Harrogate International Centre set for upgrade

Posted on Thursday, 12th August 2010

The mayor of Harrogate along with other local dignitaries and industry figures attended the official ground-breaking ceremony for the new halls at the Harrogate International Centre (HIC).

The development is supported in part by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, which helped fund the £13m expansion plan along with Harrogate Borough Council. The two new halls, due to be completed in autumn 2011, will add a combined 3,300sqm of event space, bringing the total space for the venue up to 19,800sqm.

"We have had a couple of very rough years this year and last year," says Stuart Quin, managing director of HIC, "so the strong interest in the new hall is quite encouraging."

Most existing halls are around three and a half metres tall, with hall M standing out with more than eight metres in height.

"Going forward we need halls that can easily accommodate what events are demanding these days," he says. "There is a tendency for exhibitors to book space only, instead of shell scheme."