Local Eikon
Joe Gallop meets the team at the Eikon Exhibition Centre , Northern Ireland ’ s largest events venue
The Eikon Exhibition Centre is
Northern Ireland ’ s largest events venue , with 10,600sqm of indoor event space in a 65-acre site . Opened in November 2015 , the centre was purpose-built to serve the events industry . The Eikon has already proven to be a major player in the UK and Ireland events market , hosting a huge range of events and welcoming hundreds of thousands of attendees , from B2B and B2C exhibitions , trade shows , sporting , motorsport and retail events .
With a dividable and accessible 10,600sqm of event space , the Eikon provides organisers with an efficient , customised solution , tailored to specific requirements on an event-by-event basis . The venue allows event organisers to make use of outdoor spaces as well as indoor , for further attractions or product demonstrations .
The Eikon is accessible for business and consumer events alike with 4,000 free car parking spaces and located just 15 minutes from Belfast City Centre . It is ideally situated on a major intersection of the M1 motorway and the main arterial route between Belfast and Dublin . The council area in which the Eikon is located has the highest median earnings in Northern Ireland .
In addition , the Eikon is located with a 30-minute drive of two regional airports , and a 35-minute drive from Belfast port .
The Eikon boasts state of the art facilities , including 1GB fibre optic broadband , organisers office with secure room , designated exhibitor parking , coach parking and exhibition electricity bus-bar and waste water systems . The team answers our questions .
How will Eikon approach this new era , in terms of relationship with organisers ? Are client demands shifting , how are you adapting ?
Theresa Morrissey ( pictured centre ), commercial and financial director : Coming out of the pandemic , we have seen that both organisers and consumers await the return of live events and the face-to-face personal interaction that we have missed for the past year . The Eikon strives to deliver this demand for live events , and we have worked to facilitate shorter lead-in times for events , efficient and faster operations planning , and a shorter turnaround time from enquiry to delivery . We have found that the emphasis of the success of each event is now measured on the well-being of both the attendee , the organiser and their contractors , more so than ever . Our site has an array of walkways and green spaces to facilitate the new outdoor element to events , and we are enjoying working together with our organisers in a strong partnership approach to coordinate this new important aspect of planning events . This new era has also allowed our venue to become more accessible to organisers , both potential and current , as more and more companies make use of video and conference calling . We attract a varied portfolio including a number of clients from elsewhere in the UK and Ireland , who are now expanding into Northern Ireland and current circumstances have allowed us to coordinate virtual site visits and meetings more than ever .
52 — June