Skys the limit for Cardiff

An agreement seeking to establish Cardiff as the number one city for major events in the UK - ‘The Cardiff Commitment’ - was launched on Thursday 23rd April on the roof of the Millennium Stadium.

The launch of the Cardiff Commitment, held high above the 74,500 seater arena, represents an agreement between Cardiff & Co, the Millennium Stadium and the Cardiff Hoteliers Association to set aside a significant proportion of the city’s hotel rooms at a reduced rate for major events and conferences. 

The location of the launch and the brave souls prepared to scale the heights of the world’s biggest city centre stadium, with a retractable roof, is a reflection of Cardiff’s ambition to be head and shoulders above the rest.
 
Richard Thomas, Cardiff & Co’s Managing Director said, “The Cardiff Commitment will give the city region a competitive edge over other cities in attracting major events and conferences. What we have achieved in this agreement is something worth shouting about – hence our decision to make the announcement on the roof of the Millennium Stadium. Essentially, the founder partners - Cardiff & Co, the Millennium Stadium and the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association - will, together, offer an attractive package of services to entice the organisers of major events and conferences to the city-region. 

He added, “Central to the ‘Cardiff Commitment’ is the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association which consists of 22 hotels in the city region. They have pledged to set aside 20% of their members’ hotel rooms at a reduced rate (subject to availability) for major events. In addition to these reduced rates, event organisers will be allocated rooms with a further discount – set at a minimum of 10%. The ‘Commitment’ will apply to all the Association’s hotels which range from 5 star to 2 star accommodation.  

The Millennium Stadium is the other key component to the initiative. The 74,000 capacity stadium is an iconic home to Welsh sport and is recognised across the world as unique in terms of its city centre location and retractable roof.   It has been instrumental in elevating Cardiff to one of the most popular event and conference locations in the UK. 

Preparations for major events at the Millennium Stadium will see all major stakeholders involved at an early stage to absorb the additional influx of people into the city region. “     

Gwyn Dolphin the Millennium Stadium’s Head of Marketing said, “The investment in the city region over the past decade means that we now have the facilities to compete with the best. The Cardiff brand is a strong one as a consequence of the exposure it has received through hosting major events such as six consecutive FA Cup finals, the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations Rugby, Speedway Grand Prix and international football. These occasions provide a significant injection into the local economy and consequently the events market is fiercely competitive. We knew that we could not afford to stand still and the ‘Cardiff Commitment’ is the vehicle which will allow us to move forward with confidence.”

Derek Harvey of the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association said, “The ‘Cardiff Commitment’ represents a team effort to attract additional business for our industry and for the city region as a whole.  Weathering the current economic climate means being innovative – looking at ways to stay one step ahead of the competition. Event and conference organisers will find the pledges outlined in the ‘Cardiff Commitment’ to be extremely favourable. I would like to thank Cardiff & Co for first mooting the idea and the Millennium Stadium for their support, but most of all the 25 members of the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association – without whose co-operation the ‘Cardiff Commitment’ could not have been achieved.”   

Councillor Nigel Howells, responsible for Sport Leisure and Tourism at Cardiff County Council welcomed the ‘Cardiff Commitment’.  “This is an excellent initiative which will ensure that Cardiff remains an attractive proposition for event and conference organisers.”

The Cardiff Commitment will see 20% of the city-region’s 5,534 bed capacity set aside for conference and event organisers at a reduced rate (subject to availability).