HIC Talk

One of the special charms of an international event venue located away from a huge city is that the centre does not work in isolation but it functions as a part of the community. And it is precisely for this reason that Harrogate is such a special destination for conferences and event.

The location of HIC on the cusp of the ruggedly spectacular Yorkshire Dales makes it really a unique venue. Moreover, whenever there is an event the local communities never fail to show their closeness and warmth to visitors, and it is the friendliness of the local community that keeps delegates and organisers returning year after year.

At Harrogate International Centre (HIC) we pride ourselves on delivering a first class service to our exhibitors and visitors. However, we are very aware of the occasional inconvenience caused by having a world class venue in the middle of a culturally rich place like Harrogate, which is why we work so closely with the local community. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of months ago we featured in an article for Conference News looking at Towns and Cities, we previously featured some of the excerpts but following reader requests have included a little more!

When it comes to organising an event, there is often a choice for the organiser whether to hold it in a city or the countryside. The cities, of course have a huge amount to offer and that is ultimately their greatest selling point… choice.  From tiny meeting rooms in unusual art centres to stadia capable of seating hundreds of thousands, the major cities of the world can cope with anything.

As melting pots of culture and art, cities are a great place to live, they are awake 24 hours a day and full of excitement and energy.  For event visitors there are so many opportunities for entertainment, catering and creativity – almost anything is possible at almost any time of the day.  And for many the most important fact – breakout spaces and networking continues long after the main event in a myriad of different bars and clubs.

On the flip side there is the countryside, complete with its towns and villages.  Whilst it is the buildings that take centre stage in the cities, out in the country it is their very absence that is overwhelming.  Space to move, space to breathe (fresher air!) all add to the creativity of the event spaces available.  But it is the closeness and warmth amongst the communities that is often so powerful – an event for 5,000 passes unnoticed in a city.  However, in the country, in smaller towns, everyone becomes involved.  Delegates are quite literally greeted off the trains and welcomed by members of the local community, and it is the friendliness of non-city destinations that keeps delegates and organisers returning year after year.

But it isn’t all good news.  Both options have their failings.  Like all great things, the cities have their own hubris – their very size acting against them in the eyes of many delegates.  Where some see hustle and bustle, others see overcrowding, where some see excitement and chatter, others hear noise and smell pollution.  Transport links within cities suffer failures, but unlike towns, where a train delay frustrates a small number of people, within the cities they can develop into catastrophic situations with millions of frustrated commuters.

Going against the towns is lack of 24 hour culture.  Restaurants are limited to just three or four different cultures and there are likely to be fewer art galleries.  Out of the cities transport issues tend to have a lower impact, primarily because there is always the option of “jumping in the car”, or walking – parking not being such an issue – although the winter snow has of course seen certain areas cut off for days.

I have so far painted a rather black and white view, outlining pros and cons that may of course not even be relevant to some events.  Organisers are faced with many choices when planning their events, destination choice being just one of them.  You have to select the option that will appeal to all delegate types, the option that perfectly balances brand attribute with accessibility and budget.  With a decision this hard all I can say is – thank god that here in Harrogate we have the best of both worlds – the friendliness of the small towns, combined with the chic and modern offering of the big cities.

Conference, exhibition and event organisers can benefit from an initiative that increases visitor benefits trialled throughout the autumn by Harrogate International Centre.

HIC has launched a voucher system, offering discounts and incentives to attendees at events taking place in Harrogate.  The scheme allows visitors to experience all that Harrogate has to offer, whilst local retailers, restaurants and bars will benefit from additional custom.

Harrogate International Centre, Lynne Farrow: “Whilst it will take some time to gauge the full benefits and ROI of this initiative, we have already had plenty of positive comments and anecdotal feedback from the town and visitors to recent shows.  As a venue it is vital that we work closely with organiser to provide added value to both the event and the visitor experience.”

HIC worked closely with various events, including the Harrogate Flooring Show to trial the scheme, which offers both online and print vouchers.  Businesses offering discounts saw immediate results despite the low numbers involved in the trial and expect the scheme to build even greater links between the community and event centre over the coming months.

Lynne continues: “We have invested a great deal of time pulling together a range of discounts and incentives that truly demonstrate Harrogate’s offering, whilst providing value to organisers, visitors and local businesses.  HIC’s economic impact on Harrogate is substantial but there is always more we can do, this scheme and the creation of the vouchers are a demonstration of everyone’s desire to ensure Harrogate remains not just a leading destination for business tourism but also a town with a reputation for professionalism and friendliness.”

Tom Van Zeller from Ven Zeller Restaurant said: “”The voucher scheme gives the town’s businesses an opportunity to get close to the town’s business visitors, and to offer them a genuine and well meant welcome. We already benefit from delegates who meet for business lunches or have exclusive use of the restaurant for corporate events and it’s nice to give them something back through this scheme.”