The Wheelchair Rugby World Cup Final and Christmas parties help attract over 90,000 visitors to Manchester Central in the final three months of 2022.
The total of 92,200 was 77% up compared to the previous three months and was boosted by Vivid Experiences’ Christmas Party World which pulled in over 26,800 attendees alone.
Over 4,500 visitors attended the venue’s hosting of the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup Final, while other events including the International Congress of the European Hernia society and the Manchester Art Fair also drew strong crowds.
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The period also revealed delegate spend at the venue rose 20% on the previous quarter, while secondary spend on hotels, hospitality and travel in the city region contributed to an overall addition of £21.1m to the Greater Manchester economy over the three months, Manchester Central said.
Chief executive Shaun Hinds said: "I am very pleased with the results of the last quarter, and how we have performed as a venue over the past year.
"We have needed to react to unplanned global events, and despite the significant headwinds caused by economic pressures and rising costs, we have managed to sustain strong booking figures and delegate numbers.
"Spend at the venue is above pre-Covid figures, and this is testament not only to the team who have worked extremely hard to achieve these results, but also to the event organisers and businesses showcasing at Central, who have delivered events that have attracted fantastic crowds and entertained in a multitude of ways.
"The venue continues to demonstrate impressive growth and recovery, and looking ahead, we are forecasting that we will welcome up to half a million delegates at Manchester Central in 2023.
"This a figure we perhaps may have doubted earlier in the year at the height of economic turbulence but once again, it confirms the strength of the events sector post-Covid and the intrinsic, important nature of our venue in the Greater Manchester city region and across the North West."
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