The West Midlands venue is keen to shift perceptions that it is predominantly an exhibitions venue to one that is considered for a broader range of live events.
The schedule is being finalised, but invited attendees will gain exclusive access to elements of the NEC estate, including sister venue the LG Arena. A hard hat tour of the new £150m Resorts World Birmingham development, which is set to open in spring 2015, is another possibility.
The event will run alongside the Best of Britain & Ireland show, which takes place at the venue on 12-13 March 2014 and is expected to attract more than 3,000 attendees. Visitors will also be able to meet with other potential venues via VIP attendance at Best of Britain & Ireland.
Rick Stainton, managing director of Smyle, said NEC’s new proposition for conferences and live events was compelling.
"The NEC team has obviously listened to what the marketplace would like to see, before evolving their offering accordingly and we look forward to finding out more during our visit," he said.
Adrian Evans, account director for conferences and live events at the NEC, said response to the initiative had been positive. "Many leading live event agencies are already on board and we’re excited about fully demonstrating our unique new offer through our partnership with the Best of Britain & Ireland, in addition to revealing the full scale of our Destination NEC project."
At next year's Best of Britain & Ireland show, the NEC will be creating a purpose-built theatre area to give visitors a taste of the future for the group through a live, theatrical experience during the two days.
Visit England has been confirmed as the official partner of the show’s meetings area and will a host a business breakfast on the second day of the show (13 March), which is set to attract over 100 VIP buyers. The national tourism board will join Tourism Ireland, Visit Scotland and Visit Wales as part of the event.
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