As the National Union of Students (NUS) conference gets underway at Sheffield City Hall this week, new figures show Sheffield International Venues (SIV) has welcomed more than 10,000 students in last 12 months generating over £1m in economic impact for the city.

SIV, venue operator of Sheffield City Hall, has been a key host for a number of student events, including the prestigious UK School Games 2011 and the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) Championship 2012 - an event which has been held across the city for the last five years.

The company also hosts the Sheffield Hallam University graduations each year as well as numerous student balls and exams.

The three-day annual NUS Conference (Tuesday 24 April to Thursday 26 April 2012), which will attract 1,500 students from across the country, is the pinnacle of student events. It was secured by the SIV Events team after the successful delivery of the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference at the City Hall back in March 2011.

NUS will also bring its national conference to the city in April 2013, with both events set to generate £2 million for Sheffield.

Dominic Stokes, General Manager of SIV Events said; "Sheffield is undoubtedly becoming the destination of choice for student events. From major sporting competitions to national conferences, SIV has shown that it has the facilities and event management expertise to deliver events.

"Securing both the 2012 and 2013 NUS Conferences has been a real coup, not only is it great business, but it also exposes the next generation of decision leaders to Sheffield."

The high profile NUS conference gathers student leaders from across the UK to set NUS policy for the year ahead and elect national student representatives.

Liam Burns, NUS President, said: 'We are delighted to be bringing the NUS National Conference to Sheffield. It's a fantastic opportunity to visit a great city and we look forward to being welcomed by the people of Sheffield."