Belfast's Waterfront Hall has been named fifth in the overall world rankings for conferencing.
The accolade was made at the Final of the Apex Award 2004 - World’s Best Congress Centre awards, organised by the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC), a leading professional body for congress centre management worldwide.
The Waterfront Hall has now been officially placed as one of the top seven conference centres in the world for four years in succession.
The financial year 2003-04 has been Belfast Waterfront Hall’s most successful to date in the international conference and business sales market: 194 conference and business events attended by approximately 56,000 delegates (14,000 from outside Northern Ireland).
35% of all conferences coming to Belfast over the next four years will be held at the Waterfront Hall, equating to 64% of all delegates visiting Northern Ireland.
Since opening in January 1997, approximately 275,000 delegates have attended more than 1,500 conferences, exhibitions and meetings at the venue. Conference and business bookings currently extend to 2007.