The strength and depth of the Harrogate district’s assets was showcased to a specialist exhibition aimed at event organisers this month.
International Confex, the UK’s leading exhibition for the meetings and events industry, was staged at Olympia in London and attracted thousands of event industry buyers.
The district’s destination management organisation, Visit Harrogate, used the exhibition to launch its new Conference Desk, designed to help organisers to arrange events. The Conference Desk will put buyers in touch with a range of venues and all the services they need to stage a successful event.
Visit Harrogate attended Confex in partnership with two of the district’s leading event venues, the Harrogate International Centre and the Yorkshire Event Centre who jointly paid for the stand. Visit Harrogate sponsors Leeds Bradford Airport also took part.
Visit Harrogate’s Marketing and Business Manager, Sibh Megson, said: We believe that the range of venues on offer across the district, combined with our welcoming towns and beautiful countryside, make the Harrogate district one of Europe’s finest conference destinations. The Conference Desk is designed to help make the district first choice by smoothing the path to planning a successful event.
Confex was a great opportunity to showcase the Harrogate district to a wide audience, all looking for potential venues. We were able to speak to around 150 delegates to promote the district first hand and there was some very positive feedback. It was very evident how warmly Harrogate is regarded as a destination for both business and leisure tourists.
Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre said: It was great to see the Harrogate District working together and great fun to be part of it. The level of interest was good and very varied, from visitors looking for hotel based conferences to visitors looking for major exhibitions and much more besides. There are sure to be exciting times ahead.
Simon Kent, HIC director said: The concept of Harrogate’s businesses, attractions and organisations all working together for the good of the town is at the forefront of our marketing at HIC.
We know that if visitors to HIC have a great time when they are in the Harrogate area then they are going to want to come back.
That’s why it was great for us to team up with two other key organisations to show off Harrogate at the Confex event in London. Not only that, but we had a lot of interest from old and potential new customers and we got some great leads which our sales team are following up.
Attendees at the event were also able to learn about the new Business Tourism section of the Visit Harrogate website, which allows industry buyers to browse corporate facilities, see a map of the district’s facilities or search for a specific type of venue. A “My Planner” feature means that browsers can build an itinerary and save favourites.
The new Visit Harrogate Conference Desk can be contacted on 01423 537439 or at viv@visitharrogate.co.uk
Main photograph: Confex delegates discover the Harrogate district
