Plans are muda Marketplace to another UK provincial city next year besides Manchester, it emerged yesterday. The potential change was just one announced by the organiser of the event following a meeting with the suppliers.

Tourism Minister David Allen told The Royal Gazette : "We are actively considering doing another city next year along with London and perhaps another after that then return to Manchester so we would be rotating between them every three years.'' Cities under consideration to host the event include Leeds and Glasgow, two cities "with an upsurge in money'', he pointed out.

Director of Tourism in Europe, Ian Parker, said he and other members of his team from CIB -- the UK-based organisation hired by the Bermuda Department of Tourism to coordinate, the selling, advertising and marketing effort for the Island in the UK and Europe -- had met with the 19 exhibitors at the event for feedback on how to improve it. "We suggested that instead of coming to Manchester we go to another city like Glasgow or Leeds next year,''he said.

This appealed to CIB because it was important that it got out into its market, said Mr. Parker, and was an idea that was backed by the exhibitors.

Mr. Parker said other feedback indicated that the majority of exhibitors wanted more time to do their business in.

This year's Marketplace was held for half a day in London and half a day in Manchester and the suppliers said they wanted the event to start earlier in the day so they would not be so rushed.

Mr. Parker noted this year's event had a spare day between the two events and this was approved of by exhibitors as it gave them a chance to do sales calls and visits and see the people they wanted to see following the day's previous business. The suppliers also said they wanted to be in London on the second day of the event instead of the first and asked to be able to see who was attending the event.

Marketplace currently runs on an appointment only basis with attendees booking time with the suppliers they wanted to see.

Mr. Parker said feedback from the suppliers indicated that they wanted to be able to meet with agents who may not have booked time with them if they thought they had something which could attract them.

The gala dinner at the end of each day's event is likely to revert back to a black tie dinner, continued Mr. Parker, following input from the attendees at the event. This year's event was casual in comparison to previous years and travel agents turned their thumbs down on this.

"There are a lot of events that they can go to,'' Mr. Parker pointed out, "and they felt that the black tie dinner reflected Bermuda better and made it more special. I think we may go back to that.'' CONFERENCE CON