IT may not pull in as many visitors as the Bournemouth Air Festival, but the Lib Dems' autumn conference is expected to attract thousands to the town.

The conference from Saturday, September 13, to Wednesday, September 17, takes place at the BIC, with workshops and consultative sessions at various other locations in the town.

It will be the party's first full conference since Nick Clegg replaced Sir Menzies Campbell as party leader.

The event could provide a vital chance for the Lib Dems to raise their profile. They have struggled to make headway in opinion polls despite the government's troubles.

Highlights are set to include a debate on the Make It Happen document, which outlines the party's vision for Britain ahead of the next general election.

There will also be debates on the policy papers submitted by the Federal Policy Committee, on Europe, on international security and on transport.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, will formally open the federal conference on Saturday, September 13.

She said: "It's obviously a very great honour to open our conference.

"I'm very excited about the conference because I think it gives us the opportunity to put our points of view forward.

"We will get quite a lot of press coverage. That's important because the current political situation has become the other two parties being interviewed all the time.

"We have some very good policies, for example, in terms of the housing crisis at the moment."

Mrs Brooke said they expected thousands of delegates to take part in the conference.

Party leader Nick Clegg MP said they had a "clear and powerful vision" and he knew the party was full of fresh thinking and new ideas about how best to tackle the country's problems.

Writing on the Lib Dem website about the upcoming conference in Bournemouth, he added: "We know that if we want Britain to be fairer, we are the only ones who will make it happen."