By Mya Driver, Marketing Executive, UKREiiF

That’s right, UKREiiF has supercharged the local Leeds and wider West Yorkshire economy with an impressive £20.9 million boost in 2024! This is a colossal leap from the £5.5 million in 2022 and the £12.1 million in 2023.

That’s a total of £38.5 million pumped into Leeds businesses over just three years! An event as large as UKREiiF will inevitably have a hugely positive impact on its host city, but this spectacular result is thanks to our relentless efforts to make those numbers soar year after year. It’s teamwork, determination, and a dash of Yorkshire magic!

We thought it’d be useful to crunch down on the numbers and delve into that that impressive £20.9 million.

Tourism

Around 450 delegates extended their stay for four or more nights, exploring gems like Temple Newsam in Leeds, the Piece Hall in Halifax, Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield (just to name a few!). In the lead-up to UKREiiF 2024, we teamed up with Leeds City Council to launch campaigns that showcased Leeds, boosting tourism and inviting everyone to discover more about the area.

Hotels and Hospitality

The majority of UKREiiF delegates extended their stay to at least two nights, making sure they didn’t miss a moment of the three-day extravaganza. Leeds City Centre’s hotels reached full capacity well before the event, however, we teamed up with Leeds City Council to spread the word that nearby places like Wakefield, Huddersfield, Bradford, Harrogate, and York had plenty of beds available, all just a stones throw away from Leeds City Centre.

Bars and Restaurants

Visitors splashed out millions during the event. The food and drink sector saw the biggest boost, thanks to an incredibly inclusive fringe programme. This programme drew in crowds who didn’t even have a UKREiiF ticket, pushing the total number of visitors to Leeds to an impressive 18,750.

We teamed up with local Leeds businesses to extend their opening hours beyond the usual Monday-Thursday routine and ran a Leeds focused campaign to highlight the best spots in the city before the event. Leeds was buzzing, and everyone got a taste of what makes this city so special!

Local Spend

As an event organiser, we were thrilled to make a positive splash in our community – a commitment reflected in our ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Management Accreditation!

We proudly championed local talent, teaming up with freelance photographers and videographers, and assembling a robust local security and customer support crew. We sourced our printing needs from nearby suppliers and showcased local food and beverage outlets.

One such success story is Caffe Aperitivo. Its owner shared that “UKREiiF falling in May is the perfect time and really kickstarts the summer season for [him].” He was able to “invest in loads of stock for the summer season” and enjoyed “a phenomenal three days at UKREiiF in 2024, more than [he] expected.” This fantastic turnout enabled him to reinvest in his business, setting the stage for a vibrant summer ahead.

The event had solidified itself as a catalyst for commercial growth, not just for its attendees and partners, but for every business involved in making UKREiiF what it is.

Returning Attendees

During the registration process we managed to capture information on delegates returning to the city – with 33% now coming to Leeds “more frequently due to a direct result of UKREiiF” outside of the annual event. Whether is be due to work opportunities, more networking activity taking place for the industry, meetings, or site visits…some have even confirmed they’ve opened up silo offices in Leeds. The event is pushing the industry into the city which can only be welcomed for further economic impact all year round.

If you’d like to find out more about this report by ARUP and the work we’ve done to enhance the local economic impact, email: [email protected]

By Mya Driver, Marketing Executive, UKREiiF