Demand is soaring for event space at The Great Yorkshire Events Centre in Harrogate following the venue’s major rebrand that brings it closer to the charity it raises funds for.
Enquiries surged by 15 per cent in the first two months of the year, compared to the same period a year ago, after The Great Yorkshire Events Centre was rebranded to align more closely with farming charity, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. All profits made by the venue go back into the charity to support its work for farmers.
The rebrand and soaring enquiries put the venue – which comprises of The Pavilions, The Halls (formerly known as Pavilions of Harrogate and Yorkshire Event Centre) and The Grounds – in the perfect position to capitalise on two successive record years of bookings, in 2024 and 2023.
Fiona Stilborn, Group Head of Sales at The Great Yorkshire Events Centre said: “It has been a phenomenal start to the year for The Great Yorkshire Events Centre, with the rebrand creating a real buzz. At The Pavilions, average event spend is up by 21 per cent, year-on-year, at the start of 2025.”
With demand booming, The Great Yorkshire Events Centre has recently appointed Sam Isaac as Deputy Events Manager and is currently recruiting for another Deputy Events Manager to join its growing team. To further maintain momentum, it has also started working with Catch the MICE, the premier UK-based representation consultancy to extend its reach among UK events organisers.
The Great Yorkshire Events Centre is based on the Great Yorkshire Showground which has 340 acres of green space known as The Grounds that is ideal for outdoor events, with parking for more than 2,000 cars. As one destination, which includes the versatile indoor spaces at The Halls and The Pavilions, it can cover all events for up to 35,000 people, from exhibitions and conferences, meetings and dinners, to awards and product launches, weddings and remembrances.
Fiona added: “The Halls has an excellent reputation for hosting exhibitions which has continued with the rebrand and we are now noticing a significant uplift in interest in bringing conference-style events here because of the capacity we have to host all-staff events for large companies. It is shaping up to be another hugely successful year, with a number of live enquiries ongoing with big name brands that we are very excited about.”
Upcoming events at The Great Yorkshire Events Centre include Harrogate Spring Flower Show (24-27th April), the National Shooting Show (10-11th May), Toolfair and Professional Builder Live, and Mechanex (both 15-16th May).
It recently hosted the Reiss Sample and Seconds Sale, the latest in a growing number of retailer sales, and new event the Fusion Art Fair. Big name clients last year included leading construction services provider JN Bentley and global product design and technology company SharkNinja, with the venue’s capacity and versatility proving major draws.
The Great Yorkshire Events Centre is part of a family of businesses on the Great Yorkshire Showground which includes Harrogate Caravan Park and the newly refurbished Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall. All of these venues raise funds for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, hosts of the iconic Great Yorkshire Show. This enables the charity to support farmers and promote farming, food and the countryside by offering essential skills, mental health and safety training to farmers.
The Society also organises Countryside Days which are free for 6,000 children, free teacher training days and bursaries and scholarships to support the development of farming careers.
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is proud to have been named by Best Companies as among the Best Mid-Sized Companies To Work For 2024 in the UK and is listed in the Top 30 Best Companies To Work For In The UK Charity Sector 2024.
PA Life had a pleasure of visiting the Great Yorkshire Event Centre.
