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.

At Harrogate International Centre (HIC) we pride ourselves on delivering a first class service to our exhibitors and visitors. However, we’re 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.

Harrogate is recognised around the world as both a friendly town and a leading destination for business tourism.   Locally, HIC has helped to create new jobs and boost local business and infrastructure, and we continue to look for opportunities to benefit the town and residents.  Some of this work however remains a little more subtle…

Tip-Ex –the only exhibition for the UK tipping industry – was scheduled to take place at HIC in 2009 but was scrapped because of the recession. Rather than impose large cancellation fees on the organisers, we were able to postpone the event till this year and it was a huge success. Crescent Gardens was the star of the show as several large tipping trucks were displayed and photographed there – and the Gardens were showcased around the UK as a result – benefiting both our business and leisure tourism industries.

In the same month, we stepped in to help the annual Toymaster Exhibition after its original venue, the Majestic Hotel, suffered a devastating fire. Along with Destination Harrogate, we were able to provide venues for several of the scheduled events at no additional cost, helping both the exhibition organisers and the local economy, which would have suffered a blow if the exhibition had moved out of Harrogate.

Working in partnership with a number of local businesses, our most recent initiative is a voucher scheme running between now and Christmas. Every attendee at an HIC exhibition or conference will receive a book of vouchers offering discounts or incentives at local restaurants, bars and retail outlets. We trialled the scheme earlier in the year and it proved to be a great success – because it is a win-win situation all round. HIC visitors get a great deal, the local economy gets a boost and participants are given the opportunity to demonstrate to visitors everything that Harrogate has to offer.

Too often we hear stories of towns being sidelined by venues and lack of local engagement.  We really don’t understand why when it is the local people that make a destination so memorable to the event’s attendees.