QEII Centre contributes record £153.1m to the UK economy

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Central London’s leading large events venue, the QEII Centre, has recorded its highest-ever net economic contribution to the UK of £153.1m. This Gross Value Added (GVA) figure is an increase of 72.6% since 2013/14, with a GVA to London alone of £117m. 

According to its latest economic impact study, carried out by Grant Thornton, QEII’s most successful financial year to date generated gross expenditure in the UK of £327.5m in 2018/19. This spend covers a range of activities including overnight stays, subsistence and expenditure in the local economy, and is 5% higher than in 2017/18 and a staggering 71% higher than six years ago in 2013/14. 

This is the third economic report to be commissioned by the QEII Centre, with the inaugural report published in 2016. The in-depth analysis of QEII delegate data applies official data sources, industry benchmarks and multipliers, qualitative data from interviews with key partners and modelling to assess the impact of several major events. 

QEII’s visitor numbers have also increased over the past six years by 42.5% to 300,965 in 2018/19, according to the report. This is reflected in the centre’s annual increase in turnover, which at £15.9m is its highest in 33 years of trading. 

The number of overseas visitors to QEII has increased by 50.9% since 2013/14, to 79,304, which given that overseas visitors spend more in the local economy than UK and London visitors is a major factor in the centre’s increased economic contribution.

Alongside the economic contribution, the report found that QEII has also supported 3,921 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs in the UK – a 95.9% increase on the 2,001 estimated jobs  generated in 2013/14.

Chief executive of the QEII Centre Mark Taylor said: “I am delighted that our contribution to the UK and London economies has grown year-on-year to a new record high. This coincides with a 65% increase in turnover since 2013/14 , 70% increase in occupancy yield ratio and 62% increase in profitability, all adding up to our best financial year to date. 

“Our self-funded £16m refurbsihment project, started in 2013, has helped us deliver a Building Valuation increase of 75.8% from £25.6m to £45m, along with supporting our repositioning campaign as a flexible events space, able to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse client base. Our continued success is testimony to the amazing team we have at QEII, which includes our exceptional external partners Levy Restaurants, Keir and OCS.

“This report shows that alongside the economic benefits QEII delivers, we are also supporting hotels, restaurants, retail and supply chain, and generating trade and export, business stimulation and knowledge sharing – an impact that can only be positive for the UK.”

The Grant Thornton report for 2018/19 concludes that as the QEII Centre remains the only dedicated conference and events centre in central London of its size; it plays a major role in the capital’s strong reputation for events and enables the UK to compete with other international event destinations.

Over the past year QEII has attracted more than 400 national and international events, including high profile events such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Conservative Party Leadership Announcement and the upcoming One Young World global forum. The centre has also reinforced its reputation for excellence by winning a total of 30 awards since 2013, in areas including customer service, marketing, AV and overall best venue.

Molly Hookings
Author: Molly Hookings

Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com