IF FERRIS wheels are a sign of success, then Liverpool is riding high with another first.
After the 55m-tall Liverpool One Wheel, in Chavasse Park, installed for Christmas, came the 60m Echo Arena Wheel.
Now, appropriate to our Maritime City, rolls in the world’s first floating Ferris wheel.
Situated in Salthouse Dock, by the Arena, it will be ready for the Liverpool Boat Show, in May, 2011.
Visitors will take a boat out to the wheel, anchored in the Dock’s centre.
Bob Prattey, Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre (ACC) chief executive, said: “The floating wheel will be the centre piece of a development for the Boat Show.
“It’s based on oil-rig technology and encapsulates the importance to the city of doing innovative and imaginative things to attract people.”
Whoever you discuss Liverpool’s tourism economy with, soon they will advise: “Talk to Bob Prattey.”
It is a mark of not only how quickly the Arena and Convention Centre’s became embedded, but of its highly crucial economic importance.
Luckily, its success has been meteoric. Hoping for profit within five years, it might break even in its second year of 2009-10.
“And our first year loss was negligible on a £12.5m turnover,” said Mr Prattey.
Most convention centres (like this one) are local authority owned and not expected to be profitable per se, but act as economic drivers.
“It took me 10 years to get into profit at the International Convention Centre, in Birmingham,” said Mr Prattey.
Bookings are already being taken for conferences in 2015 and 2019.
Before then, the Lib-Dem Conference will be here in autumn and the Labour Party Conference next year.
The Tories should follow and repeat business is also growing.
Mr Prattey chuckles: “I meet hotel general managers who have to make their quotas, and they’ll say, ‘Robert, we’re having a quiet February’ or whenever.
“Then there’s a pause, followed by the question: ‘What are you going to do about it?’!”
Clearly, this is a downside to also chairing the Mersey Partnership’s Major Events Group.
“TMP has set Liverpool City Region hugely ambitious visitor targets, and we’re not going to achieve those unless we use plenty of imagination.
“We have a huge poster over the multi-storey car park advertising the musical Mama Mia!, in July.
“It’s simple, but this is the only venue outside London and we could have 70,000 people seeing the show.
“We also have an Arena database of 100,000 past customers who get instant information on new shows.
“Sometimes, we can fill the Arena on just one electronic mailing.
“Then you can ask the promoter immediately for a second night. Many of the Mama Mia! audience, for example, will come from outside the area, and it’d be crazy if they only came to see the show.
