The Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and the Bournemouth International Conference Bureau (BICB) themed the stand at the three day exhibition at Earls Court London (12-14 February) to highlight the recent go-ahead for Europe’s first artificial surf reef in the town and invited professionals to “Get on board for business” in Bournemouth.

A panel of industry judges selected the Bournemouth stand to receive the UK’s best in show award from some 1,200 exhibitors and it follows the BIC’s 2006 commendation for an ‘Outstanding Marketing Campaign’ and the best stand at the show award in 2005.

Each year, as part of the ongoing promotional campaign to bring business to Bournemouth, and helping to boost the town’s economy by an estimated £123 million, the BIC and BICB attend industry events. At Confex, the Bournemouth presence is as a stand shared by the BIC and BICB as a destination promotion for all types of business events, alongside competitors including Harrogate, Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester.

“There’s lots of competition out there for the business tourism sector and although Bournemouth has a very special offer, we do have to work hard to stand out. This year, we took inspiration from Europe’s first artificial surf reef, opening in Bournemouth later this year, and themed the stand in primary colours, with surfboard shapes and tables and Bournemouth has definitely been a big centre of attention at the show, confirmed by the award with which we’re delighted,” says Clive Tyers, BIC’s head of conferences, exhibitions and events.