Birmingham’s business tourism agency aims to bring more conference and convention trade to the city with a strong presence at International Confex 2012.

Meet Birmingham will launch its 2012 Conference Guide at the symposium for event organisers at Excel London from March 6-8.

Edgbaston Stadium, Hotel La Tour, The Belfry, the International Convention Centre, Aston University’s Conference Aston and the University of Birmingham’s Venuebirmingham, will join Meet Birmingham to showcase the city, Solihull and the Black Country as a top conference and events destination.

The Birmingham Convention Bureau, which is run by Meet Birmingham and helps event planners organise conferences in the city, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Highlights from the business tourism sector in the past decade include the 100th Rotary International Convention in 2009, which brought around 20,000 people to Birmingham and the International Exhibition of Textile Machinery in 2003 which saw BCB book 10,000 rooms for the largest exhibition of its kind in the world.

Ian Taylor, commercial director at Marketing Birmingham, which operates Meet Birmingham and BCB, said: “The year will culminate in our eighth party political conference since 2008 when the Conservative Party visits in October.

“Confex is one of the best trade shows in the industry calendar and we believe that this year sees our most varied selection of partners. “From prestigious sporting settings and impressive academic facilities, to a truly world class venue and one of the city’s newest hotel developments, Meet Birmingham’s stand partners are a reflection of the enviable offering that the city boasts, as it strives to remain the destination of choice in the events world.”

Marketing Birmingham, the city’s strategic marketing partnership, operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programme, Visit and Meet Birmingham as well as its inward investment programme, Business Birmingham.

The company is funded by the public and private sectors, including Birmingham City Council, European Regional Development Funding and some 400 local companies.