Steven Small has been appointed brand director of Routes with responsibility for heading the events business in Manchester, UK, and setting its future strategic direction.

Routes was established in 1995 to organise events that bring aviation professionals together to plan new air services.

Since then the business has grown to include the regional Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa forums as well as the flagship World Routes gathering which is attended by 3,000 delegates every year.

Small joins Routes from Marketing Liverpool where he is currently head of tourism, leading a team responsible for driving Liverpool’s leisure and business tourism through the Visit Liverpool and Liverpool Convention Bureau brands.

The Routes role will mark a return to Manchester for Small.

He held senior positions at Marketing Manchester for seven years, working on a variety of projects with organisations including Manchester Central, the National Football Museum and Manchester Airport, as well as working with partners to attract major new events and conferences to Manchester.

His first moved to Manchester to join the inward investment agency, MIDAS, which brings new businesses to the city.
Small said: “International connectivity is increasingly important for airports and the destinations they serve.

“Having worked with the Routes events in my past roles, I am now delighted to get the opportunity to work with the Routes team.”
Route development is a relatively new field of expertise that has been the domain of airlines and airports.

However, tourism and economic development agencies are becoming more involved as they seek to boost visitor numbers to their destinations through improved international air connections.