Tourism bosses have secured a cash boost for Brighton worth millions of pounds.

VisitBrighton, the tourism arm of Brighton and Hove City Council, beat competition from home and abroad to secure four conferences worth about £3.3 million to the city.

Adam Bates, head of VisitBrighton, said the organisation has recently been able to target medical conferences on the back of international recognition for institutions such as Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

He said: “If you have a specialist in a local area that is probably attending the conference you have, in a sense, an ally to speak to organisations about how Brighton can put together a proposal.

“We call them ambassadors – they are local people within the field and are really valued in helping the city secure events.”

British Nuclear Medicine Society will hold its annual spring conference in Brighton this time next year and will return in April 2013.

Brighton will also play host to the British Arts Festival Association in November, the fourth Children’s HIV Association of the UK and Ireland Annual Conference and Exhibition at the end of the month.

Conferences provide a vital cash injection to the local economy supporting small business throughout the year.

Mr Bates said conferences and events bring between £180 and £200 million into the city.

He said: “It is really important to the local economy. Probably the ones we are directly involved in bring between £50 to 60 million to the local economy.”