The Conservative Party returns to Manchester this Sunday for its Annual Conference, an event that is estimated to generate £30m for the local economy.

Prime Minister Theresa May, the cabinet, Conservative MPs and around 12,000 delegates and exhibitors will meet at Manchester Central from Sunday 1 to Wednesday 4 October.

This is the fifth Conservative Party Annual Conference to be held in Manchester since 2009. The conference and extensive programme of fringe events will provide a boost to hotels, restaurants, attractions and bars across the city.

Sheona Southern, managing director of Marketing Manchester said: “Manchester is pleased to welcome the Conservative Party Conference. The event is a fantastic opportunity for the city, not just in terms of the economic impact of visitor spend, but also in demonstrating Manchester’s strengths as a comprehensive conference destination and area of political significance.

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor have recently taken steps to renew their commitment to the Northern Powerhouse initiative, and we look forward to hearing how the party will work with Manchester and other cities across the North of England as our development continues”

Joanne Roney OBE, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is well-versed in capturing the country’s attention for major national events, with last year’s Euroscience OpenForum and Olympic Heroes Parade testament to this. So we look forward to welcoming another large-scale conference to the city, generating a significant boost to the regional economy and showing thousands of delegates the excellent visitor experience that Manchester has to offer.”

Shaun Hinds, chief executive of Manchester Central, said: “This is the biggest event in our diary and the team at Manchester Central is primed to deliver yet another successful conference on behalf of the city.

“This will be the eighth political party conference Manchester Central has hosted, which further establishes the city’s status as a leading conference and events destination. Without doubt, we will showcase the very best of what the venue and the wider city has to offer.”

Business tourism generated £810m for the Greater Manchester economy in 2015, attracting 4.5million delegates to the city. Conference and business events were estimated to support 21,900 direct jobs within Greater Manchester, and 40,100 jobs to the UK, when including the indirect jobs in the supply chain.

More information about the Conservative Party Annual Conference can be found here