space.

MJ: It can be done. The National Indoor Arena hosts both sport and conferences.

JF: I think there is certainly room for something in Derby, although rather than Becketwell, I would've thought the Castleward or Derbyshire Royal Infirmary sites would be appropriate.

KL: We should be careful not to start running too quickly. Derby has made a lot of progress in recent years. Let's get the venues we already have full first, then let us look at the 1,000-delegate-plus conferences five or six years down the line.

ME: Crispin, how do you market Mickleover Court to your corporate clients?

CS: It is really about sales more than marketing. It's more than just producing a pretty brochure. It's asking why clients have never considered Derby before?

The successes come from actually talking to people. It is also important to build relationships with the booking agencies, who are used by firms to find venues on their behalf.

JF: So what about the Derby experience? Martin, what's the name of your organisation?

MJ: It's a national association of solicitors. We've had a conference in Derby before. We held it at Pride Park, delegates stayed at the Holiday Inn and we had a meal in Friar Gate. They were also given the option of watching Derby County play Arsenal, so the conference was very popular that year.

SH: It's a question of how far you are prepared to go. If you offer a package, with options like watching football, cricket or arranging golf – going above and beyond what other cities are prepared to do – then that could be the hook for Derby.

KL: I think the letter from Chris Williamson to Mohammad's organisation was a good move. It shows that Derby wants them.

JF: Has anyone ever put together a business case for how much conferencing contributes to the local economy, in terms of both cash and jobs? Maybe such a case could help organisations like Conference Derbyshire obtain more funding?

KL: I think similar studies have been done in the past, but not recently.

JF: So, to conclude, I think there are four main issues to consider. It seems that when it comes to attracting conferences to the area there is an issue surrounding funding.

There is also the issue of co-ordination, which at present is what Conference Derbyshire is working on. The focus, at the moment, is still not clear and there does remain the debate about whether we should be promoting Derby, Derbyshire or both of them together.

And I think a business case should be put together to measure just exactly what the economic impact of conferencing is. There seems to be a feeling that we should start local, regional and then national.

We have established that Derby has a good product. But its major selling point would be its ability to go above and beyond what is required if the city pulls together.

To the likes of Birmingham and Manchester, they might see an event as just another conference. But we would be able to offer a more tailored experience.