Welcome to another week and seeing as we are all off to Harrogate to run the National Acute Pain Symposium for 300 Doctors, Nurses, Anaesthetists and Pain Specialists, at the Harrogate Convention Centre, it seems appropriate to look at some of the great venues in this amazing location.
The Harrogate Convention Centre is a modern event space, with an iconic
auditoria and lots of on site new technology. Ironically enough, back in 1835 The Spa Rooms stood on the site of today’s Hall M welcoming the British Medical Association in 1884.
The Royal Hall opened in 1903 as a venue for social events and meetings hosting The First British Advertising Convention
as long ago as 1925. In the thirties Harrogate really started to gain
its reputation as the place to hold business events and by 1937 the town
was hosting around thirty events a year. Planning meetings and events back then must have been a challenge!
By 1953 almost 150 conferences were held each year and in 1959 the first purpose-built event halls were added. Growing in both size and reputation, by the 1960's they were hosting 170 conferences annually, welcoming 44,000 people to the
region.
More halls were added in 1966 and 1971 and shortly after an
independent business tourism study recommended building a major
conference centre in the town, which became the first step in creating the 2000-seat main auditorium which opened in 1982, hosting The Eurovision Song Contest that same year. This was of course back in the day when we actually still stood a chance of winning.
Today, as one of the country’s leading multi-use venues, the Harrogate Convention Centre attracts over 300,000 visitors a year with a combination of exciting trade and
consumer exhibitions, inspiring conferences, sumptuous banquets and
spectacular entertainment.
Our conference delegates of course need somewhere to stay, and The Old Swan is probably one of the most famous hotels in Harrogate, with a history going back nearly 200 years. Surrounded by pretty lawns and
gardens, and just a short walk from the town centre and the Harrogate
Convention Centre, it's a combination of Victorian splendour and contemporary
luxury.
From its revolving doors to its famous
glass-ceilinged Wedgwood Restaurant, the Hotel exudes romance and
mystery and it was at this very hotel that the mistress of
crime-writing, Agatha Christie, famously disappeared in 1926, resulting in a public furore over the 11 days that she could not be traced. We do hope that our delegates don't disappear on us!
Guests can now enjoy 136
contemporary-styled bedrooms, the famous glass-ceilinged Wedgwood
Restaurant or the newly refurbished Swan Lounge and Bar, and with several reception rooms, the capacity
for up to 300, and ample complimentary parking, The Old Swan is the
perfect spot for Harrogate conferences and events.
We are also using the newly opened and ultra modern Crowne Plaza® Harrogate which is linked by a pedestrian bridge to the Convention Centre, and has six meeting rooms which can host up to 320 theatre style, plus a rather fabulous new bar and restaurant as well as a health club - not that we think we will have much time to indulge in much activity outside of the conference.
So lot's going on this week and if you are still looking for a venue for your next event - making your mind up you might say (think Bucks Fizz!) - then please do remember that here at Cloud 9 as well as running events, we also spcialise in helping clients source the perfect venue for your next event - locally, nationally, globally.
Have a great week!
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