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30
Jun
Harrogate Convention Centre reveals designs for £7m breakout rooms
Harrogate Convention Centre has revealed designs for its new £7 million conference breakout facilities.
Last December, North Yorkshire Council's executive agreed to spend money on the venue to reconfigure studio two and create additional conference breakout space.
The project is expected to help the convention centre accommodate larger conferences by increasing its breakout space capacity to 2,600.
Now, the convention centre has revealed designs for the new facilities. Construction is expected to begin next spring and be completed by January 2027.
Paula Lorimer, director at Harrogate Convention Centre, said:
We’ve missed out on profitable events in the past due to insufficient breakout space; this will no longer be the case.
The Studio 2 reconfiguration will enable us to up our game in the highly competitive conference market.
I am very excited about this project. With a large purpose-built auditorium and an enhanced breakout capacity that rivals any other venue, I am confident we will bring in more and larger conferences that generate significant business for local hotels, restaurants and shops in the town and district of Harrogate.
Over past decades, conferences at the venue have evolved from focusing on main plenary sessions that typically take place in an auditorium to include more parallel breakout activities, such as training, networking and workshops.
Currently, the convention centre’s auditorium can accommodate 1,977 delegates.
Some designs of the breakout rooms at Harrogate Convention Centre.
However, it says the current breakout capacity is insufficient and has prevented it from hosting conferences that require additional breakout spaces. Studio two also has limited access from other parts of the venue.
The project will see studio two reconfigured with soundproof demountable walls that divide the space into up to eight breakout rooms that can accommodate up to 1,200 delegates.
This addition brings the venue’s breakout capacity to 2,600, one of the largest in the UK.
An escalator will be installed to enhance access from Studio 1 and the auditorium.
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