It is with all sincerity that I congratulate Birmingham for its recent success in winning the 2008 Tory Conference.
For years political conferences were firmly anchored in resort cities. Yet it was Manchester that finally broke the mould by convincing the Labour Party to depart from its seaside home to sample the urban conference experience . . . and they loved it!
The Labour Party clearly recognised the potential offered by Manchester's new way of thinking which was represented in the first class venues of our original modern city. Not only this, but the level of partnership and team working across Manchester served to deliver a fantastic conference.
It was with something of a wry smile that I saw how quickly Birmingham learnt this lesson.
Obviously this is great news for Birmingham, but more importantly this is great news for major political urban conferencing. What we must all learn from this is that delivery and quality count and this is the challenge for all who harbour the lofty ambitions of hosting political conferences.
Manchester delivered - and delivered well - the Labour Party Conference. Maybe this is something that other conference towns would do well to remember when lucky enough to host a prestigious political meeting. Indeed political parties are no longer making decisions on tradition and nostalgic factors but more on quality and delivery.
Blackpool is set to host this year's Tory Party Conference and should use this as a way of proving the town's value as a conference destination, because Manchester and other cities are taking no prisoners in their quest to dominate this area of conferencing.
Let the battle begin . . . .
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