Yorkshire’s four conference bureaux are celebrating after smashing their targets by securing £1.8m worth of corporate business six months ahead of schedule.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s Business Tourism Strategy launched earlier this year aimed to increase the value of including conferences, meetings and incentive travel won by the bureaux in 2010/11 to £1.8m (from £1.4m achieved in 2009/2010). This target has already been achieved with the total delegate spend in the county forecast to reach £7.2m.

The strategy, employed by Conference Leeds, York & Scarborough Conferences, Hull and East Yorkshire Conferences and Yorkshire South Tourism, included the appointment of new conference sales executives and a comprehensive marketing and PR campaign.

Chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, Gary Verity, said: “The figures just announced highlight the importance of our investment in business tourism. The four Yorkshire conference bureaux have worked hard to secure this business for the county and the supporting marketing and PR activity has enhanced Yorkshire’s profile as a leading destination for conferences and events.”

Recent months have seen numerous new venue openings and improvements including a £2m expansion at Leeds United Football Club - making it the largest facility in Leeds; opening of the £25m Cedar Court Grand in York; £6m investment in developing Scarborough Spa; opening of The Chapter House, a new conference and events venue housed in York Minster, and a new £1m training and conference venue owned by St John Ambulance in Hull.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire South has hosted high profile events such as CAMRA and MADE in Sheffield, and has been selected to host the US Olympic team for 2012.