Hampshire County Council is calling on conference venues across the county to sign up to a new initiative to promote business tourism in Hampshire.

'Conference Hampshire', which will be launched in June, will see the creation of a new conference booking facility - a central information point for anyone considering Hampshire as a conference venue.

The initiative has been devised by the County Council's Economic Development Office in response to requests for assistance from venues following a downturn in business from the United States following September 11 and the current gloomy economic outlook. On a day-to-day basis, it will be managed by Convenus, a company which delivers high quality conferences and provides a national venue-finding service. The service will handle enquiries, provide information on facilities at venues, and take bookings for any venue which is signed up to Conference Hampshire.

The County Council's Executive Member for Economic Development, Councillor Michael Woodhall, said: "It is vital that we obtain as much information about as many venues and attractions in the county as possible, to ensure that this new service is effective in offering a wide range of options to inquirers.

"It is estimated that business tourism contributes around £100 million to Hampshire's economy annually. This initiative will add value to venues' own marketing and promotional activity, and will enable us to support the growth of the business tourism sector."

In addition, the County Council has several venues, including Milestones, Hampshire's living history museum in Basingstoke, and the Hilliers Visitor Centre, which offer conference rooms for private sector use.The service will be provided free of charge to all venues based in Hampshire. Any conference or corporate hospitality venues interested in taking part in Conference Hampshire should contact the County Council's Economic Development Office on 01962 846381.