FEATURE
Joe Gallop visits Harrogate Convention Centre to find out how the venue ’ s plans for expansion will help take it to the next level
Few UK venues have had quite the impact on a place as Harrogate Convention Centre ( HCC ) has on the Yorkshire spa town . Hosting more than 150 events a year , including Harrogate Christmas & Gift , The Flooring Show and International Nursery Fair , HCC is a major driver of the town ’ s visitor economy . Since operating as an NHS Nightingale hospital during the pandemic , HCC has seen a resurgent return to events , with the venue set to celebrate its best year in a decade . HCC director Paul Lorimer says this reflects how “ unbelievably strong ” exhibitions have been since the pandemic , with the industry showing no sign of slowing down . “ We ’ re going to have our best year since 2014 by the end of March this year . Next year we ’ ll exceed that as well . Since 2019 , we ’ ve put a third on our turnover ,” says Lorimer , who is the former deputy CEO of Manchester Central and sales director of International Confex . “ Exhibitions are a very big part of what we do and we care about them a lot . It ’ s great that they ’ ve now stabilised and our visitor numbers are up . One of the reasons they ’ re doing well is that during the pandemic a lot of the suppliers couldn ’ t go to overseas exhibitions .
So they came back to the UK and rediscovered those amazing UK shows .” Lorimer says the venue , which is the same size as Manchester Central , has an unrivalled positive impact on the affluent Yorkshire town , which has a population of 165,000 . “ We keep the hospitality sector going here ,” she says . “ The proportionality of what HCC does for a small northern town is huge because we ’ re the same size as those venues that are in the city .” Lorimer says HCC ’ s surrounding area is what sets it apart as an attractive events destination , with exhibitors often staying in the area for a holiday . One exhibition organiser
What ’ s brewing in Yorkshire ?
“ We ’ re going to have our best year since 2014 ”
who knows all about this is BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton , who runs the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition ( BTME ), which has become a mainstay in Harrogate since 1989 . “ The town of Harrogate is the star ,” says BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton speaking on-site at the event . “ There ’ s a saying that you arrive in Harrogate with problems and leave with solutions .
Our show starts at nine in the morning , we close our doors at 5pm but it carries on for six or seven hours afterwards in the bars and restaurants . The Wetherspoons up the road becomes the busiest one in the world for three evenings . The beauty of Harrogate is that there ’ s accommodation and food and beverage available at every price point . We ’ ve got global company presidents staying in five-star hotels and then others who are staying in an Airbnb enjoying fish and chips . The town and venue work so well for us .” Other shows that the HCC hosts have seen visitor numbers increase in the past few months . Harrogate
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