The impressive TraffordCity venue, located next door to intu Trafford Centre, signed 18 new shows in 2016 including the World Snooker championships, the Muslim Lifestyle show, Bargain Booze and B&M Bargains annual conferences and many more. Footfall has continued to grow at EventCity throughout the year, culminating in a record month of December 2016, with a massive 67 percent increase in visitors compared to the previous December.

Looking to the year ahead, EventCity has already signed seven new shows for 2017 including the world exclusive Dinosaurs in the Wild. The new multi-million pound attraction opening in EventCity in October 2017, promises a unique, immersive live adventure and the very latest scientific research, with dinosaurs seen in ways never before.

Andy Orr, Managing Director at EventCity, Manchester said: “Culminating a record year, and only our fifth year in business, we’re thrilled to be signing some of the biggest names in the industry. We have a fantastic team at EventCity who work tirelessly to make every show a huge success and it’s very rewarding to see the venue continue to go from strength to strength. Our ever increasing visitor figures clearly reflect that.

“Securing the multi-million pound Dinosaurs in the Wild, along with a number of world class sporting events this year, is another key step forward for the business and shows we’re now putting EventCity on the world map as a first class event space.”

Construction of a new 220 bedroom hotel located next to Manchester’s EventCity venue, in TraffordCity, is already well underway, designed to serve the huge numbers visiting EventCity. The hotel, which will be EventCity’s official partner hotel, is one of the first Holiday Inn Express ‘Generation 4’ in the UK, with new room designs developed to meet the needs of today’s ‘Smart Traveller’. It is planned to open in May 2017.

Andy Orr said: “This new hotel is ideally suited to serve the huge numbers of both leisure and business travellers visiting us at EventCity and will enable us to enhance our first-class hospitality service for customers. The arrival of the TfGM Metrolink line in several years’ time will only enhance this further.”

EventCity has continually invested in evolving its space, which comprises four huge halls and a number of meeting rooms, and continues to cement its position as the second biggest and most flexible exhibition centre in the UK, outside of London.

Orr continued: “We’re always looking at ways to evolve EventCity’s offering to meet the needs of our customers. We recently took 5,850 sq m of floor space and turned it into a cutting edge dedicated conference and dining facility to meet growing demand. We’ve also been recognised nationally for our gold class Changing Places toilet facility, which we installed after realising many current facilities in venues across the UK are difficult for disabled people and carers to use.

“We’ve recently invested over £1.5 million into our onsite production kitchen, which means we can now cater for up to 5,000 delegates, within a conference, whilst supplying the other halls with consumer offerings at exhibitions.

“We believe our success is down to our unparalleled flexibility when it comes to meeting the needs of our customers and, as one of the fastest growing event spaces in the UK, we’re excited to see what happens next.”

Crowds flocked to this year’s Winter Wonderland event, which has become a highlight of the year for families in the North West. Attracting a bevy of Coronation Street stars and Manchester football stars and their families, the event is now one of the UK’s biggest indoor festive theme parks.

Tammy Silcock, Director of KingPin Events Ltd, which operates Winter Wonderland, said: “Now in our fourth year with EventCity, I can honestly say that I am still overwhelmed with how accommodating, helpful and professional all of the team are. Every year the venue exceeds my expectations and I am looking forward to doing more events in the future at EventCity."