A PROGRESS report that was commissioned to see how Crewe can increase its business visitor numbers has been received by the town council.

The ‘Destination Crewe’ study was conducted by Marketing Cheshire and the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce.

It has just concluded an initial consultation with local hoteliers, venue owners and businesses.

It says that by bringing together local hotels and meeting venues to market the facilities in Crewe, more businesses will be persuaded to choose the town to hold meetings and conferences.

This in turn should create more local jobs, and boost the image of the town.

Cllr Kevin Hickson, chairman of Crewe Town Council’s economic development committee said: “What this study shows is that Crewe is one of those places that meeting organisers from elsewhere know of, but don’t know much about.

“It is important that we target all key audiences from personal assistants to large travel companies with clear and relevant messages about the benefits of Crewe."

One clear message emerging is that despite offering unparalleled accessibility, fast connectivity and excellent value for money, there is a lack of awareness as to what the town offers.

However, the Destination Crewe study has identified some positive indicators.

These include the fact that the day conference provision in Crewe is already strong with 80 per cent of venues able to accommodate 100+ delegates at rates slightly lower that the market average.

The majority of businesses said that where possible they tried to support the economy by organising meetings and overnight stays locally.

The accessibility and transport links were praised, with a 2-hour travel time putting the London market within reach.

In terms of Crewe’s hotels and businesses, the key requirements from this initiative are more marketing of the destination, better targeting of corporate travel agents and strong partnerships with key players such as the train companies, MMU in Crewe, the Lyceum and Crewe Alexandra.

The findings of the report will now be used to develop a marketing strategy.

Katrina Michel, Marketing Cheshire chief executive, said: “Crewe clearly has great potential to develop itself as a destination for business meetings.

“We will now be bringing these finding together into a marketing strategy which we will be testing with key audiences and also engaging with local businesses to secure their help in making it a success.”